Princes' Islands day trip

Actually, the clear day photos were from Sunday. Here are some pics from Saturday, on a trip to Büyükada island—the largest of the nine Princes' Islands, easily accessible (and a half hour or so) from Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. We went with some co-workers and had a nice hike and lunch.

Before we arrived at Büyükada, the ferry made a pitstop at Helbeliada Island, which has a nice waterfront as well. (Perhaps some day we'll go there as well.)

When we got off at Büyükada, we soon set off for a short hike up one of its hills, enjoying the increasingly picturesque views and the fine local architecture. Below is one of many majestic old structures on Büyükada, and as you can see (well, if you click on the photo, that is, to see the full-size photo) there are horse-drawn carriages on the island. Actually, that's pretty much the only way to get around, if you're not a cop and don't want to be a pedestrian.

We took the pedestrian route, though, knowing that the hike up the hill would be good for us—we haven't joined a gym yet, so we have to take advantage of any exercise we can get!

Once we came down off the "mountain," we escaped the sun's rays and enjoyed lunch at one of the many open-air restaurants near the ferry terminal. Here's Marc with some of our new colleages and friends (Karen took the shot):


Most people visiting Istanbul for any time are be tempted to go to the Princes' Islands, if only for the day, as we did, since they're so close and yet so OUT of the hustle and bustle of the big city. Hardly very adventurous, but quite a pleasant way to spend a day.