Cruise end! Dardanelles and Istanbul

The highlight of a welcome day at sea was travelling through the Dardanelles. On the port (European) side is the Gallipoli peninsula where there are several monuments to the many fallen in WW1. This is the Canakkale Martyrs Memorial dedicated to the Turks who lost their lives.

Shortly after there was some irony in a warship and submarine passing by. The latter was at least a rare sight. Not sure I would want to spend a month or so underwater confined in this little vessel.

At the narrowest point the passage is 1.2 kms wide and that means defence and fees, both of which require fortifications. The one on the West bank is Kilitbahir castle built by the Ottomans (1460). Behind is a carved figure which also commemorates the Canakkale Martyrs.

On the East (Asian side) bank is the not so impressive Cannakkale fort.

Once the passage started to widen out we went under the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge so named because of its location and in celebration of Turkey becoming a republic.

It appeared to be open to more than just vehicles. Clearly these workers did not suffer acrophobia as the deck clearance is 70 metres and they are somewhat higher than that. The bridge was opened in 2022 and at over 4.6 kms is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Our passage under was timed to perfection.

The next two days saw us in Istanbul for our second visit (see August 2015 blog). We headed for Istiklal CD which is close to where we were based in 2015. We did manage to find suitable baclava for lunch but the rooftop bar at Mamara Peri hotel was closed for winter! Fortunately, we did find a replacement (360 restaurant) with similar views (this is the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua). The Nieuw Statendam can also be seen in the background.

Apart from a superb meal (far too much) and drinks there were some interesting side attractions. Helen was able to get back to her roots.

While in the other direction yet another glorious sunset pleaded to be recorded.

Of course a visit to Istanbul would not be complete without some mosques. We did not have time for a visit inside but these two were at least a little different. In fact the first is not a mosque at all but the domes of Mimar Sinan University. (You can also see the afore mentioned church and 360 restaurant in the left background.)

The Nuruosmaniye mosque is the first and largest one using a baroque style (1750). It gets a mention as it was on the way to the Grand Bazaar and was suitably large!

The Grand Bazaar goes on for streets and streets and was photographed in the 2015 post. You can get almost anything, most of which is beautifully presented. What tea do you fancy?

What about a light?

Or some spices?

Fortunately, most cannot be taken into Australia, so we were relatively safe!

With that, we headed back to the ship for a sea day to sort out our packing. We then disembarked in Athens and took a flight to Cairo for the third part of our 2025 adventure.