The Bosphorus strait is a waterway which divides Istanbul separating the European side from the Asian continent. It also connects the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The shores of the Bosphorus are densely packed with restaurants, cafes, Ottoman mansions, parks, hotels and gardens as well as the remnants of old fortresses.

It is a spectacular waterway with fishing boats, tankers and ferries zooming people to their destinations. It is one of the city’s many crown jewels. Any time of the year it is fun to take a boat ride on the Bosphorus, but in the summertime it provides some much needed relief from the stifling heat. In the expat circles I run in, it is the highlight of the summer to rent a boat with a bunch of friends, have a few drinks, get a sunburn, grill some kebabs, and take a leisurely swim. The kind of boat you rent can range from a smart wooden sailboat to a repurposed ferry with a grill and a sound system, to the a high-end yacht where the staff prepares your meal. Last year we got fancy and did a champagne tasting on a yacht. Sadly, we have had a few bad years with a string of high profile terrorist attacks which rocked the country. We also had a coup attempt which left us living under an oppressive 2 year long state of emergency. For that reason many of my friends have left for other opportunities. When August rolled around and no boat parties had been organized, I got nervous. Not nervous enough to organize my own, but nervous. Luckily, a hero stepped up, and last Saturday we found ourselves happily bobbing around where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea, under Istanbul’s newest mega project colloquially called the Third Bridge: one of three bridges connecting both continents.

These parties are always a good opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new connections, imbibe and share your pork rations. This year about 35 of us rented and old ferry which picked us up at 10 a.m. This means that I am running into a liquor store around 9 a.m. to buy a chilled bottle of wine and cold beers, thus confirming everything the store owner has ever believed about Western women. From the dock, for 70 lira each (at that time 14 US Dollars) we are taken on an 8 hour tour of the Bosphorus with ample time to swim and grill and enjoy the splendid scenery. My favorite part of anytime on the Bosphorus is the architecture. Both shores are lined with 620 extraordinary wooden mansions (most from the 19th century although some from the 18th and 20th) called ‘yalı’. I like to daydream about what it must be like to live in one of them and try and choose my favorite, which is impossible considering each one is so unique and beautiful. At the end of the day we are dropped back off at the dock, sunburned and tipsy, high on the fresh Bosphorus breeze, congratulating each other on a summer day well spent.