On our last full day in Istanbul we took a 5-hour cruise on the Bosphorus Strait on a public ferry. We arrived early to get the best seats since I get seasick and the strait was surprisingly choppy. Luckily it was calm this day so the trip was wonderful! You get some great views of the old town sights then head northeast into the rest of Istanbul. There are two main bridges that cross the Bosphorus but the main traffic is ferries. On the way there are quite a few palaces to see and many huge houses on the water. It was very pretty and it gave us a better idea of how large the city really is. The last stop on the ferry is Anadolu Kavagi which is in Asia. We got off here for a hike and lunch. We hiked up to the Yoros Castle that has great views of the Black Sea. We had a nice lunch overlooking the Bosphorus at the top of the hill and then wandered back down to the city for dessert. Dessert was called lokma and is basically a honey fried donut hole- they were heavenly! Interestingly the military controls much of this area since it is a key spot for Turkey on the Bosphorus (which they control).
We took the ferry back and then had a nice dinner and wandered the area for a last few shopping items. On Monday our flight left around 2pm so we had the morning to do our final sightseeing. The only thing left to see was the Underground Cistern. It was built in the sixth century by Justinian to provide water to the city. They used column from Roman ruins so there is quite a mish mash of styles but the cistern still stands but it does leak. It is no longer used but it very pretty and amazing to think it is still structurally sound! After that we had a nice kebab lunch and headed to the airport for home. It was an amazing trip – something that living in Europe allows us to do in a long weekend. It is a sight to be seen – it is the first place I have visited where the buildings and sights were so well cared for that I could picture what is was like 2000 years ago. Amazing!
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