A little too highbrow (Istanbul 2)...

I woke at about 7am this morning and went for a run, across Sultanahmet and down through Gülhane Park. The park was  empty; just one man doing some yoga type stretches and I soon scared him off with my shorts. I seemed to be the only person in there apart from the security guards at the entrances.

I'd expected to find the biggest incline in the park but, in fact, it's quite level; the steepest incline is in the approach to park. There's one street that runs from the park entrance behind the Hagia Sofia to the Topkapi Palace that would present a mountain goat with a few challenges.

After an enjoyable breakfast, made even more so by the views across the city, I walked down through Sultanahmet and went on a sightseeing trip around the city. With my headphones plugged in, I suffered an hour and a half of an American tour guide drawl his way through Istanbul, whilst I took a series of blurred photos from the top deck of the speeding bus. Still, it served it's purpose in giving me a feel for the city and some ideas about what I want to see again.

After this I visited the Archeological Museum, the entrance of which lies inside Gülhane Park. Once past the armed guards and ticket office, this place scores ten out of ten for it's peace and tranquility but is rather dry and bland in it's presentation of antiquities. However, if staring at ancient sarcophagi does it for you, then this place is heaven.

A pleasant stroll to the bottom of Gülhane Park followed by a sharp left and I eventually arrived at the ferry terminal, just short of the Galata Bridge. One of the ferries from here takes you across the Bosphorus to Kadiköy on the Asian side of the Bosphorus and the nearby Haydarpaşa Station.

Kadiköy itself holds little interest, despite trying so hard to do the contrary. Haydarpaşa, however, looks majestic and glorious. Jutting out into the Bosphorus, you get the best views of this station from the ferry. Built by the Germans in 1908 as part of Germany's plans for a Berlin to Bagdad railway. The First World War ensured that history took another course.

Disembarking at the ferry terminal at the Galata Bridge, I decided to have a look at the nearby Spice Bazaar. The colours are a feast the eye and the smells a banquet for the nose. You can buy all sorts of stuff here, not just spices. I found a shop selling traditional fabrics and bought a cotton scarf for the bargain price of 5TL (about £2). No, I didn't haggle because it seemed such a fair price anyway.

To counter this highbrow culture, tonight I will try and find a gay bar and some beautiful Turkish men to entertain me.