Just a quick note on the day, which was devoted entirely to tourist pursuits! I spent all day on the Bosphorus, taking the typical tourist tour: it was really beautiful, and definitely a steal at 25 lira, I think! You leave Eminonu Port at 10:30, with a gorgeous view of Old Istanbul behind you as you pull away from the dock. All the way up the Bosphorus on both sides you pass old palaces, large mosques, pretty seaside villages, and a variety of "yalis"--elegant villas built as summer residences for the Ottoman elite. The ferry docks briefly in a few towns on the way up [and back], and then, around noon, pauses for thee hours at Anadolu Kavagi where people have lunch and/or hike up to the ruins of a 14th century Byzantine fortress, the Genoese Castle. [This is the first and only time I will be on the "Asian" side of Turkey, so that was kind of cool.] From there, you have great views, especially five miles up the Bosphorus to where it meets the Black Sea. You arrive back at the port of origin around 4:30. It's a great way to see a little more of Turkey, and enjoy being on the water. Since I am a "mountains" kind of person, I don't do this very often--it was lots of fun.
