Bosporus Cruise

Anadolu Kavağı

The last weekend of September we decided to take a cruise up the Bosporus. The cruise takes about 90 minutes each way, and there’s also a 90 minute layover in Anadolu Kavağı, the last village on the Asian side of the strait, so passengers can hike up to the remains of Yoros Castle, a Byzantine fortress, and eat in one of the popular fish restaurants.

One of the most surprising things about the cruise is seeing the sprawl of modern Istanbul. There have been towns and villages all along the Bosporus for thousands of years, but only recently have they all become part of the city. The growth of modern Istanbul has connected the once scattered villages into the far-reaching veins of a mega city. 

Yoros Castle

Fortunately, Anadolu Kavağı retains some of its fishing village roots. The Asian side of Istanbul is not quite so expansive and thus Anadolu Kavağı is still isolated, except for the daily boatload of tourists. Even so, once past the touristy restaurants at the ferry stop, the town is quite quaint. We walked up the hill to see the castle before lunch. It’s about a 20 minute walk, but quite steep. On the the upper third of the walk the way switches from road to serpentine path twisting through restaurants that have sprouted up to serve weary tourists and offer spectacular views. We trekked on and were rewarded at the top with unparalleled views of the Black Sea, the Bosporus, and downtown Istanbul. Yoros Castle was also interesting, but has been closed to tourists in the past few years so there wasn’t much to see. After soaking up the views, we tried to find a recommended back alley fish restaurant which Russian sea captains supposedly frequent to eat and drink Rakı—more on Rakı in another post—but alas we couldn’t find it. Not finding recommended restaurants is a theme of our time here so far.

The Black Sea

[Aside: The over enthusiastic host/waiter syndrome is rampant here, as it was when I was in Italy. In the tourist-heavy parts of Rome we learned to avoid those restaurants like the plague because their food just wasn’t up to par. Here it’s a little different. In some neighborhoods in Istanbul there’s a street or a few streets full of restaurants and all the proprietors try to get you to sit, whether you’re a tourist or a local. But--and here’s the hard part--some of them are wonderful restaurants and some of them are awful. There’s not a good way to gauge which are which. We try to avoid these restaurants completely because we dislike the behavior, but sometimes it’s a choice between that and large chains (like Burger King—they have Burger King here! whyyyy). So if we’re in the situation that we’re stuck in a “restaurant zone” we usually look for a spot where locals are (or people that look like locals), and that the customers are eating more than just fries (the most common bar snack). Okay, aside over.]

Istanbul in the distance

On the ferry, Asia at our backs

After lunch we still had some time to kill before the ferry left so we walked around the village a little and found a small pier/boat launch. The sun was shining, the weather pleasant, and the sea traffic engaging. We watched some large freighters making their way north to the Black Sea, as well as some local fishing ships hauling in their nets. We saw one of these ships again when we were sitting on the ferry waiting to leave. The ship, about a 50 footer I think, steered prow first strait toward the jetty and glided right in to unload its catch. Diners were eating not 10 feet away. That’s some fresh fish.

The Biggest Football Fan in Ataşehir

Trying to watch Notre Dame football games while living in Istanbul is an unpredictable, online mess. First there’s the time difference, which means the prime time games start around 2:30 or 3 in the morning. Then there is the question of: “Who is feeling generous enough to run a program that broadcasts this event to strangers for free and doesn’t expect me to download some adware?” Then once those two problems have been solved, there’s the personal dilemma of: where in Ataşehir will an establishment welcome a foreigner to cheer and make faces at a computer screen in the middle of the night for several hours while making minimal purchases? 

This weekend, the answer was the Pasha Sports Bar and Cafe and later the Şampiyon Kokoreç. Pasha is hidden in the back corner of the lengthy strip mall that parallels Ataşehir Bulvarı. If it weren’t for the live traditional Turkish folk guitar music, it would be unnoticeable. Fortunately, the bar serves the usual Efes, Bomonti, and Miller as well as cocktails past 4 am. Unfortunately, they (and the North Shield) have cornered the market on draft beer which means a 50 cl Efes runs 10 lira (versus 7 or 8 lira in Moda). But Pasha’s hospitality at least meets the Istanbul standard: quick service, company from the staff, if you like, and a bowl of mixed salted nuts. The owner spoke with me about his infatuation with American Football, especially the New York Giants, while a group of Gen X-ers sang along to Turkish tunes from a performer inside the lounge.

It was time to pack up at half time with the Irish up by one point and find a 24/7 WiFi destination with the Pasha closing up shop. Options went from few to fewer, but Şampiyon Kokoreç still had its grill running and the lights on. It is a franchise that specializes in the regional delicacy of lamb intestines, served either as a platter with fries, tomatoes, and salad, or more popularly for this time of night, as a sandwich. And if you can’t smell the booze on someone when they walk in, they’re probably just getting tea. But even though I felt stone cold sober, the smell of the kokoreç was starting to get to my stomach, especially since it had been 8 hours since dinner at this point. 

The kokoreç are cooked on a skewer so the meat is stretched out and cooked thoroughly. Then the meat is mashed up and fried a bit more. Diced tomato and oregano are added, a panini grill bun is pressed to the grill to warm it up and voila: a perfect late night snack to soak up some of the alcohol from earlier in the evening (or to fit in around here). The flavor is great in the meat and seasonings, and texture is like a sloppy Joe. The sandwich only costs 5 lira, making it a no-brainer compared to other possibilities.

As 5 am rolled around, the restaurant filled up more and more with twentysomethings who were making their last stop before turning in. The mood of the conversations seemed like typical nostalgia of “the night that was” around the restaurant. I was content to take in the rest of the Irish victory before heading home. I wouldn’t expect to eat many of these sandwiches for lunch or dinner, but for 5 in the morning it was just right.

Topkapı Palace

Our second venture to Sultanahmet (first to come later) included a stop at Topkapı Palace (yup, that's an i without a dot!). The Palace is a beautiful site with breathtaking views of the Bosphorus and it features quite a few buildings, several of which house historical treasures and relics.

Joe, the strait, and two continents

The palace (saray [sah-rye] in Turkish) is close to the Aya Sofya, accessed through a large gated wall. Some of the grounds you are free to wander through. They offer tall trees, open green space and one small view of the strait. We saw a bridal party here, so I bet this is a common place to have wedding pictures taken.

Beyond the ticket counter, the grounds have the feel of a really old, prestigious college campus. Walkways zig-zag to connect the columned buildings on the perimeter. The colonnades provide shade (great in the blazing summer sun!). Enormous ancient trees dot the lawns and many people get their picture taken standing inside them.

We saw a few types of rooms in the palace, but didn’t really learn much about their use(s).

1. Rooms where the jewels/sacred treasures are now displayed. These rooms are made of mortared stone and decorated with alcoves, carvings, and the ceilings/moldings were plaster (I think) outlined in blue and red paint, which was quite beautiful. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in these rooms, but we saw lots of gilded and jeweled objects, including water flasks, aigrettes, swords, thrones, a crib, etc. Also on display are some fine kaftans worn by the Sultans. Most of these pieces are hundreds of years old and are very well-preserved. The patterns are absolutely beautiful.

TILES

2. Tiled rooms - Beyond the stone rooms there are many tiled rooms that seem more like living spaces and that aren’t as old as the other rooms. One room was a library, one was a room for eating sorbet (?), and another was a ceremonial circumcision room. But most of the rooms look the same and there aren’t many placards or brochures to read about them. The tiled rooms are gorgeous but a bit overwhelming since, in that section at least, there are tiles EVERYWHERE.

Though the rooms of treasures were crowded, the views from the gardens looking over the water and out to both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul are stunning. It's no surprise the Sultans chose this location.

Sorry, didn't get a picture of Muhammed's hair, so here's Joe by a building

The sacred relics were another attraction that is unique to Topkapi. In glass cases, they feature many objects from Mecca. (We think. The line for this room was long and very pushy. We didn’t get to read much about the objects and we quickly grew bored with it‑-and annoyed by many aggressive tourists.) Included in the sacred relics room is Moses' staff, David’s sword, somebody’s arm, Muhammed’s hair, etc. No comment.

The section of the museum that featured the kitchens was closed, and we overheard a guide say renovations have been conducted there for more than 2 years now. The guide also said he usually spends 2 hours in the kitchens because they’re so interesting. Welcome to Turkey.

Didn’t see the Harem‑-that’s another ticket and will be a different trip for us.

There were also some small buildings on the grounds that looked to be inspired by French architecture, but again, no placards or information about these things.

In sum: We enjoyed our visit to Topkapı Palace, but we wished there were more information provided. There are many tour guides plying their trade there, but I know from my time in Rome that often certified guides don’t really know what they’re talking about. 

Check out more pictures under the Photos tab!

Görüşürüz! (See 'ya later!)