Turkey Travel Part XI: Bosphorus Strait Boat-Cruise
Day 9
Monday, 21 Oct 2019
Last Day of Turkey Tour
Monday, 21 Oct 2019, was the last day of our tour in Turkey before we flew back to our country, Malaysia.
Boat Cruise on Strait of Bosphorus
The first thing we did then was to cruise in a boat on the Strait of Bosphorus enjoying the cruise and sights of the strait.
Bosphorus Strait
Bosphorus Strait is 31 km long separating the European side from the Asian side in the City of Istanbul, Turkey. Besides, it links the Black Sea in the north to Marmara Sea and then Mediterranean Sea in the south.
Boat Cruise Route on Bosphorus Strait
The pictorial map below shows the orange-coloured route on the Strait of Bosphorus our boat took to see the important bridges and historical buildings on its shores at close range.
Cruise Boat, “Istanbul City”
At 10.30 a.m. we boarded a boat called “Istanbul City” at a waterfront of the Strait of Bosphorus.
Cruise Boat Owner
The owner of the boat soon brought us around for a sightseeing tour of the Strait of Bosphorus in Istanbul.
Writer and wife together with tourmates were enjoying the boat ride and sightseeing of the Strait of Bosphorus on 21 Oct 2019.
Importance of Bosphorus Strait
Bosphorus Strait or Strait of Istanbul in Turkey is an important waterway between Europe and Asia, and Black Sea and Marmara Sea.
In World War I(1914-18), the Allied Powers fought against the Ottoman Empire to take control of the Strait of Bosphorus, Marmara Sea and Strait of Dardanelles, but they failed in 1916.
Bosphorus Strait Measurements
The photo below shows Bosphorus Strait that links the Black Sea in the north and Marmara Sea and then Mediterranean Sea in the south. Its length is 31 km, minimum width 700 metres and maximum depth 110 metres.
Three Bridges Across Bosphorus Strait
There are three bridges spanning the waterway as shown in the photos below.
(i) Bosphorus Bridge or 15 July Martyr’s Bridge was the first bridge to be built between Europe and Asia. Built in 1973, it is 1560 metres long.
(ii) Faith Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the second bridge built to link Europe and Asia, was opened in 1988. It is 1510 metres long.
(iii) Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge that connects Europe and Asia, was opened in 2016. It is the longest bridge among the three of them. Its length is 2164 metres.
Galata Bridge
Galata Bridge in Istanbul spanning the Golden Horn estuary is 490 metres long. Opened in 2003, it links the traditional place and the place where most of the non-Muslims, foreign merchants and diplomats live and work.
Importance of Boats
Boats in the Strait of Bosphorus between Europe and Asia have been an important public transport for many commuters, tourists and vehicles for many years.
Boats of different kinds use the Strait of Bosphorus every day. Small ships pass through the strait, too.
A ferry carrying passengers, tourists and vehicles past our boat in the Strait of Bosphorous in Istanbul, Turkey.
New and Old Buildings
While sailing on our boat, “Istanbul City”, in the Strait of Bosphorus, we saw new and old buildings on its shores.
Below are photos showing historical buildings on the shores of Bosphorus Strait.
(i) Dolmabachce Mosque which was built in 1855
(ii) Ortakoy Mosque which was built in1856
(iii) Dolmabahce Palace which was opened in 1856 and home to 6 sultans of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 until 1922
(iv) Ziya Kalkavan Vocational & Technical Anatolian High School
(v) Kuleli Military High School which was established in 1845
Promontory
We saw from the Golden Horn estuary two monumental buildings, viz. Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia Museum on a promontory.
Lunch-Time
After an hour of boat-cruise in the Bosphorus Strait, we stopped at a restaurant, Imperial Galata Restaurant, located under Galata Bridge and had lunch.
Happy Moment
At the restaurant, our tour-manager, writer and tourmates toasted to each other for having, successfully, visited almost all the places of interest in our Turkey tour on 21 Oct 2019.
Writer’s Last Lunch in Turkey
My last lunch in Turkey at Imperial Galata Restaurant in Istanbul on 21 Oct 2019
A Visit to Two Famous Bazaars
After lunch, we walked across Galata Bridge spanning the Golden Horn estuary in Istanbul to visit two famous markets, Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar.
Anglers on Galata Bridge
While crossing the bridge, we saw many local anglers fishing from the bridge.
An angler’s pail of fish caught in the Golden Horn estuary.
Camilica Mosque or New Mosque
On the way to Spice Bazaar, we saw from Galata Bridge a new large mosque which was opened on 4 May 2019. Known as Camlica Mosque or New Mosque, it is the largest mosque in Turkey.
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Places visited during Turkey Tour(13-22 Oct 2019):
Trojan Horse/Ancient Troy Cities Asklepion Ephesus Hierapolis/Pamukkale Travertine Sultanhani Caravanserai Pasabag Valley Uchisar Valley/Kaymakli Underground City Gerome Valley/Turkish Night Show Hot Air Balloon/Lake Golu/Anitkabir Hagia Sophia/Topkapi Palace/Blue Mosque Bosphorus Boat Cruise Spice Bazaar/Grand Bazaar
Turkey Travel Part XII: Spice Bazaar & Grand Bazaar
(continued)
Day 9
Monday, 21 Oct 2019
Visiting Two Large Bazaars of Istanbul
After lunch at Imperial Galata Restaurant, we walked across Galata Bridge and went to two large bazaars known as Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar in Istanbul City.
The location of the two bazaars are shown in the pictorial map below.
Spice Bazaar
Opened since 1664, Spice Bazaar is the second largest bazaar after Grand Bazaar in Turkey. It houses over 80 shops selling spices, Turkish Delights, jewellery, souvenirs, dried seeds, nuts and fruits, and many more. It is a tourists’ favourite place.
Main Entrance of Spice Bazaar
The photo below shows the main entrance of Spice Bazaar.
Tourists Throng Spice Bazaar
Tourists throng Spice Bazaar every day. It is a market place where goods ranging from spices to jewellery are sold.
Writer and wife together with tourmates visited Spice Bazaar on 21 Oct 2019.
Shops in Spice Bazaar
The following photos below show shops selling the Turkish products in Spice Bazaar.
(i) A Spice Bazaar shop selling a wide variety of Turkish edible products
(ii) Different kinds of spices for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(iii) Boxes of Turkish Delights with different flavours for sale at a Spice Bazaar
(iv) A wide variety of sweet Turkish Delights for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(v) Dried seeds, nuts and fruits for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(vi) A wide variety of dried flowers and fruits for making tea for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(vii) Dried seed, nuts and fruits for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(viii) Boxes of Turkish tea with flavours of apple, orange, rose, cinnamon, pomegranate, honey and ginger for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(ix) A souvenir shop at Spice Bazaar
(x) White table-cloths, bar-napkins, tea-towels, etc. for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(xi) A Spice Bazaar’s gift shop
(xii) An ice-cream seller tricked a customer in getting the ice-cream the latter asked for at a Spice Bazaar shop
(xiii) Beef for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
(xiv) A Spice Bazaar shop selling “kebab” which is bread stuffed with slices of meat, salad and some sauce
(xv) Photo below shows “kebab” for sale at a Spice Bazaar shop
Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
Grand Bazaar was the next Turkish bazaar we visited. It is a couple of hundred metres from Spice Bazaar.
Grand Bazaar was established in 1461. Now it has over 60 covered streets lined with over 4000 shops selling a wide variety of products ranging from spices, dried nuts and fruits, souvenirs to handbags and jewellery. An average of 300 000 people visited the bazaar, daily.
Entrances into Grand Bazaar
There are many entrances into Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey. Below is one of them.
Another entrance into Grand Bazaar
Turkish National Flag
A Turkish national flag hanging in one of the covered streets in Grand Bazaar
Shops in Grand Bazaar
Below are photos taken at Grand Bazaar on 21 Oct 2019 showing many kinds of Turkish products sold by the shops.
(i) Colourful dried fruits for sale at a Grand Bazaar shop
(ii) Handbags for sale at a Grand Bazaar shop
(iii) Jewellery for sale at a Grand Bazaar shop
(iv) Colourful scarves for sale at a Grand Bazaar shop
(v) Nazars that ward off evil eye, talismans, amulets, etc. for sale at a Grand Bazaar shop
(vi) Colourful Turkish lanterns for sale at a Grand Bazaar shop
(vii) T-shirts for sale at a Grand Bazaar shop
(viii) A cafe at Grand Bazaar
Chinese Dinner at The Wox Restaurant
After a couple of hours at the two large bazaars in Istanbul, we went to a Chinese restaurant called “The Wox” in Sultanahmet for our first Chinese but last dinner in Turkey. It is about 1 km from Grand Bazaar.
“Home Sweet Home”
After dinner, we checked in at Turkey’s New Airport in Istanbul and flew back to Malaysia, our homeland, after midnight on 22 Oct 2019.
It was a safe journey home, thanks to Turkish Airlines.
Return Air-Flight Route
Map showing the air-flight route back home from Istanbul, Turkey, to KLIA, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 22 Oct 2019
Acknowledgement
Writer and tourmates would like to thank Chiu Travel Agency in Malaysia for the memorable tour in Turkey.
Thanks, too, to Brian Wong, our tour-manager, Cenmal, our Turkish tour-guide, and Metun, our Turkish coach-driver. Without them, our successful tour would not be possible.
Writer and wife thank all our tourmates for the wonderful time we have together during the Turkey tour from 13-22 Oct 2019.
THE END
Places visited during Turkey Tour(13-22 Oct 2019):
Trojan Horse/Ancient Troy Cities Asklepion Ephesus Hierapolis/Pamukkale Travertine Sultanhani Caravanserai Pasabag Valley Uchisar Valley/Kaymakli Underground City Gerome Valley/Turkish Night Show Hot Air Balloon/Lake Golu/Anitkabir Hagia Sophia/Topkapi Palace/Blue Mosque Bosphorus Boat Cruise Spice Bazaar/Grand Bazaar