Yesterday and today we forsook the lanes of Fatih, and took to the water.

First up: Across the Golden Horn on a Sehir Hatlari ferry. We, and old Constantinople, you may remember, are on the south side of the river; the north side houses the "new" bits of European Istanbul.

You get great views from the water, of sights both new and familiar:






We alighted in Karakoy, a land of narrow streets, hardware shops, and the Arab Mosque (it's also noted as a place to eat, but that will be for another time):





Just to the north is the Galata district, which was the location of an important Genoese settlement, starting sometime around the 12th century.







We re-crossed the Golden Horn via the Galata Bridge. Up top stand the fishermen; down below, all prepped but quiet during this Ramadan late morning, is a row of restaurants. Everywhere there are views:




Then home, via more picturesque little streets and tempting food outlets:






Very happy with this little outing, we decided we'd do some more sailing today. But this time, we wanted to cross not only the river but also the Bosphorus, that weird strip of water that has for centuries been deemed to separate Europe from Asia.

We took the ferry to Uskudar:




We walked from the ferry terminal to Kuzguncuk, a really delightful little neighbourhood, which will definitely merit a return visit once Ramadan is over:

















The ferries are a really great way to get about. They're inexpensive, and the ones we've travelled on so far have had huge, covered-but-open-sided decks up top, where you feel you're safer from germs than you would be on a bus or tram.

More sailing soon, I hope.