The Bosphorus

I really really really want to go to  Istanbul and I want to sail across the Bosphorus (The strait that separates Europe from Asia).   I want to go to Istanbul because it used to be the Eastern Capital of the Roman Empire.  Back in the 4th Century A.D. it was called Constantinople (city of Constantine) after Constantine the Great.   And I just think the Bosphorus is really cool.  The English name comes from the Greek myth of Io.  She was a really pretty maiden that Zeus fancied.  Of course his wife, Hera was insanely jealous, and so he turned Io into a cow to disguise  his affair  (yeah, it’s weird).  Anyway, one day Io the cow got bit by a horsefly, and the sting of it caused her to jump straight across the strait.   Bosphorus = “crossing of the cow.” 

I saw this thing on the History Channel a few months ago and I’ve been obsessed with going there ever since.  The ancient ruins are all basically underneath the city.  I think remains of Constantine’s palace are accessible underneath a carpet shop (that’s cool!), and that tons of the city is built on ancient foundations and columns.