Jane and Ken's 2014 Adventure: Day 161: Tuesday 26 August – Istanbul Day 4: A Cruise On The Bosphorus, by Ken

We knew that a day’s sightseeing in Istanbul yesterday would be tiring so we planned a much easier day for today watching Istanbul pass by as we cruised on the Bosphorus.

After the usual start of email, facebook and breakfast on the hotel's terrace we made our way up the hill again to the tram stop at Bayazit. The street cats had deputised a kitten to greet Jane as we walked, Jane was very pleased to see her – I’m not sure those feelings were reciprocated by the kitten.

Roofs Of Istanbul With Sea Of Marmara Beyond Seen From Hotel Terrace At Breakfast Time

Morning Welcoming Representative

We took the by now familiar tram trip from Bayazit to Eminönü arriving at the cruise terminal about an hour before the scheduled departure time of 10:30. Even so, quite a queue had formed and we were pleased we had bought our tickets the previous day. We whiled away the wait watching ferries of all shapes and sizes darting everywhere.

Umbrella Hats For Sale

Galata Bridge Over The Golden Horn Close To Where Our Cruise Started

Our boat was one of the classic, and deceptively large, vapurs (so named because the original vapurs were steam powered). Our boat was catchily named Istanbul 9 and capable of carrying 1,500 passengers. The people ahead of us in the queue quickly filled the top deck and we had to content ourselves with the middle deck, but at least we were able to get seats by the rail.

Our Vapur - 'Istanbul 9'

We set off on the dot of 10:30 with our GPS linked audio guides clamped to our heads. The guide was very good, chiming in at just the right moment with commentary on each of the palaces, mosques and other landmarks we passed on the trip which took us virtually all the way to the Black Sea.

Here’s just a few of the sights we saw:

Galata Tower

Dolmababahce Mosque

Dolmababahce Palace

Ciragan Palace

Great Mecidiye Mosque

Rumeli and Anatolian Fortresses

Skyline of European Istanbul

For much of the length of the Bosphorus there were houses belonging to the better off residents of Istanbul. If it wasn’t for the temperature some areas could well have been Wellington with what appeared to be timber houses tumbling down hillsides to the water front. There were also ambassador's residences and diplomats summer homes.

Could Be Wellington?

Then, of course, there were the magnificent suspension bridges spanning the waterway. The first we came to, and visible from Istanbul’s Old City, was the first bridge over the Bospherous opened in 1973. With a main span of 1,074 metres, it was designed by Freeman Fox and Partners. One of its claims to fame is that in 2005 Venus Williams played an exhibition match against a Turkish opponent on the bridge – the only game of tennis known to have been played on two continents. There is also an annual marathon held in Asia and Europe that crosses the bridge.

First Bridge Over The Bosphorus

Tower On Asian Side, Inclined Hangers Supporting Deck

At about the half way point of our cruise we passed under the Faith Sultan Mehmet bridge which we had driven over in Mabel less than a week earlier. Opened in 1988 it was also designed by Freeman Fox and has a main span of 1,090 metres. The hangers supporting the deck are vertical whereas those on the first bridge are inclined.

Faith Sultan Mehmet Bridge

European Side Tower -Faith Sultan Mehmet Bridge With Vertical Hangers Supporting Deck

The fact that a third suspension bridge was under construction close to the Black Sea came as a bit of a surprise. The towers were well advanced and, unlike the other two bridges which have steel towers, the towers of the third bridge are concrete. (A subsequent Google search found the bridge will carry combined road and rail traffic and will have a main span of more than 1,400 metres. It has been designed by French and Swiss engineers).

Asia Side Concrete Tower Of Third Bridge Under Construction

In addition to the land based sights we saw there was plenty going on to the water with ships of all shapes and sizes making their way nothwards to the Black Sea.

Empty Oil Tanker

Container Ship

Motor Yacht

Space Rocket?

Bulk Carrier

Our boat criss-crossed the Bosphorus a few times stopping at a number of piers along the way. At some stops we saw large fishing boats tied up. Each boat carried one or two smaller boats on its stern, presumably to assist in positioning nets.

Fishing Boats - Note Smaller Boats On Stern

1½ hours after setting off we reached the northernmost point of our cruise at the small town of Anadolu Kavaği on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, just over 5 kilometres from the Black Sea. There, the waterfront was lined with restaurants and as we glided into the nearby pier waiters were shouting and waving their arms in the hope of drawing the boat passengers into their establishments. The staff of one restaurant close to the pier were even waving flags of different countries.

Eat Here

No, Here

We had no problem in selecting the flag waving restaurant next to the pier for our lunch. We started with grilled mussels, absolutely tiny compared with the New Zealand green lipped variety, and calamari. They was followed by a calamari and shrimp stew.

Lunch Time

View From Our Lunch Table

After lunch we decided to take up the audio guide recommendation of walking up to Yoros castle situated high on a hill overlooking the town. With the benefit of hindsight it would have been better to have done that before eating. The combination of a good lunch, a steep road and lots of steps plus temperatures in the high 30s made for hard going. For Jane the walk was made a bit more pleasurable by a kitten that accompanied her for part of the way. By the time we reached the castle we were definitely the worse for wear. The effort can best be described as futile because all the entrances to the castle were shut and we had to make do with the view northwards to the Black Sea.

Encouragement To Keep Going To The Castle

Towers For Third Bosphorus Crossing Seen From Yoros Castle With The Black Sea Beyond

Yoros Castle

We were somewhat disappointed as we trudged back into the town. The one saving grace was by the time we got back we were close to the front of the queue waiting to reboard and we were able to get seats on the top deck. The audio guide was not smart enough to give a commentary for the return trip so we contented ourselves with watching Asia and Europe slip slowly by.

We arrived back at the pier at Eminönü at 16:30 and took a crowded tram back to Bayazit followed by the walk downhill to our hotel, we were so glad it was easy going at the end of the day.

After some recovery time and showers we were ready for dinner and decided to return to Al Pacino’s place. As yesterday we had to run the gauntlet of staff of other restaurants on the way. Al and some of his staff spotted us coming and rushed out to meet us as if we were long lost friends. We picked a table outside again so we could take in the atmosphere.

Al recommended a traditional Turkish starter of melon and cheese accompanied by a glass of raki. We both agreed, it was a very good start to a meal. For mains Jane ordered lamb kebab while I opted for the fish equivalent. Jane thoroughly enjoyed hers, but the taste of my delicious fish was overwhelmed by some very hot chillis. As last night we were given a complimentary desert of fresh fruit and helva but tonight we also received complimentary raki.

The waiting was shared by Al and Mehmet. Al explained that his colleague had little English but Al had told him that didn't matter as long as the service was good and he kept his customers amused. Mehmet did well on both fronts being very efficient and fooling around in a good way.

While we ate workmen were putting the finishing touches to a new restaurant nearby. One guy was using an angle grinder to cut steel under a verandah while standing on a step ladder. He had no eye or ear protection and sparks were flying everywhere, but mainly over him and his mate below. An old man dressed as a waiter shuffled around the square carrying a tray of mussels and lemon quarters. He looked bewildered and lost. I asked Al who he was and was told he had been selling mussels prepared by his wife to the customers in restaurants in the square for well over 40 years. I thought selling food to restaurant customers was an interesting concept, but Al thought nothing of it. We never saw the man sell anything and really thought it was time he hung up his waiter’s uniform.

Sparks Flying

Mussel Man

As last night the street sellers were out in force and a young cat that had called to see Jane last night was back. Jeets and his fellow musicians were also performing again and they played for us for a while.