Bayram was great. I finally had a chance to see this city, and I'm starting to fall in love with it.

This was Thursday.

I got up super early to go and meet a friend at Haydrpasa station.


We had breakfast in the train station restaurant. It beats UK train station catering by miles. All these beautiful blue tiles and light streaming in through the windows. And a great traditional Turkish breakfast to start the day with - cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, jam, olives, bread, and plenty of tea.



After my friend set off for Ankara, I wandered along the beach. I was looking for the Moda tea rooms, which have been recommended to me. I wanted to read my book and enjoy the views. I couldn't find it, so I took a ferry to Eminonu on the European side. I love travelling by ferry from Asia to Europe. It has to be one of the the best ways of travelling - or the most stunning commute in the world for those who work on the other side. It retains a touch of old fashioned glamour. The views are amazing, and it's so atmospheric. A guy goes around selling cups of cay for 50g (about 20p). I've actually stopped converting prices into pounds. I'm earning Turkish money so it makes so sense to convert it.

I walked over the Galata bridge, which is always packed with fishermen. Everyone had told me not to attempt climbing the hill and to take the tram up to Taksim, but a)I like walking, and b)why would I pay for the tram when I have legs? It's a really steep hill. I think if I had tried to climb it at the beginning of the year, I would have collapsed, I was so unfit. But I've done a lot of walking this year (in Poland in the mountains, in Birmingham rather than taking the bus, and in New York, and now here) and my fitness has improved hugely.

I got to Istikal Cadessi, which is like the main high street, lined with shops and cafes. Stopped off in Starbucks for a chai latte and some people watching.



I never go to Starbucks in the UK but I've started going here occasionally, simply because it's the only place I can get chai. It's not even proper chai but it's hot and vaguely spicy and it will do. I sat outside and watched the people go by.

I wandered up to Taksim Square. I really want to buy a microphone for my laptop for Skype purposes. But the only one I've seen here is way too expensive. Plus the last time I used Skype, the line was terrible. I had to shout, and my Grandma could hardly make out what I was saying.

I strolled along some alleyways lined with little shops. Found a cool shop selling prints and small posters of old movies and adverts from the early 1900s. Went into a beautiful Italian church.



I then spent a happy few hours in an English book shop called Robinson Crusoe. It's a book shop just as book shops should be - old and wooden and creaky, with shelves stuffed with all sorts of books. The trouble is, books are expensive here (they just convert the UK price into YTL). I love books, but I can be a difficult customer to satisfy. I'm often unimpressed with stories, or get bored with them. Therefore, I don't want to spend 20 or 30 YTL on something unless I'm pretty sure I will enjoy it. I picked up quite a few books and almost bought them - a few Haruki Murakumi ones and Love in the time of Cholera. Eventually, I just bought Time Out Istanbul, and wandered back down to the Galata Bridge.

I stopped off on the way at the Galata Tower I sat down on a bench outside, and this nice old Turkish lady was trying to chat to me. I want to be able to speak Turkish! I like random chats!

I decided to climb the tower. There was quite a long queue, and everyone was pushing and getting into each others personal space, as happens all the time here. When you walk down the street, people will shove into you quite hard. When I first got here, it really bothered me, as it would in England, but I've come to realise that no-one cares or does it with any malice - they don't even really notice. So I've started barging and shoving too :-)

The sign about admission prices was rather typically Turkish and annoying. Thankfully, I do know enough Turkish by now to be able to understand basic signs. The sign went something like this:

BILET: BES YTL

TICKET: 10 YTL

Bes means 5. So clearly it's a con, as people who can't understand Turkish pay 10. Indeed, I saw some tourists in front of me pay 10 each. I thought: huh, I'm not bloody paying 10 when it's 5, and marched up and spoke in Turkish. The clerk blatantly knew I wasn't Turkish but was probably too embarrassed to try to charge me 10.

The views from the top were lovely - I took a lot of photos, of course.





I had the most delicious balik ekmek (fish sandwich) under the bridge, along with half of Istanbul, it seemed. Nothing tastes as good as fresh produce in the open air, when you're really hungry. It was a really nice day, and was actually nice to spend the day on my own, doing things at my own pace.