The Bosphorus has been calling me for a while now.
Not to visit, but to present in images!
It surprised me. Who knew that there were dolphins in the middle of Istanbul? I need to emphasize, not just any old city, but Istanbul. It’s as chaotic, dirty, and loud as they come. And dolphins… they seem to me like the exact opposite.
On a touristic boat ride, I quickly learned how to spot some of the dolphins: by watching the birds. Whenever there was a large flock somewhere, soon enough you’d see dolphins jumping – both were after fish, I assume.
My lens wasn’t good enough to capture them clearly, but the rest of the scenery wasn’t bad either. Look at that turquoise water!
The bridge between Europe and Asia, I believe…
The Bosphorus Strait
The Snow Melts Somewhere 
32 replies on “Surprise Dolphins”
Ohh, lucky you! This reminded me that I still to post the report from when I went on a boat with mom to spy on dolphins in Piran. Alas, no show…
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Dolphins in Piran? Did you grow up with dolphins? How strange (and cool!), they just don’t seem like something you’d find in the Mediterranean, for some reason I associate them with places like Australia! ❤ Looking forward to your post!
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No no, I’ve not yet seen a dolphin in the Slovenian sea, but I did it once or twice in Croatia and Greece. And I saw whales too from the Greek ferry and a lovely sword fish jumped up high out of the sea just in front of our boat once near Šibenik in Croatia. This summer I learned that they have dolphin spotting team in Piran and several migrating dolphins that sometimes come over. They know them by names. Alas, that time nobody was around.
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Swordfish! Wow! And a whale..! Must say, I’m surprised I didn’t know all this. Maybe it’s because the Mediterranean seems so small and populated, I just thought wildlife wouldn’t prosper. Or maybe I missed this part at school 😊
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Wow that is some new info to me! Dolphins in Istanbul :O I have yet to see one in real life, but I’d so love to. Your photos are lovely and make me miss summer very much. The scenery looks so serene and beautiful!
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Thanks, Pooja! I keep drifting towards sunny photos in my archives because I miss summer too! Maybe you can travel to Istanbul from Poland? …Though actually Manja just said in her comment that there are dolphins in Piran (Slovenia) and I’d rather see them there next time! ❤
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I’ve been to Istanbul once but just for few hours while on a transit. We didn’t do the boat tour though.. wow dolphins in Slovenia! That’s so cool! 😀
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It surprised me the first time I saw them, too. Now I’m always looking for them when I cross the Bosphorus.
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I would be on a lookout too, if I went there again. Never enough dolphin-spotting, if you ask me! 😀
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I’d like to visit Istanbul one day. Lovely photos!
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Thanks, Marion! So many places, so little time! 🙂
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Amazing. I would never have thought there would be dolphins in the Bosphorus!
Alison
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Thanks for commenting, Alison. Me neither! It was a pleasant surprise
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Sounds like the perfect vacation / break.
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Thanks for commenting! This trip was years ago, as were all of my travels on this blog. And Istanbul wasn’t a favorite of mine, though it had been highly anticipated. But… on the bright side, the Bosphorus was turquoise, it was sunny there, and the food was good 😊
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you got me all nostalgic now! I’ve been to Istanbul ages ago (which is a shame, as it’s a neighboring country), and I remember I loved it, as chaotic and loud and magnificent as it is… didn’t know there were dolphins though… such great sunny photos for the start of January ♥ just what we need!! 🙂
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Definitely, sunny pics for January! 😊 and a little dose of nostalgia. We’ll get through the grey winter! ☀️ Thanks, Alexandra, for visiting and commenting!
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always a pleasure 🙂 xoxo
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I never would think about dolphins in the Bosporus or the Mediterranean either, but then I think about the Minoan frescoes and all the dolphins pictured there. These must be their long-lost relatives!
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Oh, that’s a good point!! Now it does make sense. I do feel kind of sorry for them, we have polluted so many seas and strips of water
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Wow I’ve never known there were dolphins in the Bosphorus! I was there in April, it was way too cold for dolphins. What an amazing surprise! xx
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Thanks Suvi! As surprises go, this was a good one for sure! 😀
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This is new to me. I took a cruise on the Bosphorus and never saw any dolphins.
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Too bad you didn’t see any! My friend told me about them just before the cruise but she actually didn’t see any either – she sat inside shielded from the sun while I went outside and got a good lookout spot. It was crowded outside but being alone made it easier to fit. I saw dolphins several times 🙂 If I hadn’t known about them, maybe I wouldn’t have paid attention!
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That water sure is turquoise .. how lovely to see those dolphins. And yes I sure did spot them! One day I’ll get to Istanbul 🙂
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Thanks for looking! Hope your travel dreams come true! I hope to visit NZ one day 🙂
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Dolphins are amazinG! 🙂 Saw a couple last week near Phillip Island! Such an amazing location the Bospherus though!
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Would rather be in Aussieland though! 😂
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Dolphins in Istanbul, wow. I lived there and never spotted any.
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Really?! Well, it was a touristic boat ride, as a local/expat you probably wouldn’t have taken one 😊 I remember from my time living in Paris I didn’t usually do touristy stuff
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Dolphins and Istanbul , well you never know xp
Great pics by the way 🙂
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Thanks! Never know, indeed! 😀
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