Big Bike Island

(Bikes on the ferry to the Prince's Islands)

Over the weekend my friend Ian and I took our bikes out to one of Istanbul's Prince's Islands, a group of islands about an hour or so by ferry from the European side of the mountain.  By law, the only motorized vehicles on the island are official municipal vehicles, so it's one of the few car free places in the city.  It's really popular during the summer, but this was my first visit.

(One ferry to another)

We rode our bikes down to Kabatas and then hopped on the ferry.  It's slow, and makes 5 or 6 stops, but it's cheap.  A token for the ferry is the same price as a token for the the metro, tram, or bus (2 TL).  The ferry goes across the mouth of the Bosphorus, then out into the Sea of Marmara.  The area is like a multi-lane highway with all of the ferries, fishing boats, speed boats, barges, and tankers using the well trafficked waters.  A little further out we saw some small sailboats, but I think the weather is getting a bit cold for too much of that.

 (Horse-drawn carriages are a popular form of transportation)

The islands differ in two big ways from the bulk of Istanbul.  Number one: there are no cars, so people use horse drawn carriages or bikes to get around.  I'm pretty sure the carriages operate like taxis, but there's really only like... two places to go on the island (more on that later).  The result is a different, less disagreeable foul smell that pervades the landscape.  Number two: Wooden houses.  I was shocked to see so many wooden houses in various states of repair/disrepair.  The first word that popped into my head was "colonial."  It made me realize how little wood is used in construction in the city itself.

This is one of the few things to see on the island.  Well... I guess the landscape itself is the real sight, but if you're looking for things to look at, this is it.  It's an old abandoned Greek Orthodox Church run orphanage.  Long abandoned, there's some arcane law that prevents them from either tearing the building down or renovating it.

 

 This is the view from the other "attraction," a still functioning Greek Orthodox monastery at the top of the hill.  I wasn't aloud to take pictures in the monastery itself, but the grounds were nice, and the view was amazing.  It made for one of those Oh Man I Live Here moments.

Here are some of the horses (off-duty, I suppose), just hanging out by the side of the road.

And here's a shot of the city as seen from the top of the hill.  I think we're gonna try to get some people together this weekend and make another trip out there before the weather gets too cold.  I'll keep you guys posted.