Greater Istanbul seemed monstrous during the slow train ride into the centre and I was already overwhelmed. The outer suburbs were made up of identical highrise apartments with bright and rather gaudy colours. And here I was thinking our homogeneous housing developments were bad.... Where was the beautiful and vibrant city I had heard so much about?

Eventually we found it in Galata where the locals actually live and spend their free time. The main boulevade from Taksim Square is full of shops and cafes, while all the side streets are packed with bars, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants. Graffitti featuring yellow fists and eyes dotted the buildings in Galata intriguing us very much. What do they mean? We have never found out.

We made it into Galata via the Tünel Subway twice - both times for food. The first time we wondered over there for dinner with Mark (the Australian we met in Bulgaria). On the way Matt stopped to get his roughed-up boots polished for an agreed price of 4TL. After repeatedly stating ´Genuine Leather, Genuine Leather´ the man started to work. This included the boots being lit on fire, which was very cool. I was worried about some of Matt´s leg hairs catching alight and making an awful smell, but that didn´t happen. At the end of the job we gave him a tip and the man asked for 10TL, once again repeating ´Genuine Leather, Genuine Leather´. I walked away thinking that he had ruined the experience by asking for more money.

Once in Galata we walked down side streets looking for food and passed many restaurants, cafes and bars that were completely full. It was certainly a great place to relax with a Turkish Coffee and a book during the rain. And, I have to say, Turkish Coffee is a favourite coffee brewing method of mine and reminds me of black coffee in Indonesia. Galata was a good place to soak up the vibe of Istanbul and we found the cost of food and drinks to be cheaper than in Sultanahmet (the Old Town).

We spent most of our time in Sultanahment, where the most famous attractions are located. The Sultanahmet Mosque, which is more known as The Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar are all found here. Famous buildings aside, it sometimes felt stagnant in comparison to Galata and it seemed everyone was stuck serving the needs and desires of tourists to the detriment of themselves. In the end, I would recommend staying in a hostel in Galata because you would get more for your money. The hostels in Sultanahment do not really need to work to get tourists...and it was starting to show.

Our desire for cheap meals directed us towards Turkish kebabs/döners/dürüms. These generally involved a skewer of meat cooked over coals, some salad, pepper and the bread or pita. One ingredient seriously lacking was sauce and, even if this meal comes from Turkey, I think the döners we ate in Germany were much better. Oh yes, I did just say that döners are better in Germany than Turkey. GASP.

There was, however, one really good döner in Istanbul, which was made with fresh fish caught from the Bosphorus river. We stuffed down the yummy fish kebab before getting on the two hour Bosphorus Cruise. The cruise gave us a good overview of the city, but we were so bored coming back that we all had a quick nap. The most interesting things we saw on the cruise were the high schools and/or universities and the gigantic, expensive and old hotels that are located right on the river edge.

The best part of Sultanahmet was getting lost in the Grand Bazaar. Once we walked past areas selling jewelery, backgammon sets, turkish coffee sets, shishas and shawls the bazaar becames less touristy. We became utterly lost walking along lanes of shops selling the same items! There was a lane of tailors, one of underwear, one of socks and one of electronics. Eventually we made it out, but I wonder how long it takes for locals to learn all those streets. Respect-a!

There is one, final experience that needs to be had in Istanbul and, with about 6000 carpet shops in the city, it is not that hard to find. A carpet shop near our hostel doubled as a post office. After giving him our postcards we were invited to learn a bit about carpets. First came the lovely apple tea (which you will love, but eventually get sick of) and then he picked our some random carpets to explain.

He described the origins of each carpet and meaning behind each pattern. To convince us to buy these beautiful carpets he pulled out all the stops. He made us hold them between his hands, he dropped the price a number of times, he told us about his children, he told us that he had not sold one carpet in three days and he even had a western friend there to convince us.

We didn´t buy one, but we met an Canadian couple who bought three, as well as a truck load of spices. It is a pity we could not buy some to take home with us - but we do plan to come back to Turkey, so maybe next time?

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