We’re up early – ok, so we’re always up early, but today particularly so we can watch our sail into Istanbul. Fabulous as ever. The Blue Mosque. Agia Sofia. Topkapi. It’s all majestically there on the European side of Istanbul.

We can’t believe we are finally here. This port has been scheduled, canceled (the entire cruise was canceled) and rescheduled to death! We have a tour booked with Alper, a local tour guide here, who has been a doll handling all our changes, rebookings and additions. At least now we have 2 full days with him – this whole thing started as only one. We feel like we know each other already, we’ve been talking for so long.

We’re docked at Galataport, the new port here in Istanbul, which Simon, our hotel director, has been raving over the entire cruise. It is all underground, built under this old warehouse complex that has now been turned into a modern entertainment center with restaurants and nightclubs and you name it. We were a little dubious as to what the big deal was, but, trust us, it is pretty amazing. And pretty freaking huge!

Off the ship, there are huge walls separating you from the promenade and the buildings, then you walk down a ramp into these tunnels that stretch forever, passing through a checkpoint where you need a special coded card (provided by the ship) to get in or out. It is pretty high tech. Then out through more corridors and sets of escalators until finally, literally 10 minutes later, you are outside in a maze of alleys that run between the shops and the restaurants. We’ll need breadcrumbs to find our way back!

Once in the fresh air, we wander along the different lanes, snapping photos of the different mosques and buildings before waiting at the Tophane fountain for Alper.

Big hugs all around once Alper alights from the Tram. As I said, it’s like we’re best pals we’ve been chatting for so long. Then we’re off, walking through the Kilic Ali Pasa mosque to some little back streets for a coffee, then back to the Tram to get to the Ferry stop for the islands.

All along the route, Alper is explaining different things about his life and Istanbul – and what we’ll do on the island – which is a bike ride around the village and then lunch on a promontory overlooking the water. We’re so excited.

We hop on the ferry – Alper has all this timed down to the second, literally, there is no waiting, we just appear at any given place at the exact right time – and take the 45 minute ride over to Buyukada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands.

First stop on the island is the Splendid Palace Hotel – which we climb a huge set of stairs ringed by lovely buildings to reach. Here we stop for more coffee and a special sweet treat – a strawberry cream pastry that is just heavenly. The architecture is beautiful and sitting outside on the shady patio is a great way to start our tour here.

Next, we walk back down to the main town to pick up our bikes. Cars are banned on the island, there are only electric type golf carts or horse drawn phaetons. At any rate, we begin a lovely ride through town and around the island, stopping at the residence where Leon Trotsky stayed for the first four years of his exile. And the Con Pasha Mansion (the home of the Ottoman officer assigned with the organization of regular ship service to the Islands), both examples of Ottoman architecture and beautifully restored with gardens and sea views – and some ruins in the back of the garden as well.

More history, more talk, more bike riding ensued until we are out of the main town and riding up, up, up into the Buyukada Mili Parki, a lovely pine dotted park with shaded benches, wonderful views and empty roads.

Round the bend, at the top of the hill, lies our lunch spot – the Eskibag Teras restaurant. Ttoally worth the exertion, this little place packs a punch with a million dollar view across the Marmara from their incredibly gorgeous patio.

This is a traditional mezes restaurant, meaning everything is in a huge display case and we have to choose what we want to eat. This should be fun! We don’t know what half that stuff is. But, actually, it is fun! Alper explains everything and suggests what he thinks we’ll like. Perfect.

We end up with a feast of stuffed grape leaves, grilled artichoke, fried seafood balls, fish wrapped in grape leaves and grilled octopus and fried calamari. It is truly a feast. And all of this, including the beer and wine and water? The equivalent of $50 USD. Amazing.

Pleasantly full, but not really stuffed, we head back to the bikes – after a little drama where we can’t find the bike lock key which somehow fell into the grass below the bikes – and pedal down (thankfully) to town, circling the park a different way for different – but equally lovely scenery. In town, right before we leave, Alper treats us to some mastic ice cream. It is a local specialty, using the sap from a pistachio shrub. Sort of like vanilla, but with a much deeper taste.

Then it is back to the ferry, back to Istanbul, back on the subway this time, then to the tram – and voila! We are safely back to Galataport. We make our plans to meet Alper tomorrow for our street art and snacks tour in Kadikoy.