Istanbul definitely deserves more time than just an extended weekend. Of course, the Blue Mosque (Sultanamet Camii), the Aya Sofya (Church of Divine Wisdom), the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar are high on anybody’s list. These impressive sights could easily be visited in a few days, but there is much more to explore.

A must-do is the ferry ride along the Bosphorus waterway, which is twisting 30km north to the Black Sea. It represents more than anything this city’s unique character, where two continents unite, east & west, by two bridges. Here along the Bosphorus, the past neighbours contemporary Istanbul in the most obvious way.

The boat sails past huge palaces, picturesque mosques and ancient castles, built by the Ottomans to prevent support reaching the besieged Constantinople. But the further away the boat moves from the city, these historic monuments give way to splendid waterfront mansions and apartments This is were the great Ottoman families escaped from the summer heat, and now old and new money takes pleasure in the cool breeze and the breathtaking vista.

Kumkapi, the old fishing village, is packed with restaurants serving the catch of the day. At night this place comes alive with musicians ploughing the narrow lanes between countless eateries. Lunch is a more quiet, but nevertheless a tasty affair. Once you wander off the busy restaurants scene, the neighbourhood presents itself as one of quiet parks, crumbling facades, but fascinatingly alive.

The guidebooks’ definition of modern Istanbul - the area north of Galata Bridge and the shopping streets south of Taksim Square - amused us tremendously, because the REAL modern districts are on the Asian side. But tourists don’t ever set foot on this part of town…

The city has a traffic problem, period. No surprise, when a population of 15 million people commutes between different continents. To make things worse, it is separated by an inlet, the Golden Horn, spanned only by four bridges.

The word traffic jams takes on a completely different meaning once you end up on one of the roads leading to the two bridges connecting Asia and Europe. Not only does the highway narrow down, but all cars need to pass a toll station. Even tough the fee is deducted automatically, traffic slows down to a stand still. This nightmarish scenario is intercepted by constant loud shrills caused by cars that avoid paying the toll.

Well, we only chose this way to go from Atashehir to the historic centre once. It took us more than 2.5 hours to cover the 35km. So we immediately switched to the most efficient & pleasant way to travel to and around Istanbul: the ferry boat. This is a fast and scenic way to discover the whole city.

Soon, we established a simple routine: before departing, we bought a delicious sesame brezel. Once on the boat, we got a chai (Turkish tea) from a waiter balancing a tray around the boat. We simply loved those ferry rides.

Apart from that, there are cheap taxis and a tram connecting all the major tourist attractions. So the weary tourist never runs out of options.

Most tourists in Istanbul remain on the European side and unfortunately miss discovering “boom town” modern Istanbul with its trendy neighbourhoods, chic bars & restaurants.

Atashehir, among many other neighbourhoods on the Asian side, is one of the most dynamic areas in Istanbul, and the place to live when you make some serious money. Though, the very rich Istanbulites probably own one of incredibly picturesque dwellings perched on the shores of the Bosporus. Those come in all sizes, huge mansions to what looks like semi-attached houses.

Other neighbourhoods reminded us of gated community in Florida, except that they consist of 15 - 20 high-rises, scattered around a well-maintained garden. Pools and tennis courts are part of the deal, the residents you meet at the pool bar or strolling around the garden could pass as Italians in their trendy clothes.

Of course, we would have never experienced this city in such a way, if we had not agreed to a non-simultaneous home exchange. We stayed for four days in the comfortable flat of Yilmaz, a retired colonel of the Turkish air force and his wife Inci, while they spent these hot summer days in their holiday home on the Aegean coast. They will visit Vienna for three weeks in July / August while we are travelling through Colombia.