Prince's Island, about an 1.5 hours away from Istanbul by ferry, is a chain of fishing and resort islands where locals go to get out of the city in the heat of summer - along with a standing-room-only ferry full of tourists. No vehicles are allowed on the island, so you either walk, rent a bike, or hire a horse and carriage. As I prefer to exercise as little as possible on vacation, we took the carriage. It's about a 15 minute ride to Luna Park, which is the bottom of a hill on top of which sits a monastery and an outdoor restaurant that had the most amazing views we've seen the entire trip (along with the WORST service of the trip, but I'll take the view).
To get up the hill, you can either rent a donkey or walk directly uphill for 20 minutes. Despite my commitment to not exercising, the donkeys were such a rip off that we just couldn't do it. My calves, I'm embarrassed to admit, are still sore. But, again, the views were worth it.
The landscape looked very Carribean and was a gorgeous contrast to the Istanbul we were used to. The houses people "keep on the island are a mix of Southern mansion, modern style, and old Ottoman. Very cool.
The seagulls surround the ferry and are so close and there are so many of them it's a little unsettling, especially if you have seen the Hitchcock flick "The Birds". That movie apparently did not make it to Turkey, because these people throw food to the birds the entire trip. I have to give the gulls some credit for their accuracy in catching small pieces of bread in the wind, though.
Wednesday night we went back to Istiklal street and ate a bunch of cold mesas (apps) that were fabulous. This mushy eggplant stuff that I would normally not touch was incredible, and the biggest artichoke heart I've ever seen. Have I mentioned the feta cheese in turkey yet? It's outstanding. For breakfast every morning I eat what looks like a lady finger but is actually feta rolled up in some flat dough and fried. MMMMM.
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