I just woke up in my bed at home for the first time in over two weeks after a fitful, jet lagged, medication induced attempt to get a good night's sleep.The darling kittens didn't help because of their 2 am ear chewing antics which were less than endearing. They seem glad to have their mommy back!
It is odd indeed to think that I was in Turkey just 36 hours ago. It seems like a dream (followed by a semi-nightmare of 24 hours of international travel involving three flights home)
Our last day in Istanbul was one of the best. We woke to a crisp and cloudless day and walked along the waterfront to the dock for the pleasure cruise on the Bosphorus strait. The path was deserted at that hour except for a few joggers and two men setting up a string of balloons and glass bottles on the rocks at the water's edge. We wondered what the heck they were doing until we got closer and saw that they had a pellet gun and rifle sitting with some ammo on the seawall and we figured they were going to do some target practice. (We discovered later when we came back at sunset for a walk that there were several of these target practice stations set up as a money-making endeavor.) The path affords an unobstructed view of the three bodies of water that intersect in Istanbul: the Sea of Marmara, which leads out to the Aegean near Greece, The Bosphorus strait which forms part of the border between Europe and Asia and leads from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, and the Golden Horn, an inlet that divides the city of Istanbul in half.
We took a public excursion ferry which runs daily from the docks near the Galata bridge to the quaint fishing village of Anadolu Kavagi on the Asian side 17 km away. The shores of the Bosphorus are dotted with palaces and beautiful wooden homes constructed as summer places for the 1%. In between villages there are swathes of Mediterranean forests covering the hillsides. The combination of natural beauty and strikingly attractive architecture makes for a very scenic tour. The waterway is a major shipping line and we were passed by huge ships transporting goods from the Black Sea or vice versa and we also saw lots of other pleasure boats. Most of the big vacation houses along the shore appeared closed for the winter and I can imagine how much more lively the streets and waterways will be in July when the vacation homes are open for the summer.
The ferry stops at Anadolu Kavagi for three hours which we spent in the company of a hundred other tourists who dutifully climbed up to the hillside castle and then descended back to the dock area for a seafood lunch which is really all there is to do there. The village is tiny and quaint and completely dependent on the daily influx of Bosphorus cruisers to support the local economy. The ruined castle we walked to was nothing special but the view North to the Black Sea was impressive and I was charmed by a small farm further up the path (where the mass of tourists did not venture) that had a huge flock of guinea hens. We ate lunch outside in a small restaurant which served a prix fixe menu of a whole fish, fried calamari and mussels, a salad and drink for around $10. It was so delightful to bask in the warm sun enjoying the fried food and beer. Nothing says vacation better than beer and fried food in the sun.
After lunch I did a little souvenir shopping while slightly intoxicated...that was fun... then we cruised back to Istanbul.
Our final evening was spent back at the waterfront promenade which had come to life with picnicking families, lively soccer games and people strolling. We watched the sunset over the Sea of Marmara and we asked another couple to take a photo of us which turned out to be the last shot before the batteries in my camera died. We went back to the Kumru Hotel and visited with Melissa and Abdul for a while before packing and heading to the airport for our marathon travel session back to the US. What a wonderful trip!!