We set out the next morning through Istanbul's Arasta Bazaar toward the Galata Bridge. No one was stirring this early except for these ceramic boys and girls.
We arrived a bit early for our ferry cruise up the Bosphorus so we decided to do a lap across the lower deck of the Galata Bridge.
The bridge is lined with fresh seafood restaurants but was eerily quiet this morning.
We could see various ferries jockeying for position at the dock.
We also discovered a number of floating restaurants along the waterfront in the shadow of the Galata Bridge.
I don't know how they can cook with the ship rocking and rolling like crazy!
Our ferry departure time was approaching so we made our way to the designated jetty.
We took a moment after boarding the boat to enjoy the sweeping views.
The ferry quickly motored up the channel past iconic mosques...
...and historic palaces...
I looked down at the water and noticed some white blobs floating in it. Looking more closely, I saw that we were surrounded by thousands of jellyfish! What amazing creatures.
We continued our progress up the Bosphorus.
We soon approached one of the bridges connecting the European and Asian side of Istanbul. We'd mostly been traveling up the European side but there were some stops scheduled on the opposite bank, including our final destination.
A variety of vessels traversed the Bosphorus, from the smallest dinghies to the largest container ships.
I walked down to the lower deck to get a closer view of the water we were cutting through.
Homes and historic structures dotted the hillside along the Bosphorus.
I climbed to the top of our vessel to get a better look.
We pulled over to Kanlica on the Asian side of the Bosphorus and watched as several tourists jumped off the ship to say they'd set foot on the continent.
We were most interested in the cargo coming onboard at this destination... Kanlica is famous for fresh natural yogurt served with packets of powdered sugar. It was the best yogurt I'd ever tasted. We had one on the way up the Bosphorus and again on the way back to Istanbul -- it was that good!
We pulled up to various ports during our journey and enjoyed watching locals go about their business.
At one port, the birds went crazy as we arrived and departed!
Apparently, we were churning up fish or another food supply and the birds were looking for their next fix.
After we departed, the cacophony finally settled down and we made our final crossing to the Asia side of the channel. We could see (and feel!) the Black Sea in the distance. The winds coming down the strait took on a brisk chill as we passed.
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