WATER, water...everywhere

We awoke to a glorious day in Istanbul, and as a result, only one thing to do....cruise the Bospherous!  After deciding that we would opt for the public ferry, which gave us an option of getting off at one stop for 3 hours, before returning.  We set about making our way to the docks to purchase tickets. It took a surprisingly short amount of time to get there, was easy to find, we were quickly served & we still had an hour on our hands!  Over the road we went to the NEW Mosque!
 Now when I say 'new', I mean started in 1597 and finished in 1663! It is an interesting Mosque for a couple of reasons; the spice market was established to fund the mosque & continues to pay for its maintenance., & it's construction was orchestrated by 2 Valides (Mums of Sultans). It confuses me as to why it only gets a small write up in the DK Istanbul guide, and in the list of 'Best Mosques & Churches', the New Mosque doesnt get a look in. And yet, it is stunning, and quite different from the others we have seen in this city. (Losing count now !) Not only does it have iznik tiles outside in the courtyard area, as well as the interior, but the building is made all the more interesting with its extension into the 'Royal Pavilion', (private access for the Sultan). We had a thoroughly enjoyable stroll before crossing under the road again, to join the cattle herd waiting to board the ferry. 

It was while we waiting that my husband refered to one of the stories in Orhan Pamuk's book, where he describes how the locals, so used to boating collisions in this strip of water, when hearing the crash, would bring down deck chairs from which to watch the show & within minutes there would be coffee & tea sellers making their way through the spectators!

I did enter the boat with some dis-ease!

 The water was so calm & the trip blissful.  We sat on the 'European' side on the way up, confronted with the massive urban sprawl, and all so tightly packed on top of each other. Further up we started to see beautiful Yalis, the Istanbullies version of a beach house! Now I could REALLY get a kick out of beach side holidays in one of these ottoman treasures! Apparently these used to line both sides of the Bospherous, but have since been replaced by hotels etc.  We saw a number that had clearly been lovingly restored & some that clearly hadnt! There were castle remnants from times when the land was being conquered by one group or another & big boats & charming villages.

We stopped at Anadolu Kavagi where the restaurant owners started competing for our custom as soon as the boat came within sight, waving franticly & pointing to their restaurants, & as soon as we got off the boat, the competition became verbal.  We ate a questionable lunch (which I am currently paying for!) and then set off on the steep walk up to the 14th century Byzantine fortress, from which we would see the Black Sea.

The Black sea is not actually black!

Our cruise down the Bospherous saw us seated on the 'Asian' side, which wasnt hugely different from the European, although less congested and more Mosques.  We played a little game of 'spot the Mosque' and couldnt get over how many there were.  Very much like rural France and parts of the UK where clearly, every village area has its own church.

Back on land we made our way back to the hotel, stopping at a fabulous Turkish Delight shop where we bought 3 of each of 21 different varieties of Turkish Delight, which we aim to taste test over the coming days...on the rooftop of our hotel...watching the sun go down! (Life's tough, but we all have a purpose to fulfill!)

Next stop the Turkish Baths at Cagaloglu! AT LAST!  I'd finally convinced the boys we needed to do this! I plan to write another blog page specifically about the experience, so all I will say here is...my experience was not as rough as the boys, they dont make women's wooden clogs big enough for my feet,  and it was fascinating seeing what tattoos other woman had on their bodies & where...I felt severely under adorned!

I am trying to convince the boys that we need to try another one next week! (Might take that long for them to agree!)

 Radiating with cleanliness we strove back to the Hotel to change before heading out for dinner. Our venue this evening the underground cistern of the Sarnic Hotel, lit up with candles & accompanied by piano music it was very atmospheric.  A good place to end our water inspired day!