The Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome, the Grand Bazaar, the Sulemaniye Mosque and the Spice Bazaar

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The Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome, the Grand Bazaar, the Sulemaniye Mosque and the Spice Bazaar

This city is absolutely teeming. It's impossible to walk more than a few metres without bumping into somebody, or rather the other way round. It goes on well into the small hours. Monk gave up at 1:30 am last night but still the streets were full of people, tourists and locals alike. The traditional restaurants and bars close around 11 or midnight but the small kebab places with tables on the street continue and were still crowded when Monk went back to his hotel. The music bars and backpacker places near Monk's hotel were still going strong.

There's so much to see. Monk's Rough Guide does a good job of listing everything but there's so much that you really have to prioritise your own intinerary and try stick to it. But everywhere you go - people, people people. By comparison, Bangkok is like a country village.

Monk's hotel is in the Sultanahmet district which is within a short walk of many of the essential sites. It's a good location because you can get to the sites before the crowds turn up later. Monk took a stroll around the Blue Mosque early before the crowds arrived and it's a good time for picture-taking. Unfortunately, he forgot to wear long trousers and couldn't therefore go inside, but, being just around the corner, he'll try it tomorrow at the crack of dawn - well - around 10:30. He was planning to visit Ayia Sofia as well, however, many of the official 'museum' sites are closed on Monday and Istanbul's biggest attraction was one of them. Monk's around for a few days so it's on his list for later, however, if you have a limited stay and plan anything for a Monday, it's worth checking that your site will be open. The Topkapi Palace by contrast closes on Tuesdays.

One worhwhile tip when visiting mosques is to take long trousers if you can squeeze them into your bag and a plastic bag to put your shoes in so you can put those in your bag as well instead of leaving them outside the mosque entrance. Another plus, other than the fact that your shoes won't get recycled to someone else, is that you don't have to exit via the same place if there are alternative ways out. For ladies, it's worth throwing in a light cotton skirt and something to cover bare shoulders. Some years ago, on impulse, Monk bought a pair of those trousers where the bottom of the legs unzip and come away. He never wore them, partly because they're a bit nerdy, but aslso because he could never think of why he would want them - he'd either wear shorts for the day or trousers for the day depending on the climate. He's now found a use for them in Muslim countries or for temples in Southeast Asia and other hot climates where respectful clothing must be worn when visiting holy sites. It cuts down on carrying an extra pair of trousers, or worse, having to put on a pair of trousers, loaned by the temple or mosque, for which the provenance is uncertain - it could save some nasty personal problems.

The Hippodrome dates from the Roman era and is a peaceful setting to rest after a visit to the Blue Mosque. The are three columns in the centre of the 'track', the most impressive of which are the Egyptian Obelisk and the Serpentine Column which originally came from Delphi.

Another of the sites Monk visited today was the underground Baslica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarbici). It was built by the Emperor Constantine in in the 4th century as a cistern to store water for the town piped down from the mountains nearby. It's an interesting diversion and is probably a good place to cool down on a hot Istanbul afternoon. The lighting down there is very atmospheric and illuminates the hundreds of carp swimming in the water which is, thankfully, kept at a token level. Constantine was such a forward-thinking emperor; he conveniently placed signs saying 'Wish Pool' in various languages so that tourists can throw away what remains of the change from the 10TL entrance price. If that doesn't use up all their money, the coffee bar, faithfully restored with 4th century neon-lit signs, will take care of any remaining cash. His attention to detail was impressive; he even installed a plastic ceiling above the coffee bar - obviously Constantine didn't like the idea of the drips watering down his skinny latte.

On a side note, apart from the few freebie sites, Monk finds the entrance price for the sites to be quite high and there doesn't seem to be any combined-site tickets as there are in many cities. Istanbul is not a cheap place to soak up culture.

It's worth doing the must-see freebies. The Grand Bazaar is an absolute must, even though there's a lot of tat, carpets, handbags, silver etc, it has to be on the checklist just to say you've been there, done the shopping and experienced just about the whole of Istanbul crowded into one place at the same time. Monk tried it for just about long enough to tick the box.

After the Grand Bazaar, Monk tramped up the hill, past the University, and on up to the Sulemaniye Mosque. The mosque is said to be the most beautiful in Istanbul. Unfortunately, it's in the process of being renovated for 'Istanbul 2010 European City of Culture' and was totally closed to Monk and all the other disappointed tourists who'd puffed and panted their way up the hill. It doesn't look as though it's going to make it this year so perhaps we'll be seeing 'Istanbul 2010/11/12 European City of Culture' signs all over the city soon. The area around the mosque does compensate to some extent for the hike and the graveyard of the mosque is open although Sulemen's mosaic-tiled tomb, apparently a must-see, was closed - it's Monday. Many of the gravestones are topped off with turbans or in some cases fezs - the bigger the turban, the higher status its occupant had before taking up residency there. Of course, Suleman has the biggest turban of all - according to the Rough Guide - but obviously uncorroborated by Monk.

The walk downhill eastwards toward the Golden Horn and the Galata Bridge is a thronging local market and shopping area which contrasts strongly with that of the Grand Bazaar. The Spice Market at the bottom, although largely now just another tourist attraction, is worth a visit both for the atmosphere and the attack on the senses of all the spices for sale.

One last freebie that Monk enjoyed on his wanderings was to spend a while watching the commuter boats come and go from the docks by the Galata Bridge on the Golden Horn. He decided that, maybe tomorrow, he'd plan a trip to some of the destinations on the Asia side of the Bosphorus. It will probably be more fun than the organised Bosphorus tour cruises.

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