Today we decided to take the c ferry from Eminönü to Anadolu Kavağı, near the Black Sea. We were running a little late so caught the metre from Üshküdar station to Sirkeci.
We walked the short distance from Sikeci station to Ferry wharf number three near the Galata Bridge on the Golden Horn arriving with about fifteen minutes to spare. We thought we could use our Istanbul cards however it turned out to be a separate system which cost us 25 TL each. We boarded the traditional Şehir Hatları Istanbul ferryboat and found a bench seat up in the bow for our journey. The ferry slowly cruised up the Bosphorus and we were able to spot different landmarks along the way such as Maidens Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Bosphorus Bridge, the castle of Rumeli Kavağı. The first stop was Beşiktaş, a name we know so well at the moment as they’ve won the Turkish championship and their flags are flying everywhere including off the bottom of the Bosphorus Bridge. Apart from cruising from Eminönü to Anadolu Kavağı the ferry stopped off at Kanlıca, Yeniköy, Sarıyer, and Rumeli Kavağı along the way to pick up and drop off passengers.
The wind got a bit chilly on deck so we were forced to find a seat inside. There were no real crowds so finding a seat was quite easy. It was quite a pleasant way to spend the day drinking çay and watching the world go by as we chugged up the Bosphorus. The çay, coffee and ice-creams were really cheap at 1 TL so we took advantage and enjoyed more. The steward regularly popped past with a tray full of glasses of çay, ice-cream. He came past yelling Kanlica, something which we couldn’t understand. Michele was interested because it looked like a dessert so I called him over and bought one. As soon as I life ted the lid I knew it was yoghurt but on my first spoonful I knew it was the sourest I’d ever tasted. Putting on a happy face I began to spoon the sour liquid into my mouth with Michele like a little kid getting more frustrated that she wasn’t getting any with very mouthful I ate. After about six spoonfuls I handed it over. She took a big spoonful expecting it to be sweet and tasty, however was she in for a surprise. The look on her face as she tasted it was well worth the wait…….priceless.
She had a face like cats bum and I became the subject of her scorn for letting her eat it. Meanwhile I was rolling around on the floor laughing like a drain. Supposedly eating Kanlica yoghurt is a tradition when cruising the Bosphorus, well so it states on the side of the tub. They even give you a sachet of icing sugar to sweeten it to your own taste.
On the way we met a nice young Egyptian couple with their young son and chatted to them for most of the trip.
When we arrived at Anadolu Kavağı we were a bit surprised. We’d expected beaches lined with restaurants only to find a small village with about ten restaurants and cafe’s. Every cafe had a spruiker out front trying to drag us in through the door so we had to run the gauntlet. After a walk around the village which lasted about ten minutes we were faced with a choice. Do we walk up to the hilltop Byzantine fortress of Yoros Kalesi or do we settle for a meal at one of the restaurants.
We were gonna eat at a locals restaurant but after a cup of instant coffee passed off as a cappuccino decided to find one with a Lavazza coffee sign and get a decent cuppa. It was nice overlooking the Bosphorus and the old ferry moored alongside the wharf.
After a three hour break it was time to head back and we found a seat up in the bows again before moving back inside once the wind picked up.
It was nice and relaxing cruising back and seeing some of the scenery we missed on the way up.
It was six o’clock by the time we arrived back at Eminönü. We really enjoyed the day trip and we were really happy that our couch-surfing host suggested it.
Please note sadly our photo files have been corrupted so there will be hardly any photos for the posts from now until Salzburg 🙁
