Istanbul is a city of hills. Streets can be steep, very steep, or enormously steep. To walk is to work out. To drive is to crawl. In Beyoglu, the commercial center, there are several incline trams in tunnels to take you up or down. We stayed in Beyoglu at the Aloft Hotel, and were rewarded with a stunning view - a panorama of giant mosques across the Golden Horn of mythical fame (see above). We were also just downhill from the Galata Tower, our beacon to know where we were as we navigated the short, narrow, windy and usually unnamed streets. The streets are so narrow there is no room for sidewalks, and where there are sidewalks, there are foot high concrete markers to prevent parking on them. Some intersections are so tight it takes ordinary cars two tries to make the turn. As usual in cities, we walked all day long. Everyone smiled and was eager to help. It was a great trip to a world-class city.

Galata Tower sees all	Steep street with no sidewalk parking

We ate stunningly well. There were generally three to ten varieties of fish on the menu, grilled, fried or imaginatively prepared. For example, I ordered the sea bass rolls at F&B Culture just down from the Galata Tower, and what arrived were six two-bite sized rolls of fish, wrapped in capellini noodles, and baked until the pasta was as crisp as potato chips. This was served on a bed of pureed beets, plus hot mustard and teriyaki sauce on the side. For our final night, we had a grand meal under the Galata Bridge, where 23 restaurants hang over the Golden Horn. The owner treated us to a large glass of wine each, plus dessert and coffee, and we rewarded him by recommending the place to at least five additional tables as we sat in the front row, watching the sunset over the water. We talked to Americans, Irish, French, Scandinavian and Italian tourists, all at a total loss for which restaurant to choose. if any. This included a couple of locals plus parents getting their wedding photos done on the patio nearby. The restaurant owner's neighbors on both sides were mystified that his place was full, while theirs were largely empty. He thanked us profusely, and couldn't wait till we came back "next year". Another fun night of experiences in Istanbul.

Seabass Rolls at F&B Culture	Sunset by a mosque	Nancy at Vezenan under the Galata Bridge

Turkiye can be both cheap and expensive. Transit was so cheap we racked up a total of $1.34 on a credit card (no cash accepted) for eight trips on trams and the metro. The hourlong train from the airport cost $1.40. But restaurant meals ran $80 to $90 even though we never ordered a bottle of wine. At the gigantic, 4000 store indoor bazaar, I scored a $155 leather wallet to replace my 30 year old one of the identical style (that I have been unable to find online since I began looking five years ago), for just $25. But entry to the mosques and museums was insane. They wanted $65 per person at the Topkapi Palace, and $35 at the Galata Tower. Still, people paid and lined up for an hour just to climb the stairs and catch the wraparound view. We passed - on all of it.

Giant mosques	Overtourism

From research before we arrived, we were able to track down a truly great bakery, Kumbasar Firini (Artisan Bakery since 1969), in a residential neighborhood off the mile and half long outdoor shopping mall that is Iskitlal. Iskitlal stretches from the world famous Taksim Square, all the way back to the Galata Tower in Karakoy, and has its own tram line. When we finally found the bakery, I bought a fabulous multiseeded, whole wheat crusty sourdough bread like I'd never seen anywhere in the world, pastries and some really unusual dark chocolate sunflower seed cookies. I made a second pilgrimage for mostly the same things a day later. We finished them on the plane out.

Stairs where street is too steep	Road sign on railway tracks

We were so busy we never even made it to the Asian side, which was high on my list of things to do. It turns out Istanbul is one of those great world cities where five nights is just not enough.