Istanbul. Two words: Turkish Delight. They were always the last ones I ate in a box of chocolates, but buying them from the Spice Bazaar in the heart of Istanbul’s oldest quarter seems to make them a lot tastier - with apologies to everyone who I won’t be bringing them back for, these won’t last very long.

View from roof terrace, Lady Diana Hotel, Sultanahmet, Istanbul.It ought to be hard to be impressed by a city’s history after experiencing Cairo, but Istanbul has its own amazing place in time. I’m trying to write only from personal experience, but just hours after I got here I started wanting to write about Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul’s incredible history as the fifth largest city in the world, once the capital of the Roman Empire, and the only city that straddles two continents. Even the road from the airport follows the ancient walls of the city. After just a few hours here, I’ve walked a few miles into history and am beginning to understand what Eastern Europe actually means. I always thought it referred to the rather colder parts of Europe, those that used to be behind the Iron Curtain. I’ve just started to get a feel for the Eastern flavor of this place, and it’s everywhere.I’ve picked a hotel with a perfect location and view, right in the center of Sultanahmet, the oldest part of the town. From the hotel’s rooftop terrace is a perfect panorama over the incredible rooftops and minarets of the old city, reaching the shore of the sea of Marmara, which winds its way eventually to the Mediterranean. I can see the skyscrapers of modern Istanbul over on the other side of the Bosphorus River where cruise ships, ferries and cargo ships ply the waters from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.I took a long walk this morning, first past the amazing Blue Mosque, then Hagia Sophia and through winding streets to the Galata Bridge. The bridge itself is full of restaurants along a pedestrian level below the main bridge and there’s a wonderful cafe at it’s base where fish sandwiches are prepared in precariously rocking boats moored to the side of the dock.My goal was to find the spice bazaar, which isn’t far from the Sultanahmet side of the same bridge. There, another beautiful mosque caught my eye, the Yeni Cami (New Mosque), which is relatively new for Istanbul (17th Century). Leaving the mosque, I couldn’t miss the Spice Bazaar, which was a fantastic display of aroma and color, teas, spices galore, trinkets and my new favorite, Turkish Delight! I must admit, I’ve just come back from my third walk to the Spice Bazaar (yes, my supply of Turkish Delight was running low), I keep coming back to it. It’s not just the Turkish Delight, it’s the wonderful sense of history, the aromas, the tastes that have captivated me. I never did find out what Turkish Viagra was, some sort of nutty concoction it seems. One store claimed 5 times in one night, another claimed 7. It’s not the sort of trip I’m on.The winding route to the bazaar, which takes in most of the Sultanahmet Quarter from where is intersected by Divanyolu Avenue all the way to the Bosphorous River, is literally packed with markets and bazaars. It features the amazing Grand Bazaar, which I’ll get to later, but every street between the two bazaars is filled with all kinds of different markets from fresh fruit and veg. to auto parts, clothing and materials of all kinds, just about everything. I had originally wandered through here in the morning, when it was actually quiet, with traders just opening, or stocking shelves. This afternoon, that same route was jam packed with shoppers, a huge difference! Took me twice as long to get there.I thought I’d seen my fill of markets and bazaars in Hong Kong and Egypt, but Istanbul’s Old Quarter market streets are more numerous than I’ve ever seen, there’s not a corner of the whole area where someone isn’t selling or buying something! You’ll find street after street of just about everything, many streets dedicated to specific items. There’s button street, formal wear street, jewelry street, silver street, auto parts street, cotton and fabrics streets, nuts and bolts street, home furnishings street, kids clothing street… well, you get the idea. There’s also what I call ‘leather jacket street’, through which you pass to the main entrance to the Grand Bazaar (no, seriously guys, I’m sure they are very nice, but I really don’t want to buy a leather jacket!). They are not formally named that way, it’s just how I got to know where I was, basically a city wide medieval shopping mall. If you know where to find what you’re looking for, it’s probably very convenient.After a couple of walks through there, I began to know where I was, and the nice part was that even if I got lost, all roads eventually seemed to lead to the Spice Bazaar or the Grand Bazaar, from which I could always find my bearings. Istanbul is a wonderful place to walk. I’ve only been here a couple of days and I feel at home. A favorite pastime for me was to find the tea/coffee shops among all the side streets. All the shops are served tea by guys carrying trays of tea from shop to shop. Just follow the guy with the tray of empty tea cups, and you’ll find a great place to sit and enjoy a break!For the complete story: 48 HOURS IN Istanbul, Please buy my new book: Around The World In Eighteen Days, featuring 48 Hours In Hong Kong, Singapore, Cairo, Istanbul and 96 Hours Across Europe By Train. Click here for more information…