When we stayed here for a month, in 2022, one of our favourite things was riding the numerous ferries that pootle up and down the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

Really, no visit to Istanbul is complete without a ferry trip...

So today we took the boat to Emirgan. We started from Besiktas, which is not only our nearest ferry terminal, but also a really attractive little building:





It's always really cool to travel along the Bosphorus. Grand houses line the shores, and humongous vessels share the waterway, looking somewhat out of place on a strait that's just 750 metres wide at its narrowest point.






Completely unexpected, however, were the dolphins... They made too fleeting an appearance to allow photos. But -- wow! -- dolphins. In the Bosphorus...

We got off at Emirgan. In 2022, we caught the ferry to Bebek, and walked along the shore to Emirgan to pick up a boat home. But that time we literally stopped at the terminal.

This time, we walked north, and then turned left:




Our goal was Emirgan Grove. This is a lovely hillside park, which sports a collection of fine houses and fabulous views out over the water:








Once down the hill and back at the coast, we continued to Istinye, the next ferry-landing along:


Here we treated ourselves to tea and kunefe, surely the most delectable of Turkey's many delicious desserts:


Definitely needed to walk a bit further after that...:





From Besiktas, all you have to do is climb the big hill home.

This is the last full day of our trip. Tomorrow we catch the plane, and plane-catching days are always awkward and tiring and patience-testing.

But today has been really lovely. You couldn't ask for a better ending.