private castles

Exploits in Istanbul 7.2

Over on the Asian side in Anadolu Kavagi we arrived well before the tourists who come up on the official cruise, so it was quiet, and we just beat the Keeper of the Castle Gate to his place of work, high up the hill. He let us roam the site, even the bits that were marked as Not Allowed. Looking up towards the Black Sea, the piers of the third Bosphorus Bridge are up, but not the span – so we got in just in time before the view is spoiled for ever.

The view down the Bosphorus is pretty spectacular, too, particularly with a beer. At the bottom again, the tourist-trap restaurant had surprisingly good anchovies and white beans while we waited for the next connection.

Some of the rest of the menu was a little disconcerting, though…