Istanbul – the city on the Bosphorus

It was three days before Christmas in Istanbul and I was coming back from shopping in bazaar in Kadiköy, on the Asian side. I was spending holidays in this Muslim country and it was a lot less tiring than Christmas madness in Poland. To reach Karaköy on the European side, I took a ferry, waiting until just the right moment to sneak before the tourists to have the best place on a board.

The call for evening prayer was about to start, a weird choir of Muezzins wailing out of tune, from several surrounding mosques. From the seller on the deck I bought a simit (an oval bread with sesame seeds) just to feed the seagulls flying around the ferry, and a çay (tea) to warm myself up. All for 2 liras (70 cents!).

Adhan (a call for prayer) finished, the Sun was going down behind the Hagia Sophia and the local band started tuning the violin and guitar. They played some traditional Turkish song, but I couldn’t understand a word to google it afterwards. It must have been something famous, because the passengers were singing along, swinging and clapping their hands.

There was a myth between my friends, that you can see dolphins in Bosphorus. Some people knew some people who saw them... But I trusted this as much as the story of the Loch Ness monster. Until I saw five shinning bodies with fins, jumping in line with the board. I thought maybe I confused them with waves, but no: it was a group of dolphins following the ferry.

It is Bosphorus that makes Istanbul different than any other city I’ve visited. The strait, which splits the land from the Sea of Marmara to the Black sea, creates a contractual frontier between the West and the East. Although no one from Istanbul would ever say 'I’m going to Asia' or 'I’m going to Europe', I still think that there is something transgressive in the boat cruise across Bosphorus.

It is also an axis, around which turns the chaotic and loud life of local people (and there are 17 milion of them). On Galata bridge, fisherman stand rod near rod all day long to feed people with fresh balik ekmek (bread with fish). Also in the harbours you can find other best street food: warm corn, freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, kebab, seafood.

You can cross the strait also on land, taking Dolmus – sort of a public taxi which goes through the bridge. It’s faster (ferry takes 20 minutes), but you’re doing this on your own risk: the drivers don’t care about any traffic regulations or speed limits. And think how many attractions you might miss.