Sabine and I got up early today, skipped breakfast and headed for the ferries, to get on the boat along the Bosphorus. We had to be there early to score a seat with a view…

However, we were a bit lost with all the ferries on offer, and all the guys trying to sell us their special boat trip. Our guide books warned us, as those trips are mostly more expensive, but shorter than the ferry…

We found it, finally, and got a good spot standing at the rear of the boat for the 90 minute trip up north. We went out of the Golden Horn and then zig-zagged across the sea between both European and Asian shores, underneath the first and second Bosphorus bridges and up to Anadolu Kavagi, the last stop before the Black Sea.

 

There, we saw the works progressing on a massive third Bosphorus bridge, that will span the entry into the strait. Works began last year, but the two pylons are already sky high, and the bridge is supposed to be opened in 2015.

The little town of Anadolu Kavagi is a fun stop… it literally lives off the ferry traffic bringing tourists from Istanbul. Already from the boat you can see the restaurant hosts wave flags and jump up and down…

You have to make your way through them, in order to walk up to the little fortress, that once guarded the entry into the Bosphorus strait.

It’s a ruin today, and you cannot enter it, but the view from up there is really worth the 30 minute hike up. Again you have to make your way through (!) a number of restaurants, café places and tourists shop). It feels like the mall crept up the way on the hill and now accompanies tourists for a good part of the way… (Ok, I’m exaggerating a little).

After taking in the view we stopped for a beer and coffee in one of them, and then made our way down again, catching the ferry back to Istanbul in the afternoon. This time, more luck: we cheated a little bit with the queue, and had a nice seat on the side of the boat in the shadow.

 

The coast line is really beautiful. Once outside Istanbul metropolis, the houses become more residential – and quite fancy. Villas creeping up the hills, beautiful town houses and hotels right on the water front.

Luckily, they avoided the temptation to build massive concrete blocks onto the shore – only one such building can be seen…

On the water, the boat traffic is massive. And chaotic. The biggest ocean freighters, small fish trawlers, passenger ferries and row boats all crisscross the waters, and we’re surprised there were no accidents.

Even though we witnessed at least one really close situation that was only resolved with a full reverse – and a captain coming out screaming and cursing.

We really enjoyed the view, but also started to fall asleep from the rocking of the boat.

Back on land we just walked over the bridge, took the cable car up to Galata and walked home – again having to make a detour to avoid some protests in front of the French Lycée, and the police water canon in front. We don’t want to end up on the TV news.