VIEW OF THE BOSPHORUS

FROM TOPKAPI

Views of where the Bosphorus meets the Sea of Marmara.

Glimpses of the ancient sea walls.

The vistas are almost as beautiful as the architectural details of the palace.

A great campy crime caper bit of cinema was released the year I was born.

It features Topkapi.

Click here for more info on the Peter Ustinov Classic

BOSPHORUS BRIDGE

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

The Bosphorus, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, is a very busy working waterway.

Ferries cross it constantly to connect European side cities and Asian side towns.

A cruise up the Bosphorus will pass large tankers and other working ships.

This one is passing under a modern bridge.

THE LIGHT OF ISTANBUL (OVER GALATA)

Picture post car view of the Bosphorus.

The tower in the background is the Galata Tower.

The neighborhoods in the foreground include Karikoy and Tunel.

The entire peninsula between the Golden Horn and Bosphorus is known as Beyoğlu.

It is on the European side of what was Constantinople.

The area, more modern than the Old Town, is often mentioned by author Orhan Pamuk, who would take the nostalgic tram from Taksim square through Beyoğlu along İstiklâl Caddesi.

SULTANAHMET CAMII

AKA THE BLUE MOSQUE

Istanbul, Turkey

FENER OR BALAT?

BOTH ARE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

As old as Istanbul itself, these ancient neighborhoods that huge the Golden Horn are funky, historic, human scaled and in danger of gentrification.