The Bosphorus is the waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, that separates Europe from Asia. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus on the Marmara end with the old city primarily in Europe, including the Topkapi palace which actually sits on the Golden Horn (a branch of the Bosphorus that is shaped like a horn). The Asian side of the Bosphorus is primarily residential, and is the area of growth since the housing is more affordable.

We took a Ferry from the old spice market in Istanbul up the Bosphorus to the last stop which was approximately 5 miles from the Black Sea. If I remember correctly, the last few miles is military land and therefore no housing or stops are allowed there. The following are pictures from our trip up the Bosphorus.

The top picture is just after we left the ferry port, which was in the Golden Horn. The Topkapi Palace is at the top of the hill, and one can see the minarets of the Blue Mosque.

This is yet another mosque along the Bosphorus on the north side of the Golden Horn. Don't those minarets look like missles?

I believe that this is the famous, old Konopinsky Hotel where many of the rich and famous stayed.

As we continue down the waterway, here are more views. (No comments about my ability to get the pictures straight in the scanner.)

The tall building is a large hotel, but that is not the important feature of this picture. The low redish building with a red roof at the back, center of the picture is our hotel, the Istanbul Hyatt Regency - a very nice hotel and part of our prize. The tall building to the left is another hotel which has a bar and two restaurants on the top floor with a wonderful view of the city and water. We took advantage of all three, a turkish restaurant which was excellent and inexpensive, a bar overlooking the water with lots of boating activity (we recommend the Yeni Raki), and a more elegant, European style restaurant which was not as good.

 

 

This is the Dolmabahci Palace built by the last Sultan. He basically bankrupted the country with this building. It has the largest number and most beautiful chandeliers we have ever seen. The Sultan had everything guilded and used tons of gold in doing so. In the end such extravagances led to his demise, and the successful revolution by Attaturk following the first world war.

 

 

 

Another mosque. If I remember my numbers correctly in the country of Turkey there are 2,700 mosques, about 150 Christian churches, and 15 synagogues. The numbers are probably not quite correct, but very close.