Asia

Istanbul is separated by the Bosphorus Sea, with half of the city in Europe and half in Asia. Our hotel is in a busy area of Istanbul on the European side. We have been curious about what we might find in Asia and yesterday we decided to check it out by taking a local ferry on the Bosphorus.


Surprisingly, the city does not look much different on the "other" side. We expected more poverty and slums, but were pleasantly surprised when we found wide boulevards and many street cafes. The local markets are more unique and exciting, servicing the restaurants across the street.....Alice ordered the small chicken and Fred wanted the goat's head. Jim and I were innocent bystanders!




The trams are older and slower and yet they have mini taxis called Dolmus which will take you to designated areas for 1.5 Turkish Lira [.80 C].



The ferry system, along with the tram system, are very easy to use in Istanbul. We have been walking most places but sometimes we need to get farther than even our legs can take us.