Istanbul - a Bosphorus cruise

There were a few things I didn't do when we went to Turkey the first time, so I made sure I could fit them in this time round:

• Have a nice massage at the hammam. We went to Çemberlitas, one of the most popular ones and when we left I had a new glowing skin.
• Visit the Asian side
• Go on a Bosphorus cruise

The day we decided to go on the cruise we visited the Grand Bazaar first. It didn't feel as daunting as the first time I'd been there, and also because it was so early in the morning it was really quiet. Still a nice place to visit, but we didn't actually buy anything - too many choices, I guess.

The longer Bosphorus cruise was not available at this time of the year, so we took the short circuit. We took the official tour, not any of the private ones, because apparently they're all the same and this one is by far the cheapest. We boarded the ferry at Eminonu and the boat went all the way to Fatih Bridge.
On our way back we got off at Ortakoy to have a look around the street markets and enjoy the area specialties - stuffed jacket potatoes and waffles- as recommended by a local friend.
Unfortunately the famous Ortakoy mosque was all covered up and under renovation, so I suppose I'll just have to visit Istanbul a third time in order to finally see it ;-)