The Maiden's Tower

Jon and I went on his first excursion to Asia. As I have mentioned, Istanbul straddles two continents, divided by the Bosphorous, a waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Marmara. Not many tourists have the time to get over to the "Asia side" which is a real shame because there is a lot to do. We took a nice stroll along the shore, and then boarded a small boat which puttered the half mile distance out to the Kiz Kulesi (called the Maiden's Tower in English), which sits on an islet just off the Asian shore. It has served as a prison, lighthouse, old people's home, and now is a very posh cafe and restaurant. When we went, Jon and I were able to snag our own private corner with a grand view of the Golden Horn. Tre Romantique. But the real reason I wanted to get there was because the structure features prominently in a James Bond film, The World is Not Enough. In the film, the place is headquarters for the bad guys, and Bond is tortured there by evil hottie Elektra King. The tower is also where the bad guys decide to park their stolen nuclear submarine. In the final action sequence, the submarine sinks into the Bosphorous's briny depths. Sweet!!

<<--Along the shore were these awesome sculptures a la Robert Indiana's "LOVE" statue. 1453 is when the Ottomans conquered Istanbul. This sculpture was paired with another one of 1923, the year the Turkish Republic was established. 

-->> The lovely view along the Asian shore. In my opinion, Istanbul looks best when it is full of melancholy. Check out the grey skies and rusty fence.