Ted. I have always loved ferries and have ridden on dozens around the world. I can still remember riding the Staten Island Ferry as a kid. For just 10 cents each way, we got a harbor cruise and a wonderful view of the Statue of Liberty.
My one “must do” during our time in Istanbul was to take a ferry across the Bosporus to Asia.
Figuring out where, and how to buy the tickets (about $1.50 each way) took darned near as long as the ride itself. However, we eventually got our tickets and found our boat, which traveled from a pier near the Galeta Bridge to the town of Kadiköy.
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| Boarding our ferryboat |
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| Our route |
I have to admit to a bit of trepidation as we headed out. The Bosporus is less than two miles wide here and I was amazed by the amount of traffic on the water. Dozens of ferries, private boats and fishing boats puttered around the huge cruise ships, tankers and freighters.
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| Ferries loading up |
Over 200 commercial ships typically travel past Istanbul each day (north bound in the morning and south bound in the afternoons). However, that number has dropped in recent months. Since the beginning of the "unpleasantness" in Ukraine, hundreds of mines have been positioned in the Black Sea and marine insurors have taken note.
We successfully wove our across the main channel and after about 45 minutes, docked in Kadiköy. It was fun to think about all of the ships that have plied these same waters over the millennia; Jason and the Argonauts, Persian invaders, Byzantine traders, Viking raiders, crusaders, Ottomans and many others.
After a quick stroll around the town, we stumbled upon a market, complete with vegetable stalls and fish and meat vendors. My favorite was the goat head guy. Talk about a specialty niche! The ferries depart every 20 minutes so there was not much of a wait to get back to Europe.
As we often find, the views of a city are much better from the water.
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| Ferry dock |
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| Galeta |
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| Galeta bridge |
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| Many fish restaurants line the lower level of the bridge |
All in all, it was a fun way to spend a half day and a good final memory of our visit to Turkey.
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| L to R - tug, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia |
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