I was waking later and later, that morning at 0400. Good. A nearby mosque put out its call to prayer at 0500. Then I heard some ice cream van chimes, too early in the morning for that I thought, but it turned out to be an Aygas delivery van.
It was a clear morning with patches of blue sky so I thought it would be a good day for a cruise up the Bosphorus. I hoped that there would be no crowds as it was a workday. Perhaps I might glimpse the Black Sea. Istanbul is a special place. It is the only metropolis that straddles two continents. You can drive or sail between Europe and Asia inside of an hour. Within its city limits lies the Bosphorus, a strait that is thick with international navigation. It's fortunate for the surrounding countries that this route is kept open by Turkey, a country that is friendly to all.
Breakfast was sumptuous, as usual: white bread loaves, simit, butter, honey, preserves, strawberries, figs, dates, some unidentifiable candied fruit or vegie, cheese, olives both green and black, hard boiled eggs, tea and coffee. The coffee was so-so, the tea was better. Contrary to what the term Turkish coffee suggests, the Turks drink far more tea, especially elma çayı, apple flavoured tea. I surreptitiously fed the gray tabby a few morsels of cheese.
On the boat there was a US woman wearing an Australia hat. A Turkish guide was accompanying an Italian couple. Opposite me sat a Japanese couple. And unfortunately there were killjoy smokers. They were endemic in Turkey. You sit on a ferry, near an ancient granny or a pre-teen and think you are safe, surely they don't smoke, then they light up, and you groan to yourself.
In the photo we are going under the Bosphorus Bridge. At Sarıyer, about ¾ of the way up the strait I decided to have a stopover as it was supposed to be a pleasant district. But a crew man said if I did that I couldn't resume northwards. Ok, so be it, I'll give up seeing the Black Sea, I'll make do with a distant glimpse. So that was the closest I got, since I didn't plan to visit any places on Turkey's Black Sea coast like Trabzon. I could also see power cables across the strait, very high, to allow ships to go under.
Sarıyer was a bustling place with lots people going about their business. A foretaste of the Aegean perhaps? I found a hole in the wall place and had a nice home cooked lunch. A man at the next table mentioned that he had been to Australia. There was no shade in Sarıyer; it would not be a good place to come in high summer. There was not much to do while waiting for the return ferry except to sit at a quayside cafe. I watched a Turkish gentleman changing notes at the ticket counter, and counting them in German. Hast du verstehen, he said to the clerk on finishing. Probably worked there for years.
After an uneventful return trip, I asked at the tourist kiosk about ferries to Yalova in Asia. Just as well, because it turned out that they left from Yenikapı, not Kabataş. After a siesta, I went looking for a kebap dinner. A polite old man in a suit and tie enticed me into his restaurant. I had a very good patlıcanlı kebap (eggplant with kebab) and salad. It was almost too much to finish. Maybe I shouldn't have ordered the salad.
I went up to the terrace again and nibbled some lokum (Turkish delight) and Natural Viagra (see previous post) while watching the waterfront as well as the sound and light show from afar before turning in.
It was a clear morning with patches of blue sky so I thought it would be a good day for a cruise up the Bosphorus. I hoped that there would be no crowds as it was a workday. Perhaps I might glimpse the Black Sea. Istanbul is a special place. It is the only metropolis that straddles two continents. You can drive or sail between Europe and Asia inside of an hour. Within its city limits lies the Bosphorus, a strait that is thick with international navigation. It's fortunate for the surrounding countries that this route is kept open by Turkey, a country that is friendly to all.
Breakfast was sumptuous, as usual: white bread loaves, simit, butter, honey, preserves, strawberries, figs, dates, some unidentifiable candied fruit or vegie, cheese, olives both green and black, hard boiled eggs, tea and coffee. The coffee was so-so, the tea was better. Contrary to what the term Turkish coffee suggests, the Turks drink far more tea, especially elma çayı, apple flavoured tea. I surreptitiously fed the gray tabby a few morsels of cheese.
In the photo we are going under the Bosphorus Bridge. At Sarıyer, about ¾ of the way up the strait I decided to have a stopover as it was supposed to be a pleasant district. But a crew man said if I did that I couldn't resume northwards. Ok, so be it, I'll give up seeing the Black Sea, I'll make do with a distant glimpse. So that was the closest I got, since I didn't plan to visit any places on Turkey's Black Sea coast like Trabzon. I could also see power cables across the strait, very high, to allow ships to go under.
Sarıyer was a bustling place with lots people going about their business. A foretaste of the Aegean perhaps? I found a hole in the wall place and had a nice home cooked lunch. A man at the next table mentioned that he had been to Australia. There was no shade in Sarıyer; it would not be a good place to come in high summer. There was not much to do while waiting for the return ferry except to sit at a quayside cafe. I watched a Turkish gentleman changing notes at the ticket counter, and counting them in German. Hast du verstehen, he said to the clerk on finishing. Probably worked there for years.
I went up to the terrace again and nibbled some lokum (Turkish delight) and Natural Viagra (see previous post) while watching the waterfront as well as the sound and light show from afar before turning in.
