On the strait and narrow

Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait is one of the world's most evocative and significant waterways in a constant state of flux, says Catherine Fairweather, who journeys upriver to find out what's occurring on the European and too-often-overlooked Asian banks

WE arrive in Istanbul, to the Sumahan on the Water, a former raki distillery turned boutique hotel on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, which is all abuzz in the wake of the famous annual Cross-Continental swim. This is a four-mile marathon along and across the straits from the Asian shores of Istanbul to the European side. The historic trade route, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, comes to a halt, for this day only. As many as 2,500 competitors power through the waves freestyle, directly past the hotel pontoon before they pass beneath the iconic first suspension bridge, The Bosphorus, the soaring delicate silhouette of which frames the view from my bedroom window, shimmering with commuter traffic against the setting sun. Beyond it are the shadowy outlines of the supertankers lining up like planes on a runway waiting to cross the city’s watery boundary.

At the cherry-lined private boardwalk and hotel restaurant in the nostalgic sepia-tinted dusk that is classic Istanbul, I order the signature shaved pan-fried liver on lavash. Tables are set in the lee and electric wink of a landmark lighthouse; one of the 19 that punctuate the city straits.