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Sitting on the north side of the Golden Horne and standing out in contrast to the many minarets, is the Galata Tower.
Built as a watch house, it stands part way up the hill to the famous shopping area of İstiklâl Avenue.
Getting there is half the fun – take the one stop old underground train from Karakoram to Beyoğlu. This underground, second oldest to London’s, was not extended. It simply provided a means to climb the steep slope.
İstiklâl Avenue is a mile long stretch in the upmarket Beyoğlu district of Istanbul that leads to the famous Taksim Square. There was a massive police presence in the square and a strange audio-video presentation on a massive outdoor screen, advertising the benefits the police offer the public, using short movies and techno/disco music.
No more trouble in Taksim Square!!
