The Bosphorous Cruise (actually just a commuter ferry) was worth every one of the 3 stars that the guidebook gave it. For 20 YTL each, Shane, David and I walked down to the dock and enjoyed 7 hours of amazing views of old town Istanbul, colorful mansions, ancient fortresses, suspension bridges and fishing villages. We got off at the end of the ride at the mouth of the Black Sea in a tiny town called Anadolu Kavagi, where we bought a picnic lunch from a market (loaf of bread, goat cheese, cherries, tomatoes and apples) and hoofed it up to the Yoros Castle where we scaled one of the walls to sit on top in the shade and enjoy breathtaking views.
Castle!
Village and bridge
View from the Yoros Castle
David on the castle wall
Shane never misses and opportunity to slack-pipe
The village
We made it home at around 5 pm and meandered our way over to the Cemberlitas Hamami, a historic Turkish bath built in 1584. Now THAT was quite the experience. For 55 YTL, we experienced the works. The men and women are segregated and apparently experience very different things. Carla and I changed into our towels and and were instructed to lie down on a warm marble slab by a monstrous 1/2 naked Turkish women who spoke no english and proceeded to scrub, suds adn massage every last inch of our bodies. I think we’re each a few pounds lighter as a combination of our skin and sweat disappeared.
Carla and I, pre scrub
The boys, post scrub
Noticeably cleaner
After staggering out of the hamami a few hours later, we sought out non-kebab dinner (there’s no variety here), stumbled on a Turkish concert in a park, and took night photos near the Mosques.
The concert. No, that’s not Disneyland; that’s Hagia Sofia
Dusk
Turkish ice cream is more than ice cream; it’s an experience (and a rip off!)
Blue Mosque at night
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sofia
Whirling Dervish
What a day.
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