Cruising the Bosphorus

After missing the Bosphurus ferry the day before, we were taking no chances. Down to the docks by 10am. So we could find the one that goes twice a day from Istanbul right up to the last stop before the Black Sea. This is also considered a local ferry, but is so popular with tourists that there is a special tourist return excursion fare. Of course this is YTL12.50 rather than the YTL2.60 you would pay if you were a local. So being Kiwi's we were determined to get the local fare. There was no way! The minute they saw our non-Turkish faces, with our complete lack of Turkish language, plus the camera, no-one would let on there was a local fare. In the end we gave in - cos the tourist fare is actually very reasonable for a full day's entertainment.

Bosphorus bridge

It was a great trip. There were a lot of people on board - mostly tourists, including a party of young schoolgirls from Konya - all in headscarves - that Tina struck up a conversation with (despite the lack of Turkish on her part and the limited English of the kids). We also met a pastor from California, who was at the end of a 1 month trip around Turkey visiting all the sites Paul (ie the famous saint) was supposed to have visited (and there are heaps all over Turkey apparently), who was a wealth of information about the ancient sites we're hoping to visit while we are here. And then there was the NZ couple, Shar and Scott from Wellington, who we met when we got off the boat for a few hours at the small fishing village (that now relies as much on tourism as fishing) at the top end of the Bosphorus

Tina and friends

On the way up the Bosphorus we went under the two huge bridges that span from Europe to Asia, past palaces and fabulous mansions built by the wealthy along the shores - as well as beautiful houses and mosques. And the now ruined, but still impressive, Rumeli Hisan castle. The boat made several stops at towns up the Bosphorus (and locals got on and off - so we knew you could do it!) before the final stop. We got off and made the trek up the hill to see the very ruined castle the overlooks the entry from the Black Sea into Bosphorus - at least partly for the exercise! The view from the top was great! And there was a good economics lesson to be had as well - on the way up the hill a small boy was selling bottles of cold water for YTL0.50. On the way down, when most people really wanted the water, but there were only a few bottles left - the price was double (we bought on the way up).

Fishing boat

Since we'd done the climb with our new NZ friends, when we arrived back at the village, we decided to have a beer. We went to a restaurant with seating on a pontoon sloping right down to the edge of the water, and when we saw that the edge of the pontoon was a bit wet, we decided to sit at a table just back from the water front. We were very glad we had, because a few minutes later the next ferry arrived and several waves started washing over the pontoon edge, getting bigger and bigger and finally washing right up around the table in front of us. We chose another restaurant set back on the street for our fish lunch....

Chris & Tina overlooking Black Sea

The trip back was lazy and uneventful, and if the seats had been a little friendlier we might have gone for a snooze. We arrived back at the hotel and decided to have a light dinner close by and have an early night (all this sightseeing takes it out of you!). Wasn't to be. We went to a little place just around the corner recommended by our friend Mehmet who manages the hotel - only a few tables and all very close together, so you tend to get involved with the next table's conversations. So we started talking with the young Australian girl and her 2 friends (both male, both young and both very interested in her - one American on Turkish) and then brought our waiter (also a young (to us) Turkish guy) into the conversation. All very interesting - about Islam, travelling the world, growing up in Turkey and circumcision (which is a big ceremony (accompanied by huge party) almost all Turkish boys (incl our conversation companions) go through some time between 6 - 12 years old. The conversation got louder, funnier and more carried away - and started to include every one in the restaurant. It turned into a late night - about midnight for Chris and I (who went back to the hotel cos we were the old ones - at least twice everyone else's age), but well into the wee small hours for the others who all ended up over in Taksim partying.

And at the ruined castle

Chris & Scott at the castle

Chris and Sher on the ruins

Flooding at the restaurant

Beatiful houses on the banks of the Bosphorus

Could happlily live in these....