It was a Thursday afternoon at 3:30 pm when we finally approached the bridge that led to Istanbul. This bridge spans the Bosphorus straights which join the Black Sea to the Marmara. This bridge spans two continents; it joins Asia to Europe. All traffic from the Black Sea passes through these straights. From the Marmara through the Dardanelles to the Aegean, and eventually to the Mediterranean.

This castle was built in 1452 with a fort at the narrows, and on either side of the Bosphorus stands the priciest real estate we have ever seen. Sultans built palaces along this choice waterway. Queen Mother’s erected Mosques, large and small depending on their wealth and devotion. This small Mosque dates from the 18^th century.

This is where today’s billionaries live. Prime real estate, like perhaps nowhere in the world. Our hotel was not here. This is Ritz Carlton territory. A popular section of Istanbul is Takism Square. The tall building to the right is part of Takism where our hotel was located. This is where the workers gathered on Mayday to protest. Tanks and tear gas were used.

A guy named Byzan established the city of Istanbul at a location given by an Oracle. The oracle said it should be built “in the land of the blind.” When Byzan saw the Bosphorus, he said, “These people must be blind to not see this is perfect place to build a city.

When Constantine moved the capital from Rome, he built Constantinople on seven hills. This is the playground for the rich and the famous. It’s architecture tells you these are people with more money than they know what to do with. One can only stand in awe of each palace with its frills and fancy portals opening out to the sea.

Here a couple have found a romantic spot by a fancy gate. It’s not quite a secluded place, for huge tankers from Russia pass through here along with commercial vessels from the various countries bordering the Black Sea, yachts, sail boats, and tourist excursions such as ours.

We rented a boat to take us through the Bosphorus. Here is our tour guide Mehmet with our tour leader Margarita Dufilho who waited till we got to Istanbul to wear her turban. Our captain stands to the right.

Here’s a couple more pictures taken from the Bosphorus straights. First is the Queen Mother’s Mosque. Now we in America think of the Queen Mother as the mother of the queen of England. This Queen Mum, however, was the mother of one of the Sultans. There are a number of Queen Mother Mosques here in Istanbul. This one is the grandest of them all. Our final picture from the straights shows the gates of one of the palaces leading into its gardens behind which stand more modern structures.