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