A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Istanbul, Turkey by TravelPod blogger Beckster titled "Cruising the Bosphorus: Between Asia and Europe" Beckster’s travel blog entry: "Today went for a "cruise" along the Bosphorus River, which runs right through Istanbul and divides it into Europe and Asia. (It also connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea) We boarded the government-owned boat (its like public river transport) 20 minutes before departure time, only to find that the best seats had been taken. Not to worry, we were promptly surrounded by fellow tardy Asians (Japanese and Koreans), each group of whom had a leader who proceeded to give a loud running commentary in her native language. Everyone else quickly moved away. The view of various mosques (Istanbul is also known as the City of a Thousand Minarets) and OldNew Ottoman Houses along the river was stunning. But what really got many people (incl. yours truly) excited was the HUGE scandinavian cruise ships we encountered along the way, with exotic names such as Norwegian Princess and Holland-America Lines. They were all gargantuan, new and white and the size of Pearl Hill (behind my house in Penang). I had no idea they even built ships this big, unlike some I did not spend my primary school holidays cruising the Mediterranean. Anyway the question of the day for my geographically-challenged father and I was How did the Ship come Here all the Way From Norway, the answer to which would require actual ...