Next Stop: A clean hotel in Istanbul. After refusing to sleep in filthy beds we were stranded on the rainy streets of Istanbul completely exhausted with only a stray dog to care (cue violin). At this point I had given up on hostels so we went to the first proper hotel we could find, broke the bank, but ended up with a big comfy room that revived our broken bodies.

So Istanbul got off to a rough start housing-wise, but luckily the city more than made up for it. As Turkey's largest city, it is often mistaken for the capital (even I have done that). While not the official capital, it is the business and cultural centre of the country and has gone through a number of name changes in its lifetime.

First known as Byzantium it was renamed Constantinople by the Romans who used it as a provincial capital. With the rise of the Ottoman Empire it finally became known as Istanbul and was the capital of Turkey until 1922 when the title was given to Ankara; a city with little interest to tourists, but which is the political centre.

Turkey's largest city has developed since I taught English here six years ago and not always in the best way. There are Starbucks dotting the city along with shops like Adidas and Puma. Regardless, with palaces on the water that put Versailles to shame, savoury fish sandwiches served from boats on the Bosphorous, to tea on balconies while calls to prayer echo from mosques five times a day, Istanbul retains its distinct character.

One way it does this is through its landscape. Istanbul straddles a strait called the Bosphorous, which is the container shipping highway to the Black Sea and separates the European-side of the city from the Asian. On top of this, the Golden Horn, a second waterway splits the European side into northern and southern neighbourhoods.

These are the veins of Istanbul that ferries navigate between everything from massive container ships to tiny, wooden fishing boats, to carrying commuters to their destinations.

Given the size, enormous amount of history and life that is present in Istanbul, we chose to stay here for a week. So after we roused ourselves from the comfy hotel, we wandered through the cobblestone streets of the Sultanhamet area up to the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya. These amazing structures sit opposite each other on top of Sultanhamet hill with fountains and gardens in the space between them.

Which to see first was a toss-up, but we decided to go with the Aya Sofya. Originally built in 537 AD as a church by Emperor Justinian to display the strength of the Roman Empire, in 1453 Mehmet the Conqueror turned it into a mosque.

This amazing building became a symbol of religious tolerance after it was turned into a museum by the father of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, in 1935. Even President Obama used it to host a visit with various religious leaders on his trip this April (which we unfortunately missed by a week). It's a cavernous and beautiful building that features a massive dome whose lack of support beams is an architectural wonder.

Opposite the Aya Sofya is its rival, The Blue Mosque. It was built by Sultan Amhet I between 1606 and 1616 in an attempt out-do the Aya Sofya. As far as I am concerned, he succeeded. Still a working mosque, I had to transfer my scarf to the top of my head and remove my shoes (a must for all visiting mosques though wearing a headscarf is reserved for women) before I could enter this quiet, colossal mosque.

It is covered in decorated blue tiles from Iznik (a city south of Istanbul) which creates an impressive interior design. The mosque, however, is not an architectural phenomanon like the Aya Sofya so really the winner between the two depends on your interests.

My Canadian travel buddy loved the Blue Mosque (entrance is free). After getting our cultural fix we strolled towards the Golden Horn and the Spice Bazaar to find some snacks. Perhaps less known than the Grand, I prefer the Spice Bazaar, which takes your senses on a rollercoaster ride. From powdered spices spilling out of baskets to pillowcases and dried fruit aggressively hawked by shop owners, it's an intense experience. After wading through the heady atmosphere of the Spice Bazaar we left the ancient stone building only to be assaulted by piles upon piles of vendors selling cheese, nuts, fish, dried apricots and all sorts of food. We became regulars here stocking up on dried chickpeas, raisins and figs so I had something to eat.

The next day we sadly said goodbye to our comfy hotel (we just could not afford $80 a day) and went to a hostel we found for about $30 a day. It was a tiny place in Sultanhamet run by a friendly and helpful owner who made breakfast while we waited in the pillow-strewn terrace for our room. After moving into a clean room it was time to do some serious shopping at the Grand Bazaar.

If the Spice Bazaar tickles your nose, the Grand Bazaar will completely knockout all of your senses. It's a sprawling, roofed complex with thousands of stores seemingly organised by what you want carpets to the left, jewellery to the right and all matter of lights, pottery, and clothing scattered throughout. It's so extensive that you easily get lost in its passages.

In here it is all about the art of bartering so shopping takes time. While this can be a bit painful it can also be incredibly fun. Step one: appear bored as you merely glance at bowls, backgammon sets, etc. Step two: an eager shop assistant tells you a ridiculous price: "Oh madam only 20 TLR ($15) for that soup bowl." Step three: You shake your head, say: "That's too much."

And the game begins.

They offer you tea (or cay). Accept it no matter what. While the westerner in you will feel obligated to buy something, don't. This is just part of bargaining etiquette and there is absolutely no requirement to buy; at this point it is just a discussion. If you agree on a price, however, you should buy the object. To not, would be very bad form.

After too many apple teas to count we had spent an entire morning with nothing to show for it, but an idea of a fair price for the items we wanted to buy. We repeated this process for four days to barter for a backgammon set, a light set, and some plates and bowls and I think we succeeded in getting fair prices.

Just a note: don't spend an entire day in the place. You start losing all sense of normalcy; wait I can't barter for a coffee at Starbucks?

Unable to carry our purchases with us as we travelled the world, we had to mail them home so my travel buddy went on a mission to find a box. He returned with what can only be described as trash, literally. A wooden crate from a bakery with no lid and a cardboard box that couldn't stay upright on its own. I scoffed. So did the men at the Post Office who watched with smirks on their face and pleaded with us not to send it to Canada. They guaranteed me that our fragile items would arrive shattered. My travel buddy stuck with it, though, and somehow taped and nailed the wooden crate and cardboard box together. I sent it off with a prayer and you know what? Three weeks later it made it in once piece and my travel buddy walked around vindicated for once.

Breaking up our bazaar trips was a visit to the Topkapi Palace which was the residence of Ottoman sultans for almost four centuries after Mehmet the Conqueror built it around 1453. The last sultan moved out in 1839 leaving the incredible view of both the Bosphorous and Golden Horn to tourists. It also hosts a series of gardens, pavilions, kitchens and audience chambers and, of course, the harem. My travel buddy was saddened by its demise (and well polygamy is now banned in Turkey).

Then it was a mission to visit the other side of the Golden Horn via the Galata Bridge which hosts vehicle traffic and fishermen struggling to keep their lines untangled. Because of this, next to the bridge is the best place to grab a fish sandwich. Men in traditional-looking costumes toil over BBQs on small boats to offer you a sandwich of bread, onions and fried fish. Simple, yes, but honestly one of the most satisfying fish sandwiches around. Can I still call myself Bermudian?

After the bridge we hiked up a hill to the next most amazing neighbourhood (in my humble opinion) in Istanbul, Beyoglu. It is composed of one long pedestrian street (Istiklal Caddesi) that is lined by shop after shop before peaking at Taksim Square.

Off this main drag are small alleyways with restaurants, bars with music blaring, and backgammon aficionados (which all Turks seem to be) slamming their backgammon pieces around the board as they smoke nargile (or water pipe). In the summer months, bars will also open their rooftop bars with amazing sunsets over the Bosphorous. Unfortunately it was still a bit chilly when we were there so we missed out on that experience, but Taksim became our must-go-to for dinner and nightlife (Sultanhamet falls asleep around 10 p.m.).

While we were enjoying our Taksim jaunt our friendly hostel owner was not doing as well. We came back to find that the plumbing in the hostel had been stuffed. Some of these systems must date back to the Ottoman Empire because toilet paper must be disposed of in the waste bin rather than the toilet. Guests apparently had not been heeding this rule so at 11 p.m. right below our room they began jack hammering through the cobblestone street to find the blockage. They promised it would be done in two hours, but at 7 a.m., looking like raccoons, we still had no plumbing and showered at a hostel down the street.

About to lose our marbles we decided to see the Dolmabahce Palace. Opulent does not begin to describe this beautiful palace that boasts a Bosphorous-side dock and a chandelier in the throne room that weighs 4000 kg. Beyond the furnishings this palace became mythical when the revered Ataturk died here on November 10 1938.

What Istanbul also offers are some green areas including two parks near the palace where we went to watch the sunset. Then it was a long stroll to the neighbourhood of Ortakoy where I could indulge in stuffed potatoes!! These are awesome. For 8TLR or $5 you get a baked potato, mashed up inside, filled with cheese and any toppings you want from olives, to sausage and coleslaw. A celiac's dream! Street vendors sell these so you can go down by the Bosphourous and watch the ships go by and the lights glimmer on a massive suspension bridge that spans the European and Asian shores.

There are also great, public ferry trips up the Bosphourous that allow seaside views of the Dolmabahce Palace and other sites and neighbourhoods before it stops at a medieval castle with views of the Black Sea. Other ways to escape the sometimes overwhelming Istanbul crowds are trips to the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. No vehicles are allowed on two of them so renting a bike and picking up snacks for a picnic is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

After a week we finally had to say 'Goodbye' to Istanbul to board our train for South East Turkey

Next stop: The weird and wonderful rock structures of Cappodocia.