One of our favourite pursuits in Istanbul is bumbling about on the vast network of ferries that crisscross the city, and the most impressive routes (in our opinion) are the ones that take you up the Bosphorus.

Last year we went as far as Emirgan and Istinye, on the European side. Today, our goal was to go as far as you can with a public ferry: To Anadolu Kavagi, on the Asian side.

First leg: Kadikoy to Uskudar.




There was a bit of time between boats. Enough for a quick walk along the prom, and a warming cup of salep (each day since we arrived has been successively chillier):




And then we're off again. An hour and 40 minutes along the Bosphorus. Anadolu Kavagi is the eighth and last stop.

This has to be one of the most impressive waterways in the world... You share it with all manner of shipping, ranging from little fishing boats bobbing at anchor to vast oil tankers that dwarf all the other craft; with clusters of cormorants that colonize any available wing-drying spot, massive swarms of seagulls (I swear there are more than ever), and flocks of little dark birds that fly in close formation just above the water level; and even with the occasional dolphin... The banks vary from densely packed with buildings, the structures stacked up as though on shelves, to thickly wooded. You get views of stately mosques, and castles, and grand old yalis, those famous waterfront mansions that face the waterway with the splendid elegance of a bygone era.







Anadolu Kavagi is known as a seafood place, so the first thing you experience when you disembark (even though this is just a normal ferry, not a tourist affair) is a phalanx of touts advertising sea-food restaurants. Our automatic response to touts is to leave them behind as fast as possible (a pity here, perhaps, since the prices -- when we checked them out later, free of pressure -- seemed pretty reasonable, but hey, we are what we are).

Instead, we headed UP. (This trip has conditioned us always to head UP... Up is where it's always happening. Up... UP...)

Up, in this case, means up to the ruined castle. We drew a blank at the cafe. (Too hot, and too dependent on those ghastly QR-code menus that we hate almost as much as automatic checkouts at supermarkets. We're not Luddites, mind you. We happily embrace helpful technology. But QR-code menus and automatic checkouts just represent a massive step BACKWARDS as far as we're concerned.)

Anyway, the castle is very scenic, and its site offers great views over what is almost the end of the Bosphorus. Beyond is the Black Sea. Which makes you think of Batumi, and wish this was the beginning of a journey and not the end of a journey... I have a terrible desire not to go home at the moment, made up of layers and layers of emotions.






We had lunch at the oddly named Lale Workshop and Cafe. The owner had appeared at the door as we were busy consulting Google Maps to find the way to the castle. He made no effort to entice us in, but rather pointed out the route. On the way back down, we thought we'd pop in for lunch. This is how it works, you see...

Anyway, it wasn't exactly Turkish, but it was lovely. His wife is Austrian, from Salzburg, and we ordered up a plate of mushroom pasta and a chicken schnitzel. Both delicious (and generously portioned). That, plus two rounds of drinks, and some on-the-house little choco-coco balls, came to less than GBP 20, which we thought was pretty OK.



There was just enough time after that for a quick wander round the village before catching the 1600 boat back to Uskudar (and from there, via Eminonu, to Kadikoy):









Awesome day out. You can't beat the Bosphorus.