A Middle Eastern Anomaly: Bosphorus Cruise

On Saturday, my two best friends, Ashlyn and Becky andmyself took a Bosphorus Cruise Tour. Leaving from the European side of Istanbulat Eminonou for only 25TL, you get a 4-hour ferry ride and a 3 hour romp on alittle village next to the Black Sea. Other companies do the tour for cheaper,but it is much shorter as well. Plan to spend a full day adventure, about 6/7hours. Our ferry left at 10:30am with the tickets selling out by 9:50!

The boat ride is rather magnificent. With both coveredsections and sections of the boat exposed to the elements, we were lucky enough to sitoutside and enjoy the warm sunshine, basking in the bright light and views ofthe shoreline. Everything from tiny boathouses and summer villas to loomingcastles are within plain view. The seagulls follow the boat, swooping up anddown with the currents of the wind, waiting to tail-dive to catch a piece ofbread thrown by the children. The children whoop with laughter, delighted theseagulls take an interest in their little sport of throwing bread. Men walkaround the ship selling tea, simit (little circle shaped, sesame coveredbreads) and fresh yogurt from the world famous yogurt village! Called MesurKanlica Yogurt, this famous yogurt boasts a thick layer of cream coating thetop of the yogurt. And just to top it all of, they provide little packets of powdered sugar to sweeten the deal! A huge yogurt cup for only 2TL! (Just do it!)

We disembarked at Anadolu Kavagi, the last stop on the boattour and our destination. Having done this tour two years prior, on my firstvisit to Istanbul, I had repeat deja-vu the entire trip. I have a photographicmemory, and for that reason can easily navigate any city I’ve previously beento, if I’ve seen that place. Navigating the little side streets of the tinyvillage was a breeze. The houses leaning against the shores of the water, withhidden little boathouses underneath the house it self brought me immediatelyback. Dozens of fresh fish restaurants lined the streets and their vendorscalled out to their newly arrived ferry riders. Local craftsmen sold strings ofhand carved necklaces and works of art were proudly displayed in brightlycolored wooden cases, painted warm summer colors of topaz, royal blue, plum andcoral. We bought beautiful pieces of jewelry and proceeded to indulge in somelunch. Having balik ekmek (fish bread) in Istanbul is a MUST for any visitor.The fish vendors grill up the fish in front of you and flick the bones out inless than twenty seconds. They slop on some onions, salad and seasoning, andyou’ve got yourself a sandwich!

We made our way up to the castle sitting atop the hill overlooking the Black Sea. It is my favorite view of Istanbul. A panoramic view of the mouth of the Black Sea and the villages of Istanbul trailing all the way until the Black Sea- the view cannot be beat. A backdrop of an old castle, which you can climb, buffers the view of the crystal blue sky, the lusciously green hills and the sparkling crystalline waters of the Bosphorus. We sat atop the the crumbling wall of surrounding the castle and drank in the beauty of the view before us. It was one of those moments in life where nothing is anything but perfect. Life is all a tapestry of beautifully painted colors, emotions and experiences. At the moment, life was blissful.

Our sail back to Eminonou was one of laughter and memories.The suns rays coated the boat like a layer of frosting, enveloping us in thelong awaited warmth of spring. An hour and a half later, we disembarked againand began another adventure around Sultanahmet. If you have a full day while inIstanbul, I highly recommend a Bosphorus cruise- it is always the highlight ofmy time in Istanbul. There is something mystically entrancing about sailingalong the shores of thousands of years of history and slowly gliding by.