| The Bosporus |
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| The Bosporus |
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| One of the things you just have to do is a trip on the Bosporus. You can take the official ferry, which brings you up to the Black Sea. Although there isn't a guide on board, you come quite close to most of the sights. A disadvantage is that you have to spend two or three hours for lunch at the last harbour before the ferry returns. But of course, you can also take a bus back. | |
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Eminönü is the shore for all the ferries. Not only the ferries
over the Bosporus arrive here, but also the one over the Golden Horn. A lot of
people come here for fishing. On both bridges over the Golden Horn the fishers
are standing side by side. They catch very small fish, and most of the time 4 or
5 at once.
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Who wasn't very lucky with fishing or didn't have the time, can buy fried fish. The men are wearing original Ottoman vests. |
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Another possibility is to take a private tour from one of the
boats at Eminönü. These boats don't go to the Black Sea, but you get to see most
of the sights and some-one points everything out to you.
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What you should not do, is book a trip with a bit of boating, a walk over the Egyptian market, a visit to one of the mosques and a leather-factory and pay 35 euro for it. |
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A trip by ferry is great fun, with seagulls trying to catch a bit
of bread. The fisherman in his little boat, who is almost run over by the big
ferries, will probably not agree.
Houses at the shore in every style you can imagine. |
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In the harbours, the fishermen sell their varied catch of the day from their boat.
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The fortress of Rumelı is also known as the European fortress. It
is built in the European side of the Bosporus. At the Asian side as a similar
fortress, but it is not is as good a condition as this one. Both are built in
only four months time. When you see the fortress from the boat, it doesn't look
very big. But when you walk inside, four months is unbelievably fast.
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There are 3 big towers and every tower has a lot of steps. In between there are walls with even more steps. Oh, and there are no railings, so it is not really a place to visit when you are afraid of heights (or afraid your children will fall down). |
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In Istanbul, at the end of the Wall of Theodosifus, lies another fortress. This one is called Yedikule, as it has seven towers. The view below is from Yedikule over the Bosporus, where you can see all the ships waiting to do what? Go into the Bosporus? Or get unloaded? |
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