According to my friend Ebru, no trip to Istanbul is complete without a cruise along the Bosphorus. If you take the tram (3 Turkish Lira (TL) = <$1.70) -- go to the Jetonmatik machine in the near the tram stop and insert your lira and out comes a red plastic token. When the tram doors open, pile in fast (there's no politeness when it comes to boarding a tram -- as people shove in, others snake their collective way out). Stand holding on to what you can. The cars are immaculate. Take a few stops to Eminönü ferry dock, pay your 25 TL for a half-day cruise and get on.
The ferry is three floors, so we scurry to get the best seats on the top deck. No deal -- the seating is first come, first serve, so if you want a coveted seat on the top deck, go early. I stand for about 40 minutes -- it's chilly up high -- before going down a level to inside seating and find Adina.
We serpentine back and forth a few times from stop to stop picking up other travelers. The air is fresh in an otherwise smog hazed city. A ruckus -- look at the water -- dolphins! The ferry passes under suspension bridges connecting Europe and Asia. Along the way are universities, Istanbul Modern Museum, tidy mansions and houses built tall, not wide (very Amsterdam-like), along the banks.
Onboard, the ferry company will sell you snacks or tea (vendors walk around with both). The favorite snack of the masses seems to be yogurt cups with packets of powdered sugar for sprinkling. While American kids want Twix, the Europeans and Asians want the yogurt.
After about 90-minutes you end up at Anadolu Kavağı, on the Asian side Istanbul where everyone must disembark. For two hours you can wander the quaint streets and walk very-uphill to the "fort." OR, you do what we did -- have lunch. We picked a restaurant that was frying, battered mussel kebabs and grilling fresh whole mackerel that looked and smelled irresistible. And it was. 
Fried Mussel Kebabs
I'm not sure what they used for batter, but this "eggy" version works. And, since I'm thinking in US terms, I'm using ingredients available stateside.
1 pound fresh shelled mussels
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (or other hot pepper)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Water
Vegetable oil for frying
Dry the mussels with paper towel (if they are not dry, the batter won't stick to them).
Set aside.
Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse once or twice to mix. Add the eggs and pulse to combine, to make a thin batter. If the mixture is too thick for dipping the mussels, with the motor running, add water, a little at a time. Let me batter rest while you add about 1-inch deep of oil in a large, deep skillet (12-inch diameter), over medium-high heat to about 375-degreesF.
Pour the batter into a bowl. Add the mussels to the bowl and toss well to coat the mussels. Thread the oysters onto 8-inch or 10-inch wood or bamboo skewers -- as many mussels as you like.
Cook the mussels for about 1 minutes until golden. Use tongs to turn the kebabs over and fry on the other side. Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges. Alternately you may cook the mussels without the skewers. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
