Volendam 2026, Istanbul, Turkey...

I was out early this morning for our sail into Istanbul in the cold, wind and rain…horrible morning, the conditions couldn’t have been worse. This morning Ann, Cathy, Gwen and myself made the trek through the underwater Istanbulterminal to meet our guide Oğuz at the Galataport Clock Tower. We decided to go a different direction and see something different today. One of the curiosities of Istanbul is that it is in both Europe and Asia. The two continents are separated by the Bosphorus, the waterway that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. In practice not many tourists seem to make their way to the Asian side of the city and this makes a great way to escape the crowds that throng the city center. We crossed the Bosphorus Bridge and stopped at Kuzguncuk Park for a panoramic view of the European side of Istanbul and the Bosporus Bridge. Our next stop was the bohemian district of Kuzguncuk, famous for its charming, century-old wooden houses where Jewish, Greek Orthodox, and Muslim communities lived together, as well as art galleries and artisan craftsmen workshops. From here we went to Kadıkoy, a laid-back residential neighborhood, famed for its bustling fish and produce market and more… On curving streets, buildings with colorful murals are home to boutiques, cafes, and eateries. The views from the neighborhood's shores stretches across the Bospherus showcasing the skyline. We stopped at Uskudar Nevmekan Sahil-a lovely library space with a beautiful dome ceiling. We visited a couple of Ottoman Mosques…First we walked around the Yeni Valide Mosque, then Mosque Valide-I Cedid from the outside and Sakirin Camii, the world’s first mosque designed by a woman-a unique piece of modern architecture. We had some great views across the neighborhood's shores to see Kiz Kulesi Tower or Maiden’s Tower, the cruise ships in port and the skyline. We stopped for a special Turkish treat of delicious baklava at the Canek Restaurant, our guide Oğuz’s favorite restaurant. Near the end of our tour the skies were black and ugly. Our guide mixed it up and we returned to the European side of Istanbul via the Bospherus car ferry and giving us another top deck perspective of the harbor front and skyline. Just as we got on the ferry it began to rain heavily but I was able to take lots of photos anyway. By the time we crossed the Bospherus the rain had dissipated. Despite the miserable rainy weather today we were very lucky to escape the worst of it while visiting sites. This tour was booked on really short notice, and the outcome was much more than we anticipated…Thank you Oğuz for our wonderful day.