Looking across the Bosphorus from the Asian shore.
Colorful floral shop on an evening walk.
Sunset over Istanbul. Of course, this photo captures only a very small part of the panoramic view.
Planning for this entire 40-day trip began with a weeklong cruise reservation, Istanbul to Athens. Now it was time to get back to Istanbul from Cappadocia and meet our ship. But we had two more excursions scheduled prior to that. We took a ferry ride across the Bosphorus to its Asian shore. More mosques and minarets to see, as well as some attractive neighborhoods. The government of Turkiye recently completed a new huge mosque, able to hold about 40,000 worshipers. My question: Couldn't that money be better spent on health care, education, or basic public services? Every direction you look, there are already mosques. We were told that the public school system in Turkiye is deteriorating, and more students are being schooled in madrassas. Our devout Islamic guide thought that was okay. One of our secular guides believes that the madrassas are failing at education, instead memorization of Koran verses and radicalization are occurring.
A quiet walk on a perfect day visiting Prince's Islands.
Only mosques built by the royal family can have more than one minaret.
We used the ferry service to visit the Prince's Islands. Today, these islands are a nearby getaway for Istanbul residents. Historically, they were used for exiling disfavored (and intentionally disfigured) members of the royal family, hence the 'Prince' nomenclature. If not exiled, the princes were always plotting to seize power for themselves. For us it was a quiet relaxing day. The transfer from ferry to cruise ship was easily accomplished.
At least they are open and honest about what they are selling. The harbor marketplace at Ephesus.
At Rhodes (having visited there previously), we took a fast boat to an outlying island.... it was a waste of time; the sights and stores on that smaller island were no different than back at the main harbor.
Our cruise ship as seen from fortress walls at Alanya. The boats with masts are outfitted for entertaining tourists in a pirate-type configuration.
A small beach below the fortress walls at Alanya.
The type of yacht that we were provided for a cruise of Bodrum bay. Our cruise line had contracted with about six similar yachts.
Only a dozen passengers were assigned to each yacht. We had plenty of room, refreshments, and a chance to swim in these calm waters. At this point, there was an underwater volcanic outlet spewing warm water near the shore.
My chance for a swim. The water temperature was pleasant, and I enjoyed the extra buoyancy of the salt water. I wasn't the only one in the water, but the others were clustered near the stern, clutching their foam 'noodles'.
Our Oceania cruise ship was scheduled to visit Xanthi, Ephesus, Rhodes, Alanya, Bodrum, and Santorini. Most of the port cities visited offered similar experiences: a fortress, ancient ruins, and a street section full of tourist-oriented shops. Bodrum was my favorite. There we spent 4-5 hours cruising the bay with a party of twelve on a large (60-70') sailing yacht. Our least favorite was the dramatic island of Santorini. With two cruise ships at anchor there, the island was overcrowded with tourists like herded cattle.
Anchored at Santorini. There is no harbor; we were transferred to shore in tenders.
Only narrow passageways existed between the close-set buildings. Thus, the tourists were forced to shuffle through in long lines, like herding through a cattle chute. Dawn and I quickly decided that being back on the ship would be more enjoyable. We used a gondola to descend to the harbor front from the heights of the dormant volcano.
More of the crowd of tourists. When a tourist gets a favored spot for photos, the tendency is to hold on to it preventing/obscuring others from that viewing location. I do not like crowds: reservoirs of disease.
This is Santorini at night. Everyone lives at the top of the cliffs.
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