The sunset created a golden glow over the Bosphorous. Exactly as I had wanted and imagined, I watched the sunset over the European shore with my beautiful wife as we sailed south heading from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
The day was clear and jubilantly sunny, so it seemed ideal to spend our Sunday taking a ferry to the very end of the Bosphorous Strait in order to add the Black Sea to what I like to refer to as our “known world”. Everyplace you go, every street you drive down, every boundary you push expands your map of the world.
Whenever I hear U2’s “It’s a Beautiful Day”, I’m always proud that I’ve seen all but one thing on their list. When I talk to someone in another city knowledgeably about geography and directions – whether it’s talking about Seattle, Singapore or Taipei – I feel fortunate that my mental map includes that much.
So, to be so close to an entire other sea – an inland sea that connects Russia, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey to each other and to the other seas and oceans of the world – was just irresistible. I’m not sure if we’ll ever have another opportunity to see it. As nice as I’m sure the Ukraine is, it’s not anywhere close to the top of my desired travel destinations. But in the matter of 90 minutes, we were able to lay eyes on the Black Sea.
In fact, it’s rather amazing to reach the end of the Bosphorous and to look out at where the green hills that line the strait give way to a giant, empty nothing of the vast Black Sea. It’s also interesting to learn that it is much darker than the sparkling blue we had come to love in the Mediterranean. The Bosphorous is also darker. The energetic, roaring Bosphorous is filled with fresh air and vitality, but nary a good, eye-catching blue.
Instead, our eyes were drawn to the lush green of the hills and the incredible mansions – old and new – known as Yalis in Turkish. The summer and retirement homes of Ottoman era ministers and later the nouveau riche line the strait – some restored and amazing, others on their last legs.
We also saw an official residence of the President of the Republic and a smattering of Ottoman Palaces including Dolmabahçe Palace, the palace used by Sultans from the mid-19th century to the end of the empire in 1920. The Bosphorous isn’t just a waterway, it’s a heritage.
Some people will read this and think, “Wasn’t there already a post on the Bosphorous? Didn’t they do the boat thing before?” Yes, there was and we did. But when we found out you can reach the Black Sea by land or by sea, it was a clear choice. There will be plenty of buses and trains in our future, but how often does one get to sail to their destination? Mix in a sunny Sunday in autumn and it’s a clear choice.
What was surprising and more noticeable this time around – especially as we got closer to the Black Sea – was the volume of oil and natural gas tankers heading south toward the Sea of Marmara. As soon as one giant ship passed, another came around the bend. Being on the water long enough, it became clear that a huge amount of petroleum passes from Russia to the outside world through Turkey. Suddenly, the concept and importance (in a relative way) of the Crimean War became clear to me. Cut off Russia’s access to the Bosphorous and you can stranglehold its best – and in the mid-19th Century, really only viable – shipping route.
How many people get to expand their known-world and understand some bizarre and somewhat obscure 19th Century European limited-objective conflict on a casual, relaxed Sunday afternoon? And I still had time to enjoy an amazing sunset with the love of my life. How fortunate am I?
The Black Sea
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