Büyükada is an island without cars. All right, there is the odd police car, the Coca Cola delivery truck, and the garbage disposal vehicle, but there are no passenger cars. That's the most wonderful thing of this island. You can walk, cycle, or ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Büyükada means big island and is the largest island of the Princes' Islands, an archipelago of nine islands in the Sea of Marmara, some 20km southeast of Istanbul. Büyükada smells of horses, kebab, grilled fish, and sea. It is a quiet place a contrast to crowded, noisy, and polluted Istanbul. All you hear is the blast of the ferries, the cries of the seagulls, and the clip-clop of the horses, a very soft clip-clop, because they have rubber horseshoes. On the mainland airplanes land at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Istanbul's new airport in Kartal, one of the outer suburbs. Tall apartment blocks in Bostanci, Maltepe, and Pendik, Istanbul's densely populated and built-up suburbs, stand against the blue sky. On summer Sundays, day-trippers come in great number and compete for restaurant tables. We were here in late April. It was a clear, sunny day, but the air was chilly. Spring comes late in Istanbul. We had boarded the ferry at Sirkeci pier no. 5, just opposite Istanbul's main train station. The boat trip trip to Büyükada takes 1.5 hours. The ferry stops at Karaköy, on the Asian mainland, then continues to Kinaliada, Burgazade, Haybeliade (three of the Princes' Islands), and finally, Büyükada. All our fellow passengers made a beeline for the horse and carriage stand next to the clock tower. No need to despair, as there are more than sufficient horses and carriages and no one had to wait too long before they could hire one. They seat four comfortably and can squeeze in six. The round-the-island tour is 13km. We went on foot and it took us 2.5 hours. First, we admired the beautifully restored wooden 19th-century houses. The walk is pleasant and leads along a surfaced road without cars whizzing past. All we heard were the horses’ hooves. We passed a shanty town where the keepers of the horses live. We could have rented bicycles to do the tour of the island, as there are plenty of them. They are sturdy and have 20 gears, but badly worn tyres, especially the back tyre, so we decided against it. Back in the main village, we went to Cafe Portafina, next to the clock tower, and ordered mante. This is Turkish-style ravioli served in a yoghurt/garlic sauce and sprinkled with dry mint. What better way than to end the meal with a genuine Kahramanmaraş ice cream (The ice cream has an elastic consistency because mastic is one of the ingredients), followed by strong Turkish coffee.