Turkey - Istanbul II

With my third day in Istanbul dawning, and my final of the entire trip, I headed with Metin into the modern shopping district of Kadıköy where we met with his cousin.

On the ferry again

After coffee next door to a British pub (a strange thing to find here), I caught a shared taxi, known as a Dolmuş, down to the harbour and caught the ferry back across to the European side. There were still many things left to see in my short time left.

Inside the Hagia Sophia

First stop was the Hagia Sophia (or Aya Sofya), a stunning example of sixth-century Byzantine architecture. It's amazing to stand in such an enormous building, knowing it is 1500 years old. For a thousand years it was the largest cathedral in the world and was, after the fall of Constantinople, converted into a mosque on the orders of the Sultan complete with the addition of minarets.

The view from the Hagia Sophia toward the Blue Mosque

Next I headed by tram further along to the bustling Grand Bazaar. An enormous, sprawling collection of over 4,000 shops and stands and packed with crowds of people, it contains what is supposedly the world's oldest shopping mall. Just finding my way out was a challenge, but I managed to resist the draw of buying anything.

Leaving the Grand Bazaar

I went on a tour of several more historic buildings and mosques, which are great places to get away from the heat, noise and crowds of the city and simply relax. I also made sure to try a kebab and they certainly seemed a lot healthier than the ones we have here in England (which we only tend to eat after drinking) and combined with the cheap price I'm glad I'm not staying long or I'd be eating these all day.

Entering another mosque

I spent some time wandering around the backstreets, trying to find the 'real' Istanbul behind what the tourists see, but it is striking how clean, modern and 'first world' the city is, which really isn't how I had expected it to be. At least in the centre I didn't find any slums, although there were quite a few cluttered and disorganised scenes like the one below, which only add to the charm.

Wandering the backstreets

I took a lift to to the top of Galata Tower, a historic structure that provides an excellent 360-degree view of the city. From here it's easier to get a sense of the sheer scale of the place - this is one of the largest cities in Europe and continues to expand each year.

Some of the most impressive architecture is almost hidden away

After completing my final sightseeing of the trip, I caught a boat back across to Kadıköy and met up with Metin. Later that night we headed out to İstiklal Avenue, arguably the most famous street in the city, rammed with all kinds of shops, galleries, bars and clubs.

Heading toward the enormous suspension bridge

Here I managed to try the local ice cream which, as a big fan of the stuff, I would say is unique in the world. Chewy and stringy, the seller literally stabs the tub with a stick and pulls it out as if it were made of plasticine and then does all kinds of tricks with it, swinging it around his body. Definitely something worth seeing!

We later took a trip across the bridge by dolmuş

We caught a dolmuş across the Bosphorus Bridge, which gave a fantastic view of the city at night and headed back home. The last day of my trip is now over and tomorrow morning I must get myself to the airport, which apparently will take a bus, boat, tram and a train! While the journey won't be too enjoyable, I'm really looking forward to finally going home. Just a few more hours left!