Scenic Bosphorous Tour

I have been putting off a lot of "must-dos" in Istanbul so that when my guests come I have some new things to do with them. One of these trips that I did with Jon was a "scenic Bosphorous tour." This is a regular city ferry which plies a journey from the Golden Horn, chugging up the Bosphorous until it almost reaches the Black Sea, and then returns. Jon and I had a pleasant day going up and down the strait; check out the pictures:

This is a picture I took from the ferry, looking at the European shore. Actually, this is a view of Arnavutkoy. If you look very carefully, you can see my house!

The ferry deposits its visitors in Anadolu Kavagi, a small fishing village within a stone's throw of the Black Sea. The fish restaurants are supposed to be very good here, so Jon and I tucked into a lunch of grilled sea bass. On my way out, I saw this beauty of a picture. My friend and I here have noticed the Turks' affinity for pictures of crying children, and this is only one of several I have seen in restaurants, hotels, and furnished homes!

Jon poses next to the fortress, which protects where the Black Sea meets the Bosphorous. 

Instead of taking the ferry back to the Golden Horn, Jon and I opted to take a bus from Anadolu Kavagi back down the Asian side of the shore. We stopped in a village called Kanlica, which is home to a park very similar to the one I visited in Emirgan, on the opposite shore. It is tulip season, and I couldn't resist getting a picture with the lovely foliage!

In this large park stands the Hidiv Kasri, an unusual building built in 1907 for the Ottoman governor to Egypt. I am really interested in early 20th century architecture, and this is a glorious gilded Art Nouveau/Art Deco/Ottoman/froofy mess, and I loved it! Check out the Ottoman-style entrance...

...and then the stained glass ceiling in the atrium. Gorgeous! Apparently, this building housed the first elevator in Turkey