Istanbul, Galata Koprusu

Our cruise ship, the SS Odysseus, was docked near the bridge that crosses the Golden Horn to Istanbul’s old city, where we could see domed mosques with many minarets, situated on the low hills.

Galata Koprusu, the bridge over the Golden Horn, is two-level, and we don’t believe even small boats can get past it, but perhaps at one place they can. Cars, trucks, and busses cross the Golden Horn on the bridge, but on the lower level there are restaurants, one after the other. Some are fancy with tablecloths, and others are not so fancy, and there are a few stores selling tourist goods.

A couple of hours later — after only a few precious hours in Istanbul — we crossed the bridge over the Golden Horn, needing to reach our ship before it sailed. We had only a few hours to visit this beautiful city, it would take days or even weeks for a tourist to see all the tourist sights.