Congratulate me! I finally managed to get out of bed early enough on the weekend to take a Bosphorus cruise. I've been trying to do this for about a month but the boats leave at 10:30 and they fill up fast so you need to be there by 10 to get a good seat. Since I had to get to Eminönü (either walk or take a bus) it meant getting up by the gawdawful hour of 9 (or rather 9:15). Actually, it worked out great. The cats woke me up at 9:15, when my alarm clock set for 8:45 didn't. I jumped out of bed, threw on the coolest clothing I possess, filled my water bottles, threw my cameras into my bag while answering my room mates cheerful "good morning! How are you?" with "Late" as I ran out the door. I actually made it there by 10 and found a decent seat (outside, shaded and exposed to the air.) The only problem with it was a bit of view blockage from a couple poles and a rope and cable which might or might not be cropped from the photos.

This weekend has been the hottest yet and the smart thing to do is get on a boat where there are cool breezes, lots of water and shade. Since most of the really nice buildings in Istanbul were built on the water front, this is also a great way to get a look at the "fronts" of the palaces, mosques and fortresses. The cruise started out going North, alongside the route I've taken by bus several times: Dolmabahçe, Besiktas, Ortaköy, Bebek. My favorite palace so far has been Dolmabahçe. This seems like a brilliant place to live, with the Bosphorus at its feet and the surrounding gardens. Apparently Ataturk agreed since he chose the palace to be his residence. After passing Dolmabahce, the ferry made a stop at Besiktas. Besiktas is a very important place for some people because there is a soccer team that a lot of people like. It is a very important place for me because it has a huge vegetable market where the vegetables are good and cheap and the vegetable sellers put up with me sorting through their tomatoes looking for the asthetically pleasing ones and even will start conversations with me.

After Besiktas comes Ortaköy. I have a feeling I've written about Ortakoy already but haven't put it up because I am waiting for the photos to be developed (I didn't use the digital camera... tsk tsk!) So, briefly, Ortaköy is at the foot of one of the bridges that goes to Asia. There is a really gorgeous baroque mosque, a crafts market on the weekends, and lots of water front cafes. It is a good place to go EARLY on a Saturday morning. From the afternoon to the odd hours of the night (there are some very popular clubs there that cause traffic jams). I didn't notice Arnavutköy as we went past because I started talking to this guy, Süleyman. He was a music teacher who was studying English. We practiced each others languages for a while. We reached Bebek and Rumeli Hisar where the Bosphorus is the narrowest. Due to this, two fortresses were built, one on each side during the Ottoman times to protect Istanbul. In more modern times, a bridge was built. After we passed Bebek, the boat stopped in Istinye which is near the dock for the "party boat" which takes people from Europe over to the Hayal Kavesi in Asia. During the day, the water front cafes are filled with people and the water is occupied by boaters and young boys swimming. I guess the young girls don't get to swim... or maybe their reaction to swimming in the Bosphorus is the same as mine... YUCK!!!

Later, Süleyman said "Sariyer". I looked around for something yellow, "sari", and then, not finding anything, turned to him with a request for clarification. Sariyer turned out to be the next stop, which translates as "yellow place"... whatever.... The last stop on the European side was Yenikoy. Then the boat crossed the Bosphorus and went to the last stop, Anadolu Kavagi. By this time the Black Sea was visible. The Bosphorus just disolved into an expanse of blue. There were huge ships entering the Bosphorus and small groups of fishermen in tiny wooden boats. The air was fresh and cool. I never thought I'd be seeing the Black Sea from the Southern side... I always thought it would be from the North. The hills around it are covered with dark green forests. This is where the city ends. Crowning the hill behind Anadolu Kavagi is the Anadolu Hisari. Anadolu Kavagi is a fishing village. The water front houses have docking areas underneath them like garages. The shore is crowded with fish restaurants. The village is crowded but it has a cosy village feel. Everyone is bustling at the center and then the buildings instantly thin out until there are just hills. I headed straight up the hill towards the fortress. It was a steep hill and outside of the shaded boat, it was very hot. Halfway up the hill I passed a little cafe where people were sitting at tables, drinking tea and listening to Dolly Parton. Further up the hill I was greeted by 2 boys who seemed to be telling me that there was a shortcut to the fortress through the woods. I turned as they directed but found the path full of brambles which I didn't care to fight with wearing just shorts and sandles. The boys then said they'd show me the way and proceeded to lead me up the street I'd been on in the first place. I managed to tell them in my really pathetic Turkish that I was doing fine without their help and they could go away. Instead they started following me as I wandered around the ruins. The fortress had a lot of people wandering around in it and it was fairly open. I had been hoping for a secluded shady place where I could eat my pogacas and look at the Black Sea. This was not to be. One of the boys decided he wanted to be my friend. He introduced himself as Rafid (or Rafit) and would not leave me alone. He knew 2 phrases in English... "My name is ...." and "I love you". (hmm... a bit like in Russia except the kids there knew "Fuck you" too.) There were a few moments when I found this, along with the fact that I couln't understand most of what he was saying, entertaining. Eventually, I decided it was time to ditch my new found friend, so I said I had to go back to the boat and I knew the correct road. At the lower entrance to the fortress ruins there were several shepherds sitting in the shade of the wall with a flock of shorn and very tired looking sheep. I didn't take a picture because it would have been really obvious and I didn't feel like making any more "friends". I took a side path down that led through the cemetary. It was a series of marble enclosed patches of grass with a single stone on each area with the family that was buried there. I was a bit disapointed because I was hoping for an Ottoman graveyard. I did find one rather old looking Ottoman grave. I got back to the boat with enough time to grab a fish sandwich and board. I am still not sure how to deal with the bones in these sandwiches. Do people just carefully pick them all out or do they chew them up? I picked them out getting fish oil all over my fingers.

The boat ride back made an extra stop on the Asian side. Otherwise, it was just the same as before but backwards. They did seem to go closer to the European side so the sites were more visable but by this time my camera was full. By the time we got back to Eminönü I was beginning to feel a little cold... that is until I got off the boat. A wave of heat hit me like a hammer. I made it to the Tünel and up to Yagmur for a milk shake and a chat with Hazem and Jeri who walked in on their way to see the Whirling Dervishes. Hazem complained of Sundays being boring... I think one just needs to find a good way to spend them.