We're loving this relaxed pace of touring, not having to think about where we're going, how to get there or even how to buy tickets. Having Hulya with us is a definite bonus, a source of information on tap. We also don't feel guilty for not studying the history of the area in order to make the experience educational for the kids. We get to be complete sponges. Hulya even referred us to a Netflix series featuring Mehmet the Conquerer. Tuning in to Netflix... yeah that falls into our effort/reward/cost Ven diagram. Our exploration of Istanbul continued with a cruise along the Bosphorus. To our surprise, it was a bonus private cruise! We had the whole boat to ourselves as we admired the city from the water. It was a also great opportunity to improve our geography! The "narrow" Bosphorus Strait is the only way in and out of the Black Sea, linking it to the Sea of Marmara and eventually the Mediterranean (via the Dardanelles). It also divides Istanbul into a European side and an Asian side. After our cruise, we were deposited on the Asian side to rendezvous with our bus and driver where we explored Kuzguncuk and Kadikov on foot. Being mainly residential and free of the main historic sites, many describe the Asian side as more authentic. It is a common destination for food tours, and one of our stops was a restaurant serving home-cooked style dishes from the east of Turkey. It was a feast indeed. Once again, I found myself enjoying things not normally on my favourites list...in this case...lamb!
As an aside, we met up with Hulya's brother who happened to be a director for the Turkish soap opera Ömer. He was filming nearby to where we were. He offered Oma a chance to go on set and be an extra which she turned down. Boo!!!
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| No rain! |
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| All ours! |
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| Now a fancy hotel, previously a palace |
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| Now understanding why there were always big ships and tankers. They all had to wait their turn for waterway traffic! One way in, one way out |
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| Ah...hot tea |
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| It was nice to have the space to sit, walk around and take photos without waiting for someone to move |
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| All the sunglasses were out! |
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| Where are you Elliot... |
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| The fort that was instrumental to the Ottoman Empire taking Constantinople. Built in just 4 months! Unlike the 5 years it took to build the lifts and Pymble Station... |
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| Goodbye boat! |
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| The attractions along the way, for one day when I need to remember! |
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| Behind the armoured truck is a synagogue. The truck is there 24/7 |
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| Neighbourhood of Kuzguncuk |
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| Beautiful timer homes typical in the Ottoman Empire |
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| Literally...beware cats because there were strays everywhere |
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| Dogs too...how many can you see |
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| Kadikov mainly frequented by locals |
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| Olive shop. There was a honey shop too |
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| The pickle store. Every kind of vegetable you can think has been pickled and is available to buy |
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| Our destination. Lunch! |
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| The menu changes every day |
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| We just said, choose for us and he did. Everything was so tasty |
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| It was hard to keep Oma from entering all the shops! |
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| Going back to "Europe" via the bridge |
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