Istanbul - A Cruise on the Bosphorus

On the fourth day of the excursion we set off on a two-hour cruise on the Bosphorus Strait aboard a small two-storey boat. The strait connects two seas - the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Although the wind was blowing fairly strongly, it was pleasantly warm, and our shoulders and faces got quite thoroughly sunburned. At one point the backs of dolphins flashed in the water.

Two bridges cross the Bosphorus - the first, the 1,074-metre Bosphorus Bridge / Atatürk Bridge (1973); the second, the 1,090-metre Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge (1988). These bridges were built 5 km apart from each other. Currently under construction beneath the Bosphorus is the 13.7-km Marmaray railway tunnel. Near the Sea of Marmara is the Galata Bridge, thronged by fishermen and fish vendors.

The Bosphorus Strait practically divides Istanbul's European part from its Asian part. Its length is approximately 30 km. The maximum width is 3,700 m in the north, while the narrowest point is 700 m. The depth in the middle of the strait ranges from 36 to 124 m. Both shores of the Bosphorus are densely built up; in the distance the minarets of the many mosques are visible, Turkish flags flutter red with their crescent and star, and there are boats, yachts, the sultan's palace, a summer residence, well-preserved fortress walls, hotels, and private homes. The crowning touch - next to one private house, a tiny little house with a parcel slot, also provided for the resident duck. :)