Describe a city you have visited and enjoyed

I would like to talk about Istanbul, which I visited about two years ago with my cousin. It is a huge city that sits between Europe and Asia, and we spent five days there during the spring holidays.

We stayed in an old neighbourhood near the Bosphorus, so we were able to walk almost everywhere. On the first day we visited the famous mosques and the Grand Bazaar, which was incredibly busy but fascinating. I bought a few small gifts there and tried to practise my bargaining, although I think I paid too much. On the second day we took a ferry along the water, which was my favourite part of the trip because you could see the whole skyline from the deck. In the evenings we simply wandered around, ate grilled fish and drank far too much tea.

I enjoyed the city for several reasons. Firstly, it has a wonderful mix of old and modern life. One minute you are standing in a building that is more than a thousand years old, and the next you are in a fashionable cafe full of young people. Secondly, the food was fantastic and surprisingly cheap. But what I remember most is the atmosphere. Despite the crowds, people were friendly and always ready to help us when we got lost, which happened a lot. I came home feeling that I had only seen a small part of it, so I would love to go back and explore the quieter districts that we missed.