The Best Shopping in Europe

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Got a goodnight's sleep, apart from when all hell broke loose at about 4.30am to call everyone to prayer. I was going to need it as what followed was the journey from hell.

The Grand Bizarre was absolutely awesome. It's a complete labyrinth of dark passageways, crammed with things to buy. It was a shame that we didn't have any money or room in our backpacks. You could spend the whole day in there and still not cover all, although this wasn't helped by the fact that we got totally and utterly lost. We also checked out a large underwater cistern, which was more interesting than it sounds, and we rode the ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side. This was more to say we'd been there than to see anything serious - we literally stepped off and straight back on again. We were about the only tourists that had ventured over there.

Even without all the sights, it was interesting to just take in the general goings on in Istanbul. It is unlike anywhere else in Europe. As well as the atmosphere and the lawlessness, there were also the prices. I had £2 left to last me the whole of the second day and this got me a burger, the ferry rides, a huge ice cream and three beers. Contrast that with Paris or Rome, or London for that matter.

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Photos

The Grand Bizarre
Inside the Grand Bizarre

Delivery Men
Who needs lorries when you have old men

View Across The Bosphorus
Taking the boat to the Asian side

Underwater Cistern
Base of one of the pilars