I haven’t mentioned the breakfasts. I’d been told that a hotel breakfast in this part of the world is superior to what one might find in the US, but these have been surprising even so.
We started the day with a multi-hour ferry ride up the Bosphorus, involving cold and wind and a lot of shoreline to admire, including a number of old buildings and fortifications.
After lunch in Anadolu Kavaği, we walked up the hill to Yoros Castle. It was old and crumbling in a satisfying sort of way, and had beautiful internal spaces that were hard to capture in pictures.
After we returned to Istanbul proper, K and I spent some more time wandering the spice markets. I’ve been appreciating all the little offshoots of those alleys — often you’ll find a courtyard that holds a cafe, or a restaurant, and is quiet and open in a way that is so very incongruous next to those crowded streets. Some are odd; I stumbled across a five-story electronics emporium barely accessible through a little sub-alley. All the tiny shops seemed to be selling nearly identical items.
Rejoining the group, we finished the day off with dinner, enjoying the company of the ever-present cats of Istanbul.
And that was our second day.
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