Travelling Cat Lady: July 2014

The Princes' Islands are found in the Sea of Marmara, about 20km from Istanbul. They are so-named because historically they were places of exile for members of the royal families during the Byzantine era. Today they are places of summer fun. You can take a ferry from Istanbul, spend the day on one of the islands, and return in the evening. There is no motorized traffic on the islands, so transport is by horse and carriage, or bicycle.

As usual, I bumbled my way to the islands. A friend had told me about the islands, but there was no information in my guide book. Someone had told me which tram station I needed to find, so that I could board the ferry. I walked downhill from my apartment (rented from Air B'n'B), to the nearest tram stop. Once I figured out how to buy a token, I went through a turnstile in the middle of the road, and waited. The trams in Istanbul are frequent and efficient. In no time at all, I was at my station.
I bought a weird pretzel-type thing (I hadn't had any breakfast yet), and went into the first ferry office. After waiting in line, I discovered I was in the wrong place. I walked a few metres up the street, and discovered a ferry office that had a VERY large sign that read 'PRINCES' ISLANDS.' After buying my ticket from the correct office, I boarded the ferry, bought some spicy Turkish tea and settled in for the ride.

This is the 'Asian' part of Istanbul.

I took the ferry to the last stop, Burgazada (again, I was winging it; I had NO idea which island I wanted to go to). When I arrived, I took a little walk, then rented a bicycle for the day. I cycled around the entire island in a few hours. The trek involved a lot of pushing the bike up hills, and gliding silently down hills.