July 2008 - Istanbul 1

Bondi Tram
Peter Colquhoun and Sandra Colquhoun
Sat 19 Jul 2008 16:03
On the last leg to Istanbul we passed Marmara Island, which is of course in the sea of Marmara.  Marmara Island is almost entirely composed of marble.  Marble has been mined there for over 2,000 years and the quarries are going full blast today.
 
 
The harbour mole and breakwaters are all marble!
 
 
The Blue Mosque as seen from the Bosphorus.
 
 
Hagia Sofia seen from the Bosphorus
 
 
The Galata Tower, built by the Genoese
 
 
The Grand Bazaar
 
 
How deliveries are made in the Bazaar.
 
 
One of the many shops in the Spice Market
 
 
Fresh squeezed orange juice is very popular
 
 
A new take on "I'm a little tea pot" (for those who remember their nursery rhymes.
Tea vendor in the bazaar.
 
 
Also popular are bread rolls with a fillet of freshly fried fish.  The cooks are on the boat on the Golden Horn, and
customers sit at tables on the wharf.  The rolls are delicious
 
 
 
We went up the Bosphorus as far as the Black Sea.  This castle was built at the narrowest point
by Sultan Mehmet II as part of his (successful) campaign to capture Byzantium
 
 
The bridge connecting the European and Asian continents
 
 
Poyraz where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea
 
 
Four local women taking a pedalo ride