Crossing the Bosporus

It was an icy cold day, just a few degrees above freezing.

While everyone else in Istanbul was bundled up like they were living in Chicago, I was the weirdo wearing Chaco sandals! At least I had changed from my shorts into my one pair of long pants before starting my all-day walking tour.

We had finished eating our way across the European side of Istanbul, and it was time now for our tour group to take the ferry across the Bosporus Strait to the Asian side of the city.

Istanbul famously straddles two continents. While you can take the metro from the western part of the city to the east, the best and most scenic way is by boat.

By landmass, only about 3% of Turkey is located in Europe, but that part of the country is more densely populated and is home to about 15% of the Turkish population.

The vast majority of Turkey's land lies across the continental divide in Asia.

The huge multi-level ferry boats depart every 15-20 minutes, making them a fantastically convenient way to get around. Sinan, the guide of my tour group, bought us tickets and shepherded us onto the big boat.

There's plenty of seating in the heated interior, along with a bar selling snacks and hot coffee, but even though it was really cold, I wanted to sit outside. I have no idea when I'll next be back in Istanbul, and I didn't want to miss out on any experiences just because I was a little chilly!

We slowly left the western part of Istanbul. As the cold wind buffeted those of us brave enough to hang out on deck, we watched the old city slowly shrink into the distance.

If you're lucky, you can sometimes see dolphins swimming behind the ferry.

I never saw any dolphins, but I did see tons of seagulls. Istanbul is home to 13 different species of seagull, which are both a nescience to the locals as well as an iconic part of this port city's charm.  

It took about half an hour to cross the strait.

We soon arrived on the other side and disembarked in Anatolia; the part of Turkey located on the Asian continent.