Bebek via the Bosphorus

 Güzel bir gün - it's a beautiful day ......for a sea voyage on the Bosphorus. 

This morning I tried boiled eggs with Sumac and chilli spices - delicious!

There are so many options to get on the water here in Istanbul, party boats, water taxi, public ferry, lunch/dinner cruises, see the city night life cruises....where does one start?

Ever the trusty pilgrims we opted for using the public ferry system to see if we could have a fun day out on the water without breaking the bank and without being with hordes of tourists.

We sussed out the metro card system and loaded our cards with Turkish Lira and off we went to the pier. Once we fought off the tour boat touts it was easy-peasie and we were off. The wind coming off the sea was quite chilly even with the sun out.

There are so many boats/ships up and down the Bosphorus strait it's like water theatre watching the manouvers.  It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation. Around 140 cargo vessels use it daily, many transporting oil. It is one of the world's most important chokepoints for the transit of oil. Over 3 percent of global supply or 3 million barrels per day, mainly from Russia and the Caspian Sea, passes through the waterway. 

In amongst the massive tankers heading to the Black Sea there were tiny little fishing boats getting their catch of the day!

Some of the waterside architecture is stunning. Many Ottoman summer waterside palaces, the Egyptian Embassy, waterside mosques...so much to take in.

Dolmabache Palace

Ciragan Palace

Ortakoy Mosque 

After chugging up the strait for just under an hour we came to Bebek, our lunch destination for the day.

Think Tiburon or Sausalito and you'll get the feel for Bebek. We were amongst the beautiful people.....there were a lot of wealthy Russians about.

Cute little harbour with more super yachts tied up than you can shake a stick at. Ottoman summer palaces lining the shore, some pricey real estate!

Groovy waterside cafes and parks and parking sharks to park your flash cars. Great theatre, we watched the parking sharks from the lovely cafe where we had lunch. 

Checkout the most beautiful fresh fruit display!

Time to head back to Sultanahmet and the hustle and bustle of the old town. Bebek was a lovely escape for the day.