In 2010, Mike and I were living in Adana, Turkey. We wanted to start traveling right away, so we decided our first trip would be to Istanbul. And because we were living in Turkey, it was a lot easier for us to get around than if we’d come straight from the U.S. We were however, still becoming accustomed to the pace at which our new country-people were moving. They are fast! So, it was only fitting that our trip was quick, too.
Now, I should preface this all by saying that before moving to Turkey, we spent three years in Okinawa, Japan. The top speed on a regular 2-to-4 lane road was about 34 miles per hour. In Adana and Istanbul, the top speed seemed to be based on the speed of the car in front of the traffic lane, at the time. If you were at a stop light, the people behind you would start blowing their horns before the light changed to green. They were in a hurry.
So, we started our 3-day tour of Istanbul with a free day. We spent the day near the Bosporus Strait (a stretch of water that separates Europe from Asia). The water is a gorgeous deep blue green, and the rocks that separated us from its icy depths proved suitable for seating.
The Bosporus