Day 4 - Istanbul

This was the first day we woke up feeling refreshed with a good night's sleep. We headed out early to catch the Bosphorus Cruise. The Bosphorus Straight separates Europe and Asia (Istanbul spans two continents). There are many palaces, summer homes, fortresses, and other cool sights to see on both the Europe and Asia side during the two hour cruise. We disembarked at Anadolu Kavagi on the Asia side and decided to walk up a small "mountain" (er . . . hill) to see the remains of a Byzantine castle (most people chose to cab it). We quickly found out how out of shape we were. Thirty minutes later, we made it, sunburnt, sweaty, and tired. However, the views from the top made the journey worthwhile (Istanbul to the South, the Black Sea to the North). Castle #1 (of hopefully many): check.
Going back down was much easier.

We grabbed lunch at a seafood restaurant by the water. We were told not to eat seafood from the Bosphorus (it is very dirty/polluted), so we made sure to order non-Bosphorus fish. Our table was so close to the water that we had to lift our legs every time the wake came in from passing boats!

That night we dined at Mikla on the roof of the Maramara Pera Hotel. The 360 degree views of the city from up there were absolutely unbelievable (they are supposed to have one of the best views in Istanbul). The food was fantastic as well. After we were finished eating, we moved up one floor to the swanky restaurant bar for a drink. We chilled on the outdoor couches for a while taking in the breathtaking view and the fireworks shows going on in different areas of the city (there was no occasion... maybe it happens every Saturday night). Also, we are pretty sure the guy next to us on the couch was the Linkin Park drummer.