Our choice today was to cruise the Bosphorus Strait. This is the world's narrowest strait to be used for international navigation. It forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia and connects the Black Sea with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas through the Dardanelles. Perhaps not the best weather for a day on the water, however we persevered as the forecasts were not generally good for the next few days. We decided to take the full day cruise up to the Black Sea rather than just around the Golden Horn. It was an exercise to find the correct boat, then the ticket office, then the place to enter! However there were many people willing to help us and we were soon on the boat.
Our boat stopped at Andalou Kavagi on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, where we had a two hour turnaround. We headed away from the touts at the dock and found a little kebab shop for lunch. Just as we sat down, the heavens opened and we were grateful for the cover and lunch. By the time we had finished, the dark storm clouds had moved on so we decided to head for the castle. Originally built by the Byzantines, with 8 massive towers and heavily fortified walls, the castle was restored by the Genoese in the 1300s. It was a steep climb, however we were rewarded with great views of the Sultan Selim (Third) Bridge - recently completed - and the Black Sea.
While waiting to get on the boat, we met Pip, a midwife from the Gold Coast and spent the trip up the Strait talking with her and looking at the landmarks from the sea. As Istanbul is a city of 16 million people (Pip tells us that an additional 5 million travel into the city from outside to work) it stretches up the Bosphorus for quite a way. However, after some time, the buildings facing the sea became more spaced and more grand - it was certainly prime real estate for the Turks!
Our boat stopped at Andalou Kavagi on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, where we had a two hour turnaround. We headed away from the touts at the dock and found a little kebab shop for lunch. Just as we sat down, the heavens opened and we were grateful for the cover and lunch. By the time we had finished, the dark storm clouds had moved on so we decided to head for the castle. Originally built by the Byzantines, with 8 massive towers and heavily fortified walls, the castle was restored by the Genoese in the 1300s. It was a steep climb, however we were rewarded with great views of the Sultan Selim (Third) Bridge - recently completed - and the Black Sea. 
We headed back down to the boat, passing a number of our fellow travellers on the way. While waiting for the boat we bought ice-creams and chatted with an American couple from Wisconsin - the US elections featured strongly as they do whenever we speak with american travellers. Most just shake their heads at the goings-on.
The skies cleared a little as we headed back to Istanbul, again stopping briefly at a couple of little villages along the way to pick up passengers.
One of the constants while we were on the water was the number of large shipping vessels plying the Strait. The Bosphorus is controlled by the Turkish government and utilised by large number of commercial ships, ferries and fishing and recreational boats each day. Because of the narrowness and a couple of blind turns along the route, it is quite dangerous for shipping, causing some headaches for the government. They are currently debating the construction of a channel to partly alleviate these issues.
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