I awoke at 5AM on board another night bus. As always, the night had been long. Apart from the restless sleep that has become a trademark of such voyages, this one included an inexplicable stop to wash the bus (only in Turkey!) and an unexpected ferry trip. Just as I pondered these events, a massive bridge rose out of the rolling hills. I realized we were passing over the Bosphorus and were in Istanbul, one of the cities of my dreams. Our relationship with the Bosphorus would grow to an intimate fondness of the short stretch of water during our time in Istanbul.
Our Couchsurfing hosts in Istanbul lived well north of the city center and upon arrival in their apartment, we quickly noticed they could see the Bosphorus from their window high in their building perched on a hill above the surrounding neighborhood. Our first day there took us to a large castle nearby that is stationed right on the banks of the strait. The actual castle was quite interesting, on steep terrain with lots of great views from the outer walls and towers. Perhaps more impressive than the castle itself was the gorgeous 30 minute walk along the road that faces the Bosphorus. Along this stretch, the strait is the center of cultural activity. Cafes were crowded onto the main street, spilling over around the corners of the intersecting streets. A short walk away from the Bosphorus and the shops and restaurants disappeared and life seemed to return to normal.
The next few days we ventured into the center of Istanbul, Sultanahmet, to see the most well known sites the city has to offer. Topaki Palace was an interesting look into the empiric history of Turkey. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are two monuments that rightly deserve their status as world class attractions. But some of our best memories of those days will be our lazy one hour commute back to our hosts’ apartment aboard the Bosphorus ferry. The longer we stayed, the more we realized the ferry was a quite common mode of transportation, with ferries seemingly going everywhere and at all times. 
Unlike our other stressful marathon commutes during rush hour in Istanbul by subway and bus, the ferry ride was calm and relaxing. We could feel the gentle rocking of the Bosphorus underneath us as we warmed inside the cabin of the ferry, with weary 9-to-5ers at our side. Drinks and food were even offered and we discovered one of our favorite Turkish creations, sahlep, aboard the boat. Sahlep is a warm, milky concoction that warms the belly and sweetens the lips perfectly. It is the perfect winter drink and seemed to take the place of hot chocolate.
The Bosphorus was important for both of us in other ways as well. It is the official, unofficial border between Europe and Asia. Our first time in mainland Europe, and my first time in Europe period, was first spent wandering the streets of Istanbul. Istanbul may have been our first time in Europe, but it was sure not to be our last.