| The shorshoreline of
both the old and new cities lie along the northern, European bank
of the Bosphorous, the narrow strait that separates Europe from
Asia. Two enormous suspension bridges now span
these overcrowded waters, in which tour boats, ferries, supertankers
and fishing vessels struggle for space in the overcrowded waters.
From all of them you see the Istanbul skyline,
one of the most spectacular in the world. Tours
up the Bosphorous include numerous notable buildings, including
the Sultans' 19th-century Dolmabahçe Palace.
On the far, Asian shores lie Uskudar (Scutari),
where Florence Nightingale cared for the sick during
the Crimean War; the fascinating Ottoman summer palace of
Beylerbeyi; and a whole series of lovely villages
full of fish restaurants and fine old mansions, built by
the 19th-century aristocracy. Looming at each other across the water
are numerous Byzantine and Ottoman castles, including
Rumelihisar and Anadoluhisar.
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