The Princes' Islands

The Princes' Islands are four islands in the Sea of Marmara off the coast of Istanbul, accessible by ferry, and they make for a great day trip. Today I went to Büyükada, the largest of the four islands, with three other American girls that I have met since living in the Superdorm. The ferry ride cost only 6 Turkish lira round trip, which is about $4. Not only was it a fantastic deal for a harbor cruise, but it was also a great way to see the coastline where the sea of Marmara meets Istanbul. The skyline was particularly pretty, with the minarets from various mosques jutting up into the sky (see photo at left). Note that while the sky is normally blue, in Istanbul it has taken on a grayish tinge. Not particularly shocking, considering the city is home to roughly 15 million people, though some estimate that the number is greater. Once on the ferry it took us about an hour and a half to get to Büyükada. The island was a popular destination. Luckily, Turkey has outlawed the use of automobiles on the Princes' islands and so most of the traffic was pedestrian. It made the whole island much more picturesque, particularly because the favored transportation is carriages (Phaeton, in Turkish). While they are touristy, the carriages were a fun way to see the island. We took a carriage up to the base of a very steep hill upon which is an old monastery and a great view of the sea. The hill was luckily climbable, and we were able to enter the monastery and admire the beautiful Byzantine frescoes and icons they had on display. Unfortunately photographs were prohibited, but I don't think they would have done the place justice anyway. Luckily I did get pictures of the view though! The rest of the island was also beautiful, and besides the cafes and small restaurants there were also quite a lot of old, European style mansions. I ended up taking a lot of photos of the streets from our carriage and while walking around. One of the best things about being a student/tourist in Turkey is the prices. If you stay away from the main streets, you can get a pretty good Turkish meal for between 5 and 8 lira, depending on your beverage (which for me is usually a Coca Cola Light or çay, which is strong Turkish tea). So that is roughly the equivalent of spending $4-5 on meals. Not bad! We took the ferry back to the mainland in the late afternoon and ate dinner off of Taksim square, where I had my first kebab style chicken. Typical kebabs have beef or lamb, and I'm planning on staying away from them if I can help it. Luckily, Turkish restaurants often have delicious vegetarian cuisine, such as this variation on a pita pizza that I had for lunch. Yum! It was a long day and I am fairly exhausted. Tomorrow is Sunday and I'm planning on sleeping in and hopefully investigating the workout facilities on campus. It is supposed to be another beautiful day!









The photos below are random shots that I took over the course of the day that I thought people might like.