Istanbul - Galata Bridge

5/19/2012 - This bridge spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul. It is the fifth bridge built in this area, finished in 1994. It is a bascale bridge.  The top deck has three vehicular lanes and one walkway in each direction. The tram tracks have recently been re-added to it to allow the tram to cross.  The other areas of the bridge, including the the market area, opened to common use in 2003.

This map shows the area of the bridge at the big red arrow.

I was pretty excited to see this because I had read about it in Rick Steves' books.  The fishermen line the bridge.

 What a great view!  This looks out at Mirmara Sea.

 We turn off of the bridge and I was straining to see the restaurants and market underneath.  Look at the mid right side of the photo and you can see boxes of fresh bread ready for sale.

 The area under the bridge is filled with restaurants and cafes that are out at the rail.  Very cool.

 More views of the restaurants and the city behind.

 I was very excited to be able to see this.  There are a lot of people walking and I don't know if that is normal or because of the National Holiday.