Our friend Cheryl had recommended the Fener area because of the old and colorful houses built onto the hillside.
And she was right... they are worth seeing!
So pretty, especially with the wisteria flowers.
Some of the buildings are in ruins.
This is an old neighborhood.
Some of the places don't look like they are in very good condition.
Definitely some interesting places.
At the top of the hill is the Greek Orthodox School.
Another ruin.
It's an interesting building, but it's hard to get a full view of!
Yesterday was the start of the three day unofficial holiday period of Eid al-Fitr celebrating the end of Ramadan. So some businesses are open, and others closed... totally dependent on the business owner's decision.
It turned out that the restaurant we had chosen for lunch was closed, so we found another place... just a small little cafe, but it was quite nice being out on the sidewalk watching the people go by.
Lots of cats around!
This friendly one jumped right up on my lap and wanted some attention!
Normally they go straight for Ruth, but she got her turn as well.
Ken, Ruth, Kevin, Mary.
We had some lunch and sat and chatted for a while. Turns out they will be in Albania in June, and that's when we plan to do the Peaks of the Balkans hike, so we'll be in the same area at the same time.. perhaps our paths will cross again.
Leaving the restaurant around 3:00pm, we parted ways and Ruth and I decided to walk the 3 kms back to the central ferry port.
Another beautiful day in Istanbul.
Most of our walk was along this waterfront path.
Impressive bridge.
As we got closer to the ferry port, there was a noticeable increase in people. It was really busy! So busy that it was uncomfortable, with people crowding and pushing and shoving. We can understand how these "crushing" incidences happen with crowds. It was not enjoyable at all, and even waiting in line for the ferry was too busy for our liking. The ferry itself was totally full.
But, we made it back home okay. It was much quieter back in Kadikoy.
We took Gus for a nice long evening walk. Here are some photos...
Cheryl arrived back later in the evening. She had been with some girlfriends on a short visit to Georgia (the country, not the state!). She highly recommended that we visit, and it has actually been near the top of our list for quite some time. Maybe we'll head there this summer.
Nothing special planned for our last day in Istanbul. We fly to Antalya early Friday morning.
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Great deal on this Intex Swimming Pool.
And in Canada...
nice
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