April 15-16 Amasra to Istanbul

We enjoyed the early spring of Amasra so much, it was almost a shock to see snow in the mountains, although most had melted from the hillsides. We traveled for six hours before the easternmost leg of the Marmara Sea appeared on our left, with major shipping ways and terminals mile after mile. Then we celebrated inside as we crossed the Bosporus straight – we were now in Europe after 2-1/2 months in Asia. We taxied from the immense bus terminal to our hotel in the Taksim section of Istanbul, and followed our hotelier's recommendation for dinner, accepting a ride from the restaurant staff to their spot on the bridge over the Golden Horn overlooking the Straight. As the sun set again, the waiter who drove us here displays the day's catch and we make our selection. We had known ahead this would be spendy and used a gift to defray the expense. (Thank you).
Next morning we took the subway to the Gayrettepe area of Istanbul (northeast of Taksim) for breakfast with our Turkish friends Oguz (ooze) and Seyma (shayma) and their 7 month old, Selma, also Ertan, whom we had met in Cookville, and his daughter, Seca (sayja), which means 'serene'. It was a great reunion for us as Oguz had been our guide for the second half of our first visit to Turkey. That afternoon, a bookstore stop was needed, so off we walked to the pedestrian mall off Taksim Square, to find a vertical version of the same chain we had visited in Ankara. The crowd out side the window was participating in the '40 days shop 'n fun' promotion, which included live music and political demonstrations.
We moseyed down to the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, tucked in on the wharf behind Nusreteyi Camii (Mosque), with Topkapi, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque in the distance across the Horn. We were also looking at the rail station we would be leaving from at ten that night, but didn't realize it yet (behind the right-picture minaret).

We enjoyed another fine meal (late lunch) at the Museum overlooking the Bosporus Straight and Golden Horn. Going back to the hotel to pick up our luggage we followed this all male, fist raising, chanting group with red but not Turkish flags (facing away – those facing us had just negotiated their way around the group, as we were about to do in the other direction. Behind us we had passed, and far enough back to be (perhaps) unknown by this group, a troop of well prepared riot police. We were happy it was still daylight.