Turkey ~Istanbul “A Day Cruise with New Friends”

• October 12, 2020
• By Daryl
• 0 Comment

The glorious sunrise and bright sunlight elevated our souls and enlightened our countenance. 

Our animated speech and gestures spoke well of our engagement with a group of newly found friends. A sacred fire burns within me and pierces my mind to share the accounts of the days events. 

Today, we join a family and their friends, to tour The Golden Horn and adjacent Bosporus Strait waterways. We have had the pleasure of living along this famous and important historic area a few times. We pass multitudes of ornate mosques along the skyline and bordering the waterway. We are very fortunate to have a guide who was animated with laughter, on a regular basis. Though he only spoke Turkish, we learned very little history, but seeing Istanbul from this perspective on the water is a joy. It is so peaceful and serine. The company of about fifteen close friends made us feel at home on our floating vessel and entertainment center. Songs break out and laughter is flowing, along with the conversations and drinks.

Fishermen line the waterway with other men staring out at the water, while in deep conversations. Families also are enjoying the bright sunny day. Children ride undersized bicycles, racing a boy with inline skates. A statue of a war hero, wearing armor, is mounted on a grand stallion, pointing towards the opening to the Bosporus Strait.

The Golden Horn waters are flushed by two rivers and water is pumped from the nearby Bosporus Strait, keep the waters clean, making for a delightful passage.

The Turkish flag flies proudly, high from many buildings and the boat has an oversized flag at it’s stern. Bunny and I take charge of the upper deck and have a clear view for our photos. It is Sunday, and it looks like the seagulls are taking advantage of God’s day of rest. The gentle rocking boat is working, and people are relaxing, soon some people join us, up top. I met my new urologists and his cherished love. Conversations flows and the views were fabulous. Little tug-boat-sized-looking fishing boat, passes us, full of fishing nets coming back for the day. 

The sun is crossing our path, making it the squinting hour, as we torture our eyes to make out the outline of buildings. Behind us, the castle is perfectly lit from the setting sun. As we enter the Bosporus Strait, the waters start to churn, twisting the boat to and fro. A storm had passed that tormented the seas for the last two days. One of the ladies could not take the turbulent ride, and turned a little green behind the gills. 

We passed many grand mansions from the days of the Byzantine rulers. Some have been turned into hotels. An Ottoman ruler’s grand home, still in great shape, lies empty. We pass many restaurants and TV towers, then enter an open bay with a lighthouse called Rumelian Lighthouse with a great story. This refers to the “Land of the Romans” gateway to the Balkans. We rounded the structure and headed past more restaurants and a nightclub, where a few years back, one man, a terrorist, shot fifty people. The club never never open again.

We rounded the bend and back down the Golden Horn to calmer waters. The sun has given up the ship and was starting to dip into the sea. Up ahead, we can see the point we took off from. We are almost at the end of our journey and had to give up our treasure for our part of the bounty for the boat, and guide, that we could not understand, but was more than happy to enrich him for his entertainment and his knowledge. 

We strolled back across the boulevards past the old city walls, up to the Inn we reside at. We climb upstairs to the balcony for a feast of fried fish, salad, hummus and all the compliments. The view pleases our senses with an overview of our journey on the Golden Horn, below. We had some great conversations, and we shared stories from some of our exploits and expeditions. All too soon, it got late, We say goodnight with promise of more narratives, tomorrow evening.