Chilling

Yes, it’s good to be back.

I enjoyed my Turkish breakfast, followed by a gossip with friend and guesthouse owner Doǧan. Then I walked to Taksim Square via the Galata Bridge and Istaklal Cadessi, stopping for a very welcome coffee and cake about halfway.

It’s a 2.7 mile (4.3 km) walk and I enjoyed it after a day on my travels. I walked all the way back too!

For the afternoon I decided on a short ferry trip up the Bosphorus. The ferry company offers a 6 hour trip (almost as far as the Black Sea) or a 2 hour one - as far as Istinye. The short one sets you back a whopping 12TL (just over £2).

Of course you can pay much more on a tourist boat.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d done the longer version many years ago, so I half remembered what to expect. Going out on the water really is a good way to see the city and beyond, especially when you’ve had enough of walking. 

The Blip... just fellow tourists doing the same as me.

In the extras - the traditional vapur passenger ferries which crisscross the waterways - two of which do those Bosphorus trips in between rush hour duties on regular services, and the Mecidiye Camii (mosque) right by the ferry pier at Ortaköy.