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!

Turkey - Istanbul I

The train pulled into Istanbul's Sirkeci station in the early morning. The station dates from the era of the Orient Express and still retains the air of mystique it earned as the terminus of that famous journey. After saying goodbye to my cabin-mates from the train, I headed into the city to get some Turkish lira. Unfortunately, it was a public holiday and few shops were open, so I had to aimlessly wander around, tired and carrying my bags, until I eventually found an exchange office. The rates were terrible, but I needed the cash for the final part of my journey.

Made it! Istanbul! End of the line!

I boarded one of the famous ferries across the Bosphorus to my final destination - Asia! The stretch of water separates the two parts of the city, the European side to the West and the Asian side to the East. The journey took about 20 minutes to Kadikoy, at which point I could now say that I have journeyed from Scandinavia to Asia by land and sea. Quite an achievement!

The ferries are a major mode of transport in Istanbul

I was heading to my Turkish friend's place. I met Metin as a fellow student whilst on exchange in Finland and was looking forward to once again seeing a friendly face. It was also nice to have somewhere more homely to stay for the very end of the trip - no more bunk beds for me. I took a taxi from the ferry terminal quite a distance into the suburbs and was alarmed by the horrendous quality of driving I witnessed. Despite the roads and cars being all shiny and new, it seems that modern driving standards have not yet reached Turkey.

On the ferry between Europe and Asia

Despite firmly agreeing on a price before accepting the ride, the taxi driver managed to rip me off and actually snatched some money out of my hand when we arrived. I got very angry, started shouting at him and he started shouting at me, and with neither of us speaking the other's language, I realised the situation would not be resolved and walked away. The money was actually very little, and it was the end of my trip so I decided to shrug it off, but it was not a nice welcome to Turkey.

Towers and a big flag on Camlica Hill

I was warmly greeted by Metin and took a shower, much-needed after such a long journey. Later, we met with a friend of his who had a car and he drove me around and gave a tour of the Asian side of the city. After stopping for traditional Turkish food in a charming little café, we drove up to the top of Camlica Hill, one of the tallest in Istanbul and offering a fantastic view of the city. Sipping Turkish coffee at the top, surrounded by Turkish families on their holidays with not a tourist in sight and gazing across the water to Istanbul, I felt that this was definitely a wonderful place to end my journey.

I have never seen three people on a moped before...

But still, there was much left to see in the city and the next day we headed out to some of the biggest attractions. Crossing back over the Bosphorus, we headed by Istanbul's shiny new tram system to Sultanahmet, where the most famous sights are located.

The Roman Cistern

First was the fantastic Topkapi palace, the centre of the Ottoman Empire, with impressive gardens and ornate courts. Next up, the Roman Cistern beneath the city, a cavernous and rather creepy underground cavern complete with walkways and moody lighting.

The Blue Mosque

Next, the Sultanahmet Mosque, or the 'Blue' Mosque, is an amazing example of Islamic architecture, complete with six towering minarets. Inside is just as impressive, and as a working mosque, inside it was possible to see the locals kneeling on the ornate mats to pray.

One of Sultanahmet's minarets

Istanbul is a real clash of east and west, and with its impressive and eventful history, has been influenced by the Roman and Byzantine empires, as well as the crusades and the Ottomans. We passed what just looked like a ruined stone, but the nearby plaque informed that this was the 'milestone' of the Byzantine empire, from the days when the city was the great imperial capital of Constantinople. The milestone was the zero point from where all distances throughout the empire were measured - quite an interesting thing to almost walk past without noticing.

I guess they didn't notice the sign...

Later, we took another ferry, this time up north to the foot of the enormous Bosphorus suspension bridge, which spans both continents. There we found a somewhat off-the tourist-trail area of small shops and traditional restaurants, one of which we ate in. Both the food and the view across the water was excellent, and eating while looking at two continents at once is something I haven't done before.

Inside a mosque

Afterwards we took a boat back across to Kadikoy and sat on the harbour side watching the sun set, an excellent antidote to the day's sightseeing in the blazing heat.

Sunset on the shore of Asia

So I still have one more full day to pack in the delights of Istanbul before heading home. The last day of my trip is about to dawn...