Saturday September 28th, 2013 At Sea

Another fantastic sea day - really fantastic, we got to sail through the Bosphorus Strait and into the Black Sea.

We had a lazy morning, though we did attend the second lecture by Margaret Gilmore the former BBC news person. This time Mrs. Gilmore focused on anti-terrorism and gave a captivating speech to a packed house describing the methods that are used today to combat terrorism, and even described some events which the authorities had managed to head off.

During the night the ship had exited the Aegean Sea and entered the Dardanelles - a seaway that connects the Aegean with the Sea of Marmara. The Dardanelles are perhaps most famous for the ill-fated British landing attempt that took place here during World War One. We've actually sailed this way before and seen the British and Turkish war memorials on the shore, though we didn't get to see them last night I think we'll get to see them on our return from the Black Sea.

At about 1PM the ship exited the Sea of Marmara and entered the Bosphorus Strait; the captain had told us that the transit would take about 2 hours - so we had an early lunch and got set up on our balcony which was on the port side, ideal for viewing Istanbul as we passed by. 

As we approached the city, we began to make out the familiar shapes of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia; using our binoculars we were able to get our bearings and figure out the ships position. Later we realized that there was strong cell phone reception in the area, and we were able to follow the ship on Google Maps - what a treat! 

The famous mosques and the Topkapi Palace loomed ever larger and soon we were able to start getting some photographs. Dolphins began to ride along with the ship, occasionally leaping from the water; and then the sounds of the Muslim call to pray began to drift across the water to the ship. This was an absolutely awesome experience!

As we passed the main mosques and Topkapi Palace the famous Galata Bridge swung into view followed by the docked cruise ships and the Dolmabahce Palace. Soon we were passing under the first of two bridges across the strait that link Europe to Asia. The European shore is dotted with old mansions and palaces - which made for some great viewing.

Eventually we spotted the entrance to the Black Sea and noticed a brand-new bridge under construction...

This has been one of the most impressive things we've ever experienced on a cruise ship.