From Dolmabahçe Palace we headed back toward the tram stop. Across the street and down some stairs we found the entrance to the funicular. A funicular is a sort of tram/metro that takes you uphill.
The top of the hill is known as Taksim Square. This is the Republic Monument. It shows the two sides of Atatürk, father of modern Turkey. He was first a soldier fighting in the War for Independence, and then a statesmen. He revolutionized Turkey politically, economically, and socially. He is credited with making Turkey the thriving, modern, and tolerant nation it is today.
I wish I had a better picture of İstiklal ("Independence") Street. It was very hip and cosmopolitan. There were lots of neat shops and restaurants here.
We popped into a fast food joint for döner pittas. They start with a huge drum of meat and roast it on an upright rotisserie all day, and then they shave off pieces for your pitta. They also tuck in a few french fries, lettuce, tomatoes and a fantastic sauce. Yum!!
At the end of İstiklal Street, you have two choices. You can either take a different funicular down to the bottom of the hill, or you can walk and see the Galata Tower. As you can see, we walked.
The Galata Bridge spans the body of water known as the "Golden Horn". On each end, it's a double-decker. On top, fishermen, trams, and cars. On the bottom, seafood restaurants.That's the New Mosque in the background.