I have always rebelled against claims seamless, those set forth with such forcefulness that proscribe any hint of doubt. All these truths presumption of infallibility, insignificant they are, They should always pass through the sieve of skepticism. I had read that you could not enter the old Byzantine fortress Anatolia Kavagi, built in the fourteenth century on a strategic promontory on the Bosporus high that Turkey Asian faces the Black Sea. And it was true. The castle was closed. Or so it seemed.
I surround its walls noticed a kind of glum suddenly came out of a small door followed by a small group of tourists. And, after saying goodbye, he stayed there, with his bunch of keys in hand, as a conscious child of his latest prank. I not speak English, but it was clear that we wanted to go and he could open up, waiting for a tip to go further with their income topping. Yes, you could enter. I had to just go up there to check. Once more, Skepticism had beaten.
I have always rebelled against claims seamless, so strong that proscribe any hint of doubt
We spent behind him and quickly shut the door, concerned not to leave fingerprints. Inside there was no. Well, yes, just a couple lying on a wall torn down, self-absorbed in their romantic moment so confused almost stone. Before us, a few kilometers north, the Bosphorus and the Black Sea, the Pontus of the ancient Greeks, They mingled its waters. A furious wind blew the words away and left us at the mercy of gestures and thoughts. And mine were anchored in the mythological feat Jasón and the Argonauts sailing in search of the Golden Fleece, the epic poem that Apollonius of Rhodes left for posterity ago 2.300 years.
Towards Colchis, a region northeast of the Black Sea, where the maps drawn stopped, Jason's expedition had to cross the Bosporus their particular high Rubicon: the passage of Ciáneas Rocks, “there in the place where the waters of the sea are narrowed”. No one could cross them alive because "they continually go to meet one another, colliding with each other". King Phineus, Jason grateful for having gotten rid of the harpies, He gave them the solution to emerge unscathed from trance. They were released ahead of a dove. If the bird crossed the rocks, the ship was to go back and Symplegades allow swift passing. On the contrary, if the bird died in the attempt they had to return immediately for, He warned the sovereign, "You could not escape a terrible death among the rocks". The dove passed by the hair and Argo was able to continue his perilous journey.
I had read that you could not enter the old Byzantine fortress of Anadolu Kavagi. Yes, it could. I had to just go up there to check
That same strait that Jason and the Argonauts managed to navigate despite the certainty that "indeed, irremediable death hung over their heads" is the one we now have in view, both sides joined by a modern bridge, clawed away to catch the many cargo ships that cross, Concrete collects his arms to allow frequent sailing freighters.
trace the Bosphorus is browse history. Eminönü pier, in the always surprising Istanbul, between the Golden Horn and the Galata Bridge and close to the unmistakable New Mosque, Ferry departs daily making Anadolu journey to Kavagi. The ticket costs 25 Turkish lira (less than eight euros) and the trip takes an hour and a half. It should be early to ensure a good spot on deck (it is best to sit on the way to starboard and to port around, or vice versa, enjoy the views on both sides).
A furious wind blew the words away and left us at the mercy of gestures and thoughts. Mine was to Jason and the Argonauts
Before coming to Besiktas, the first of six stops, to our left dazzles the facade of Dolmabahçe Palace, the arrogant outburst of Sultan Abdul Mecit the mid-nineteenth century to belie, with the help of several foreign bank loans, the unstoppable decline of the Ottoman Empire.
Luce glorious sunshine, but the northwest wind forces on deck shelter soon. Strait currents are so powerful that you notice the strength of the Bosporus under the hull. After leaving the Yildiz Park, up to Ortaköy, Always on the European shore, we sailed under the Bosphorus Bridge, more than a kilometer in length, the first to be built on the narrow. Long before, in the sixth century BC, Darius I "the Great", king of Persia, He built a bridge from one to another bank (from the present district of Uskudar) by a succession of boats to spend with his army, a work of enormous engineering for the time.
Strait currents are so powerful that you notice the strength of the Bosporus under the hull
On one side and the other the sumptuous «yalis» follow one another, the former summer residence since the eighteenth century pashas and viziers rose from the Ottoman Istanbul along the Bosporus as a mark of distinction and social position, and whose abandonment fed grief writers like Nobel Orhan Pamuk. «I count the ships that pass since I have the use of reason», Pamuk tells in his «Istanbul. City and memories», At the same time, he attributes the pleasure of walking along the Bosphorus to the fact that «one feels that one is in a moving sea, powerful and deep within a huge city, historic and neglected.
The narrowest point of the Bosphorus, 660 meters between the two shores, It is easily recognizable by the two fortresses that control the strategic step of the Straits: Rumeli Hisa's, built by Mehmet "the Conqueror" in the European part to complete the taking of Constantinople, and Anadolu Hisan, Asian replica built by Bayezid I. A little later, shortly after crossing the second bridge, Sultan Mehmet Fatih the, we Kanlica (famous for its delicious yogourts), second stop crossing. In the middle Bosporus is, a babor, Istinye Bay, its natural harbor par excellence, and almost within sight of Yeniköy, a succession of nineteenth-century facades where the boat stops again a few minutes.
Photographic fever has abated in the passage, making it more bearable navigation deck
Fortunately, photographic fever has abated in the passage, making it more bearable navigation deck. Already in high Bosporus waters, Sariyer It is a succession of fishing vessels that nourish the markets estambulíesi. It is the last stop before stopping at the two peoples, one on each bank, marking the end of the route: Rumeli Kavagi y Anatolia Kavagi. In these waters where the Bosphorus widens to join the Black Sea, trawling is large and boats struggling with strong currents to get the best catch.
Genoese fortress, of Byzantine origin, It is perched on a hill which houses are scattered Anatolia Kavagi, a fishing village that smells of grilled sardines and last frontier. Wooden houses dockside, a rickety, only accentuate the impression of being about to step on a place to flee, refuge from the troubles of the world. Beyond, upstream Bosphorus, military perimeter restricts the passage. In fact, walk as we climb the hillside where the castle stands we passed a little above turco.Un quartering born stairs, the left side of the road, They are taking us through various restaurant terraces, each more appetizing, to the old fort (also you can climb on one of the few taxis in town). A dog, the smartest in the class, ensimismado enjoys a privileged vantage point over the narrow, as if time were not with him.
After nearly half an hour's climb, we are finally inside the fortress, in a field dotted with scraggly bushes, with the Bosporus at our feet
And after almost half an hour climb, there we are finally inside the fortress, in a field dotted with scraggly bushes, with the Bosporus at our feet, aside Istanbul, yonder peeking through the haze, the other the Black Sea and across Europe, enjoying the only time he has given us the plainclothes bunch of keys, who has earned the right tip for.
Back in town, We hurry the time to climb back to the boat that will take us back to Istanbul. No Anadolu Kavagi to leave without trying a serving of hamsi (similar to anchovies), local star dish cooking you to view the street itself. We chose the Kösem Balik, but the town is well stocked with restaurants and the prices are affordable.
Buses depart from Anadolu Kavagi touring the Asian coast to Uskudar
For those who have time, Buses depart from Anadolu Kavagi (in the main square) They are touring the Asian coast to Uskudar, already in Istanbul, an excellent opportunity to explore the picturesque villages dotted along the shore of the Strait. However we opted for the shuttle, a journey that, satiated and photographic haste, It is more relaxed and introspective. Bosphorus, down there, still roaring.
