As I mentioned in my first post on Istanbul, the Bosporus Strait separates Europe from Asia, and Istanbul is located on both continents.  That would make an interesting trivia question, don’t you think?  “In what city can you be on two different continents but never leave the city?”  Answer: “Istanbul.”  Cross a bridge or take a ferry and be in Asia and Europe without ever leaving Istanbul!  I wonder if that question has ever been on Jeopardy…           

We didn’t visit the Asia side of the city, but we did take a sightseeing cruise with Nuri as our guide.  It was nice; we had the entire boat for ourselves and enjoyed a gloriously sunny day!

During our cruise, we learned that the Bosporus is a very important maritime waterway, because it connects from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean via Gibraltar, and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal.

The Bosporus is well-traveled by everything from freighters and tankers carrying goods and oil, to ferries carrying cars and people back and forth between the two continents.  Throw in all the sightseeing tourist boats, fishing boats, and yachts out for a pleasure cruise; there is never a dull moment!

Would you like to live in a home overlooking the Bosporus, so you could take in the views of all those boats passing by?  Although it’s less expensive to live on the Asia side of the river, it will still set you back a minimum of $2 million.  The most expensive homes on the Bosporus are as much as $100 million!  It is the most expensive real estate in the country.  On the other side of the hill from the Bosporus, however, a two bed / two bath flat will cost you about $150,000.

Here are some scenes along the Bosporus, in the order they were shot on our round-trip boat ride:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

I previously mentioned that we also visited the Spice Bazaar while we were in Istanbul.  Known to locals as the Misir Carsisi, it dates back to 1660 and is one of the largest bazaars in Istanbul.  It was very similar to the Grand Bazaar in its display of spices and Turkish delight, so I combined those photos in Turkiye #2.

The following are more scenes around the Hippodrome (central square):

We enjoyed the food in Istanbul very much!

These were various different spreads and condiments that tasted so good!

Next up: TURKIYE #5: CAPTIVATING CAPPADOCIA