Last night was a bit of a mare. I was very worn out and couldn't be asked to go on a search for a cheap local restaurant so I settled for one of the touristy ones in the Kumkapi Square just outside my hostel.

I got ripped off. 10pounds for some meh calamare and yoghurt on bread. Ridiculous. Not having much luck with food here in Turkey to be honest, all a bit overpriced or a bit meh.

It took an absolute age to finally get to sleep because of people coming in and out of my hostel + the fact that in spite of the outside temperature the room was practically a sauna.

Anyway...

All was recovered by another fantastic day exploring Istanbul. I made my way through the very Uzbekistani neighborhood in which my hostel is situated to the nearest metro station, bound for Taksim Square. Taksim Square is the epicentre of Istanbul, in its centre a grand statue commemorating Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's founding father. It was also the sight of bitter protests in the summer of 2013 seen by many as the start of Turkey's troublesome descent into autocracy.

I wandered the very European streets of Beyoglu, which was all very trendy and westernised, before deciding to skirt the shores of the Bosphorus. The European shore appears to largely be closed off universities and construction sites... until you reach the Dolhambace Palace.

The Dolhambace Palace is where the Ottoman Sultans relocated when they decided to get with the times back in the 1800s and build a more European style residence. In my opinion it was a lot more impressive than the Topkapi, and the sheer size meant that it felt a lot less crowded with tourists. It also has a shorefront location, with spectacular gates leading straight into the Bosphorous. Definitely, along with the Aya Sophia, Istanbul's most magnificent site.

From the Dolhambace I traced the edge of some of Istanbul's largest parks to reach Beskitas, another upmarket European neighbourhood. By this time, I was famished, and luckily found my best meal so far in Turkey. It was a very simplistic Kofte, meatballs and peppers, but the restaurant-cafe had a lot of charm. The backwall was covered in portraits of old Turkish football players meanwhile the sidewalls were plastered with the face of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The founder of a secular, European Turkey is clearly very popular in this wealthy neighborhood of Istanbul.

Not really knowing what to do with the rest of my day, I im promptu decided to hop onto a ferry bound for Asia. Specifically, for Uskudar, a neighborhood out of the guidebook, and decided to head north in the direction of yet another palace. The Asian side of the Bosphorous is a lot less industrial, if anything, it's almost rural, with huge parks interspersing much more spread out suburban areas.

I stumbled across a very chill little cafe at the summit of the Buyuksehir Park, which afforded amazing views up and down the Bosphorous whilst I sipped on piping hot, sweet Turkish tea. I then made my way past another set of intriguing mosques and beneath the Martyrs of 15th July bridge. The bridge joins Europe and Asia and was built on the 50th anniversary of modern Turkey, back in the 1970s. Its name comes from the 2016 Coup, a celebration of the President's supporters who help stop a military coup from overthrowing him.

I boarded a boat back down the Asian side to Uskudar where I spent a little time just enjoying the atmosphere down on the piers. These are by far some of the most interesting places I've ever been. They're major hubs of activity, people of all groups and ages congregating and using the ferries to get across the city. Almost completely unique to Istanbul to have ferries so integrated in the transport system (they're the same price and frequency as metro trains) but obviously, much more photogenic than a metro station.

I made may way back to the Eminomu pier, on the Sultanhamet Peninsula and spent the last hour of daylight enjoying the incredibly photogenic scenes down at the new Galata bridge with incredible views of the sunsetting over the Suleymaniye Mosque and Aya Sofya to be afforded.

My day finished with yet another, disappointing Turkish dinner...

After getting lost amongst a see of mechanics in the suburb of Karakoy on the other side of the Golden Horn estuary to Eminomu, I stumbled into a 3 star hotel where the only other clientele eating where a moody, selfie talking rich Chinese couple. I had soggy chips and a tasteless, cardboady wrap. Meh...

Am now back in my hostel, legs feeling like they've done 1000 press-ups. May look to get even more off the beaten track tomorrow as I look to make the most of my time here in Turkey. It's been fantastic overall, Istanbul will go down as one of my top top cities and would thoroughly recommend.

Laters!