The Prince Islands, commonly known as Adalar
That Istanbul is unique, intense and unforgettable It is something that everyone who has visited it knows. An irrefutable truth that does not understand tastes or points of view. A universal opinion that ceases to be an opinion to become a maxim.
** Istanbul is great. It is, and not only because of its mosques, its cobblestones, its sunsets or its mansions.** It is also so because, in addition to the madness and overflowing bustle of the mega-city, istanbul has a retreat of peace, quiet and low decibels that does not appear in the visits obligatory of the guides, but that without a doubt is one more edge of a destination that is burned into the traveler's retina.
The Prince Islands, commonly known as Adalar -‘the islands’-, are an archipelago made up of eight islands that decorate the Sea of Marmara like oil stitches of a green moss. These eight sisters, named Heybeliada, Burgazada, Kinaliada, Sedef, Yassiada, Taysan, Kasik and Siyriada , served during the Byzantine period as a place of exile and prison for disowned princes and aristocrats.
Take the public ferry at the docks in Kabata?, Kadiköy, Bostanc? or Sirkeci, and recreate yourself in a panoramic film
After, became the fashionable refuge for the Ottoman aristocracy, that small wooden palaces and Victorian-style villas were built that can still be seen today, and that give the islands that personality anchored in time, oblivious to modernities and digital connections, and only disturbed by the cruscrusade of the waves hitting the stones and echoing in the walls of the cliffs.
The boat ride alone from the city is a delight. Catch the public ferry at Kabataş, Kadiköy, Bostancı or Sirkeci piers, and enjoy a panorama like a movie. watch walk away the Golden Horn, the European shores of Istanbul, Galata Tower with its pointed end**, the grandeur of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque** becoming insignificant in the eyes, topkapi palace vigilant and magnificent, the Sea of Marmara opening up to the bow, the seagulls flying over to port and starboard, knowing that some tourist will throw them the obligatory breadcrumb…
Because sailing around Istanbul is abandoning yourself to a state of intoxication that makes you ignore the now, be less aware of yourself, and More of the timeless beauty presented to you and demands that you love her forever.
Ferries from Istanbul only go to the four main islands , Büyükada, Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kinaliada, but it is more than enough to appreciate the bubble of serenity that makes the destination unique. Buyukada, the older sister, means 'Big Island', even though its surface does not reach 6 km2.
The Prince Islands, commonly known as Adalar
No one who disembarks at your dock is immune to charm of ice cream vendors, florists, terraces by the sea, and a curious quiet hustle and bustle of bicycles, families, seagulls. That it is the most visited of the islands is totally justified.
We suggest you visit the islands rested , or at least without any injuries from the afternoon CrossFit sessions, because you're going to have to move your legs. Motorized vehicles are prohibited, and the islands can only be explored on foot, by bicycle, in horse-drawn carriages, or on the back of a donkey! To make the most of the wonderful surroundings, it is best to use the bike - be prepared for the occasional slope - or walk.
Istanbul is great. It is, and not only because of its mosques, its cobblestones, its sunsets or its mansions.
For this last option, once in Buyukada take the 'path of lovers', or A klar Yolu. Pines, mimosas, plum trees, birds and silence. You don't need more. Many of the stately wooden mansions and grand villas built by wealthy Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Jewish families in Buyukada were abandoned in the 1950s.
The Turkish upper class left the islands behind and vacationed on the country's Mediterranean coast, so the Adalars became the weekend destination for lower-class Istanbul families. Today, its popularity is evident any Saturday or Sunday in high season, with the public service ferries like sardine tins and the tea vendors on board making a killing.
The cankaya street it is a good example of Buyukada's golden age, with wooden houses struggling with the ticking of time. Among them, the house where he lived in exile Leon Trotsky. Upon being banished from Russia by Stalin, the Turkish government offered him asylum and - why not? - a mansion overlooking the sea. From there he wrote for the European press until his transfer to France in 1933.
View of Istanbul from Buyukada Island
On the highest hill of the island, called Yucetepe, stands the Greek Orthodox monastery of Aya Yorgi , to which every April 23 Turkish, Greek, Balkan parishioners make a pilgrimage... in search of fertility. An unassuming monastery, but wake up every day to the best views of the archipelago.
From here, the landscape seems almost painted by a child with soft crayons, without the need for convoluted color combinations, only with the simplest and purest green, brown and blue. Don't miss the opposite hill, where the 12th-century Byzantine monastery of Hristo is located.
On the way, you will see the largest wooden structure in Europe, the Prinpiko Greek Orphanage, abandoned since 1964. It was built in 1898 as a hotel and casino for the operating company of the Orient Express, and now its imposing and somewhat eerie presence attracts onlookers and many, many photography enthusiasts.
The view from the Buyukada Hills
And a challenge for the day: find some of the hidden coves which only the bravest –and less clumsy- can access. Ask the locals, or directly dare to descend through the bushes and see what you find at the end of the rock. It sounds risky, yes, but you might end up on an empty beach with the sunset over the Marmara Sea staring you in the face.
If you buy some fish in one of the places in the center , and remember to bring a barbecue grill and some charcoal from the city, you can improvise a grill between boulders and sea moss. There are more accessible beaches, with cafes, hammocks and beach clubs, but you will have to pay to enjoy them, and they offer nothing different than what you could find in Marbella.
Views of the Kinali Coast
If you prefer to look at the sea from above, we encourage you to **have some meze – the Turkish tapas- at Club Mavi. ** There is no possible description that does not underestimate the views from your terrace. P To eat like a local, try SofrAda Restoran , run by an expert islander in homemade dishes with fresh products. Try the mücver, köfte and karnıyarık.
We leave it to you to discover what they are. The day is over, and you would stay in Buyukada for a few more, right? Well, you still have visit Heybeliada, the island with the most vegetation in the archipelago, the stillness of Burgazada, and the intense green of the waters that surround Kinali.
Change your plane ticket, ask for a few extra days of vacation at work -okay, it's not that easy, but you have to try- and spend hours and hours discovering a different Istanbul that will make you fall in love, if possible, even more.