How queer (Istanbul 7)...

I woke at 6:30am this morning bathed in sweat. By the time I got changed into my running kit I was dripping and I hadn't yet left my hotel room. A particularly hot and humid day here in Istanbul. And so, a rather moist Welshman panted his way through the Topkapi's one time rose garden, Gülhane Park. Running back up through Sultanahmet and around the Roman Hippodrome, I could hear the stray dogs howling; maybe they'd picked up on my sweaty scent or maybe it's the gay way I run?

After breakfast I made my way to the Grand Bazaar, now open again after the three day holiday for Eid. A maze of 66 crowded alleyways through a myriad of over 4,000 shops and stalls make up this, the largest covered bazaar in the world. I have to say that many of the shops and stalls sell nothing but cheap bric-à-brac that holds no interest for me. However, sprinkled here and there were things that did catch my attention; I was particularly taken by some Roman and Byzantine coins but not enough of an expert to be sure that the 130TL (£47) demanded for one rather good looking silver Roman specimen was going to secure me the real thing and fake coins are relatively easy to manufacture.

After leaving the Grand Bazaar, I made my way to a portion of the Aqueduct of Valens in Saraçhane Park. Built in the 4th Century AD by Emperor Valens, it was part of a network that delivered water from the Belgrade Forest to Istanbul's many cisterns. A little distance away I stopped for a çay and a cool down at a little café, where I tried to explain where Wales is to a friendly but bemused Bulgarian waiter. Logging into the café's WiFi, after he typed in the key, I was able to tell him that in Turkish I'm from a place called Galler. Much head nodding and smiling all round.

I returned to the hotel at lunchtime so that I could use their free WiFi connection to check in for tomorrow's flight back to London. I then got a tram to Karaköy and from there a ferry to Haydarpasa, the rail terminal designed for trains to Bagdad. From here I strolled the kilometre or so around to Kadiköy for the ferry back to Karaköy. Some of you might have noticed that I visited Kadiköy earlier in the week and, to be honest, the only reason I went again was for the ferry ride; the respite from the heat by being so close to the water is wonderful and there's something quite calming about floating on the sea.

I next got a tram to Kabatas and the the funicular railway to Taksim Square. Before going home tomorrow I wanted to visit one of the two gay bars advertised as open during the day. Most don't seem to open until 11pm at the earliest and don't get going until after midnight - too late for me. However, Chianti Bar and Sugar Café are open in the day but, could I find them? No! I could see a sign for Chianti Bar in its 2nd floor window but could not find the door and stairs to get to it. I did venture up one set of stairs and asked the trucker lookalike in the bar I'd stumbled into if this was the Chianti Bar but, as the words fell from my mouth, I knew the answer was going to be in the negative. As for the Sugar Café, well, either my guide book had got the address totally wrong or they'd closed.

So, that'll teach me; trying to bond with my Turkish brothers and sisters!