Settling In

During the last week Mrs Istanbilly and I have been settling into our new place - an ideal time to move as we were both off work for a week for Bayram (the rest of the world normally calls this Eid - I don't know why the Turkish should be different but...). Anyway, the move went well and then we spent the rest of the week sorting out the place - honestly it is a lot easier to move countries than to move houses. But we are now all sorted and getting used to the new place.

As you saw in a previous blog, we have a lovely view down the Bosphorus and I have been taking a few piccies from the balcony. Regular readers will know that I enjoy available light photography so here are a couple of offerings:

This is looking towards Yenikoy


The right hand side of this photo is Yenikoy on the European side and the left hand side is the Asian side.

I enjoy watching the shipping on the Bosphorus, from the little boats that people use for pleasure, to the fishing boats and ferries, the small rust bucket cargo shipsplying their trade up to the huge tankers and container ships, it really is a fascinating water way.



This is the Ottoman Equity, a 269 metre long tanker being escorted by a tug through the Bosphorus on its way to the Black Sea



Smaller at only 135 metres long, this is the 11940 tonne MV Mega Star.

Watching these ships gliding by is very relaxing, they seem to move so serenely and they can't be heard so they seem to float in silence - quite different from the little motor boats and small ferries that are really quite noisy and can be clearly heard from our balcony.