When you approach the tower, it seems like something out of a medieval tale; something a knight would climb to rescue a princess. Surrounded by shops, restaurants, and hotels of recent build, the Galata tower seems out of time. Inside the tower is nothing modern either. The inner bricks from centuries past remain, and the narrow wooden steps circling upward to the higher floors were certainly not built for the height and width of the average 21st-century person. Once you have ascended the stairs to the uppermost floors, you are captivated by a 360-degree view of the great city. On all sides, you can see the minuscule shapes of tourists and Turkish nationals. On the Bosphorus, you can watch as cargo ships take their wares up to the Black Sea ports, as well as the ferries taxi their way across the blue-green water of the Strait. From here, your mind’s eye can imagine the history that this old tower has witnessed. It is only fitting that a city as historic as Istanbul would have a tower to match it.