Istanbul from the Bosphorus

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Yesterday I spent the morning in the museums, trying to avoid the cold. First stop was the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, followed by the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, home of a wonderful collection of antique Turkish carpets as well as a nice ethnographic collection featuring tents made out of goat hair. The afternoon was taken up by shopping and a quick visit to the Rustem Pasa Mosque, before tea at a cafe outside of the Grand Bazaar. I think I should have most of my souvenirs now, although there's always the temptation for more. As long as I have enough lira to get myself to the airport on Friday morning...

Today I started downstairs with other plans but after checking the weather report for today and tomorrow I ended up hurrying through the lovely breakfast and rushing to th port where I caught a ferry up the Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavegi, the last stop before the Black Sea. The trip took about an hour and a half, and I have to say that I believe this to be the nicest ferry I've ever ridden. Despite this being the warmest and sunniest day since I've been here I still choose to sit indoors, although many people wanted to enjoy the views from the deck ad the second level, which were indeed impressive. The seats were like wooden couches with red and green leather cushions, and waiters walked by delivering coffee and Turkish tea. In addition to the fabulous sea views and the seaside cities we passed, I enjoyed watching the seagulls fly alongside the ship and think I might have seen a dolphin at one point. Upon reaching the destination I ran into a group of travelers from the hostel where I'm staying and we all had lunch together - cheese pide for me (like cheese pizza) - before climbing up to Anadolu Kavegi Kaseli to get some great photos. The ferry ride back was just as good as going there and upon returning to Istanbul I got some fresh orange juice for the walk back to the hostel.

Tomorrow is my last full day here, and I hope to make the most of it, despite the rain that's being called for. Let's hope I have a lot to report. After that it's on to Cairo!

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Photos

The death of a lizard at the Great Palace Mosiac Museum
This was the only lizard featured in the etire museum - and he's getting eaten by this mythical beast!

Comments

[Amanda]

Wow, just beautiful! (And the scenery is nice, too! ;) ) I hope your last day in Istanbul was glorious! I can't wait to hear about Cairo.