Istanbul

In 2005 the world sat and paid witness to one of the greatest football matches ever played. On the outskirts of the Turkish capital, Istanbul, the Atatürk Olympic Stadium hosted AC Milan vs Liverpool in what was to be a game of epic proportions. Racing into a half-time 3-0 lead, AC Milan had the trophy with the big ears well and truly in their grasp, only for a galvanised Liverpool side inspired by Steven Gerrard to turn the tie upon it's head in a crazy 23 minute second half spell. The game finished all square and Liverpool went on to defy the Rossoneri onslaught in extra time and won the trophy via a penalty shootout thanks to the exploits of Jerzy Dudek, the Polish custodian who recreated the famed "spaghetti legs" made famous by Bruce Grobbelaar twenty one years earlier.

That famous night five years ago will always live in my memory and anyone mentions the word "Istanbul" that's where my mind immediately races back to. With a potential week's stay in the Turkish capital on the horizon, those memories will almost certainly be replaced by even greater ones.

Istanbul, a city which has reams and reams of history, making it one of the most fascinating cities in the world, mainly due to it's geographical position as the worlds only inter-continental city, one half European and the other belonging to Asia. Split in the middle by the Bosphorus, a strait that joins in the north with the Black Sea leading to the Sea of Marmara in the south.

In it's long and varied history Istanbul has previously been known by the names of Byzantium and Constantinople evoking thoughts of the long lost civilizations of the ancients Greeks, Romans and Ottomans, names which are synonymous throughout European history.

With such history and a melting pot of religious cultures from the east and west, Istanbul has an architectural dynasty of places to visit, with various places of worship; vast ornate mosques, Christian churches and Jewish synagogues littering the city in all directions. Vast palaces from each of the ruling era's are just as common. In fact, Stephanie and I would be able to visit two palaces a day for the whole week and not see them all, and there would, without doubt, be at least one palace fit for my newly crowned queen!

Being the fifth largest city proper in the world, with an area of 1,831km², it'll be a tall order managing to view all of the sites and sounds that Istanbul has to offer. There are a long list of must see and must do's, including a day at one of the many Turkish spa's. Some of the treatments can sound quite severe, the hot cold treatment sounding the worst of all, but they have lasted the test of time, so people must get some benefit. It'll be nice having a day's pampering and relaxation after the frantic build up to the wedding and a rest from chosen Stephanie the right palace!

Without a doubt, no trip to Istanbul would be quite the same without visiting both halves. On the western side lies Europe, and across the Bosphorus strait lies Asia, spanned by two bridges, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet  and Bosphorus, carrying a steady stream of local commuters who either live in one continent and work in another. Alternatively, crossing a great expanse of water can be done the more in the more traditional way, by boat, taking advantage of the nautical views of the city and it's contrasting skyline.

After a long day's exploration and discovery, there is more than enough to keep us occupied in the evenings, from traditional Turkish entertainment to techno and rave nightclubs, which is continually growing and evolving and gaining international recognition.

If I'm totally honest, one of the things that I want to do more than any other is to watch a local football match. Istanbul is host to four of the countries biggest teams, Besiktas, Fenerbahçe, Istanbul BB and Galatasaray - three of which have played European Cup football in the past few years. In fact, Galatasary are possibly more famous for the infamy of their fanatical supporters and there "welcome to hell" insignia than there achievements on the pitch. With the Ali Sami Yen Stadium closing it's doors in September it could well be the last chance to visit "hell" and experience one of the most amazing football experiences in the world, that is if I can convince my new wife to come with me!

Well, until I can come up with a decent explanation for that one, it's a Turkish "hoşçakalın" from me as I leave Europe, (or is it Asia?) and head for another new destination. My sixth stop in a round the world tour that has already taken me to Antigua, Dubai, Dubrovnik, Hong Kong and Istanbul. So much to see, so much to chose from and so difficult to set out an ideal itinerary. Finding out where we are going on our wedding day has added an extra touch of excitement to our day, but it's such a difficult process researching, finding out all these incredible places to visit, learning about them, highlighting things to do and ultimately putting them in a pile as something to do for another day, but boy am I loving it!