The name of the strait separating Europe from Asia, gave the ancient Greek myth. According to him, Zeus turned one of his next lovers Io into a white cow to save her from the wrath of her legal wife Hera. However, it failed, and Io escaped from Greece through the strait, which has since been called the "cow brod" - the Bosporus.

Today there is no smell of ancient myths, as the Bosporus is the heart of the Turkish city of Istanbul, ancient Constantinople. In order to visit the Bosporus one should board one of the vessels that cross the strait

Walk along the strait line

One of the piers that will meet the traveler will be the coastal area of ​​Karakoy. Previously, the berth was more a fishing place, and even today everyone can buy fresh fish here.

The narrowest point of the Bosphorus is 700 meters. It is easy to imagine in what confusion it is necessary to walk sea vessels between these edges. The Strait has an international status, so the traffic of passing tourist and merchant ships is very large.

During a sea excursion one can learn that the current of the Bosporus is often called "devilish" because of its swiftness. They say that in spring, during the flood of the Danube, it reaches its apogee, and in the narrowest place the water seems to be boiling. In addition, there is another current in the bowels of the strait, which flows in the opposite direction.

Moving along the strait, you understand that a series of narrowings and expansions of the coasts gives the Bosporus a resemblance to a series of lakes . However, ships that continually continually make us remember, that this is an important transport artery . On either side of the water, there are magnificent stone palaces, then poor shacks . It is connected with the history of the city . Turks began to build mainly central areas since the settlement of Constantinople, and since the 19th century, when appear As well as steamships, construction began in more remote and hard-to-reach land areas .

Bosporus Bridges

In the narrow "throat" of the Bosphorus, between the shores of Europe and Asia, two bridges - the Bosporus proper and the Sultan Fatih bridge - have been built and are operating. The distance between them is approximately 5 kilometers, both of them are operational, and you can take advantage of the one that is more convenient. However, it should be borne in mind that the passage of bridges is paid, and pedestrians are not allowed to enter them. This is explained by the fact that bridges were often used by suicides.

Now there is a construction of the third road bridge, designed to connect two traffic arteries on either side of the strait. It is planned to allocate 8 lanes on the bridge, and the project cost is estimated at $ 6 billion

Attractions

The narrowest part of the Bosphorus is also remarkable for the fact that on both sides of it there are two towers. On the European side - Rumelihisar, on the Asian side - Anadoluhisar.

Anadoluhisar is a small fortress that was built on one of the banks of the Bosphorus by order of Ottoman Sultan Bayazid at the first siege of Constantinople. Its height is 25 meters, and after the fall of Tsaregrad the building was used as a prison. Today there is a museum, which, according to some reports, is inaccessible to the general public.

Rumelihisar is a fortress built to capture Constantinople, which together with Anodoluchisar was called to cut the capital of Byzantium from the Black Sea. Therefore, the name of the fortress is translated as a "cut throat", because after construction, no vessel could safely pass through the strait. After the fall of Tsaregrad, the fortress together with Anadoluhisar became a checkpoint. Today the building is safe, it has been restored, it houses the Museum of Artillery and holds music concerts

Cuisine

Anyone who has ever visited the Bosphorus, recommends getting acquainted with local cooking. And do it not in expensive restaurants, but in street cafes, where often the products are more fresh, and the prices do not bite.

Because of the coastal location in local institutions, a large selection of fish dishes is presented. For example, it is not advisable to leave the Bosporus without trying the so-called "barabulka" - a fish that lives in the straits. And you need to be ready, that the owner will offer the buyer to choose it yourself. Here you should pay attention to the bright coloring of fish scales and shining eyes: this may mean that it is caught recently, which means it is very fresh.

In addition, it is easy to taste a portion of blue mackerel or black anchovy, that seafood in Istanbul stores are rare. This is associated with the prohibition of the Koran for eating "sea reptiles": since the city was occupied by the Turks, the situation is as follows. However, in good restaurants, the ban is closed on the ban, and mussels, squid and oysters can be eaten.