The Boğaziçi (Bosphorus Straight). The day was quite miserable, weather-wise, when I did the tourist-criuse bit. It was perfectly okay for me inside but photos from a moving vessel in the drizzle came up as well as expected. Here are some of the more passable ones.

Bit of geography. On the European section of İstanbul, there is the Haliç (Golden Horn) estuary separating Fatih and Beyoğlu. The principal crossing is the Galata Köprüsü (Galata Bridge). The Haliç at this point flows into the Marmara Denizi (Sea of Marmara). These two, the Haliç and the Marmara Denizi wrapping around underneath, turn Fatih into a peninsula. The Boğaziçi – separating Asia and Europe – runs north to the Black Sea and further down south (I didn’t get there) is the Çanakkale Boğazı (Dardanelles) linking all these via the Aegean to the Mediterranean.

Dolmabahçe Sarayı (Palace).

Çırağan Sarayı (Palace).

Ortaköy Camii (Mosque) with Boğaziçi Köprüsü (First Bosphorus Bridge) in the background.

Boğaziçi Köprüsü. Naturally during the İstanbul Marathon competitors run from Asia to Europe.

Beylerbeyi Sarayı (Palace).

Galatasaray Üniversitesi.

Rumelihisarı (Rumelian Castle).

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprüsü (Second Bosphorus Bridge).

Yalı (Ottoman era waterfront houses.) You may get change if you trade in your private jumbo jet.

The audio guide droned on about ancient lighthouses on both sides. Couldn’t see what he was talking about but here is a picture of a lighthouse.

A local in Anadolu Kavağı where the tour stops for a couple of hours – lunch, site-seeing, shopping, ie, tourist trap but nice. Lots of seagulls in İstanbul. They looked larger than Aussies but were wusses in compassion.

The local site-seeing includes Yoros kalesi (Castle).

Anadolu Kavağı is the end of this tour and this is entrance to the Black Sea. (Note the construction of what will be the third bridge. There is also a railway tunnel.)

The Boğaziçi is a significant waterway.