Istanbul Diaries (7 — yedi)
<p>Istanbul is surrounded by three bodies of water: The Sea of Marmara to the south, the Bosphorus River splitting the city between the two continents of Europe and Asia, and the Black Sea to the north. A Bosphorus cruise is a must when visiting Istanbul, but as locals, we decided to take the Istanbul ferry system instead. From our location in <em>Taşkışla</em>, we walked downhill through residential neighbourhoods, past the <em>Beşiktaş Stadium </em>towards <em>Dolmabahçe Sarayı </em>(palace) and onwards to <em>Beşiktaş İskelesi</em> (ferry station).</p>
<p><em>Dolmabahçe </em>palace is a spectacular piece of architecture, combining Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles, with traditional Ottoman architecture. It served as the main administrative and residential palace in the 1800s, after Sultan Abdul Mecid moved from <em>Topkapı </em>. Luckily, despite the hot morning sun, our walk along the walls of the palace was shaded and rather pleasurable. A note for fellow travelers: the bus stop lies before the entrance to the palace grounds, and not after as Google incorrectly showed us; no buses stop along the palace walls.</p>
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