The Bosphorus Cruise–in the narrow strait between Europe and Asia!! | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

We went on one of the world’s most unique cruises today–the Bosphorus Cruise: Europe on one side of the narrow strait, Asia on the other. Seagulls haunting the strait, dolphins leaping, the Black Sea at one end, the Sea of Marmara on the other–and fantastic mosques, palaces, summer houses and churches on either side of the Bosphorus.

I loved it–it’s where I live, metaphorically, between Europe and Asia. Am totally at home in Europe after almost 3 decades in the West, and at home in Asia too (though, oddly, less so). What a fantastic, and beautiful conjunction of my two worlds!

And sitting watching the amazing, almost surreal panorama of palaces, mansions, summer houses, mosques and churches go by while seagulls wheeled and screeched–I was purely happy.

I always thought I would get bored on a cruise–that I had too active a temperament, would like to interact with streets, churches and palaces on foot.

Turned out I was wrong–I think I will enjoy a cruise–am dreaming of a Baltic cruise to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia someday–when I am am old(er)…

And thank you to Roy for writing the rest of this post, and giving me a fighting chance of keeping up with my blog on holiday:-)

The Bosphorus Cruise begins at the Galata Bridge.

Galata Bridge — showing shops below, and the New Mosque above.

The Galata bridge features in many paintings of Istanbul. Here is one from our hotel

There are numerous palaces along either side of the Bosphorus, as well as some elegant riverside homes. Unfortunately, they tend to all blur into one another by the end of the day. Here are a few shots of palaces