Istanbul - Everything you need to see in a day

Not everything obviously, because then I 'd have nothing to do tomorrow. But after breakfast at the hostel Brendon, hıs cousın Mauna who arrıved very early this morning, my roommate Candice and I head out to the biggest sights.

We go to the Hagia Sophıa which has been variously a church, mosque and museum. It is monstrous inside - there is about enough space to build several houses. There are some mosaic ruins, including some just above the niche of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, which strikes most of us as odd, but who are we to judge?

Very close by is the Blue Mosque which we can't go in the main area of, due to a combination of us being heathen infidel scum and the building being a working mosque, but we are allowed to stand at the back and admire the blue.

We take a trip down to the Cistern which is where water for the cıty used to be stored underground (I'm not certain but I believe it's a location used in From Russia With Love) which is dank, dark, wet, full of fish and like nowhere else I've ever been. They have a display down there which seems to be a model of a model village. This seems excessive. There's a cafe down there which might not be the most romantic place to eat but is probably one of the most unique.

After lunch - kebab - we head to the Bazaar. This is pretty much a recon trip for me, seeing as I'll be back in Istanbul in a month and will go shopping then. Still, it's one of the few occasions I've gone shopping without a specific purpose and enjoyed it. We are offered a free sample of some kind of sweet chewy food, and like it so much we buy half a kilo of the stuff.

Back at the hostel there's some general chilling and admiring of the view (of both the Hagia Sophia AND the Blue Mosque, thank you very much). A few games of backgammon later the barman decides to extend Happy Hour all night, and we repay his hospitality by sticking around, drinking, smoking shisha and eventually having dinner (third kebab in two days. What a country). There's even an open-air terrace ABOVE our rooftop bar with stunning views of the two buildings and across the rıver. This is a fantastic hostel.

After a quick foray to see the near sights at night, and befriending a local pack of probably-not-rabid dogs, it's home to bed.