Impressive Istiklal, Istanbul

Istanbul is a vibrant, busy, buzzing city. This can be seen most of all on İstiklâl Caddesi (Independence Avenue), its three kilometre long main shopping street.

With more than 3 million people visit the street on a weekend day, it's never quiet. Even on weekdays, late into the evening, people were walking the street, visiting the shops and taking in the sights.

And what sights - İstiklâl Caddesi is full of amazing, wonderful sights, sounds and smells that make Istanbul a great city, such as:

• A man walking along with monkey on a leash.
• Ladies wearing full burqas, wearing headscarves slowly sauntering while other woman in bikini tops sashayed by.
• A man dressed as an Ottoman soldier, with nobody paying any notice
• Men walking down the street, holding hands, embracing, laughing, touching, all completely platonic.
• Men selling roasted chestnuts, with nutty smoke arising from each cart.
• Men selling mussels, with lemons strewn among the shells
• A tram clanging its way up and down the street; one time with a band blasting out funky rock music from an open air carriage.
• Busking men playing traditional Turkish instruments, the music from which mixed with the modern beats coming from he nightclubs on the upper floors of the buildings.

What's in Monaco

Monaco - a tiny country on the French Riviera - is more like a city state. Here's what I saw when I was there.

Monaco is a rich land; the glamour architecture buildings are either replete with gilt, flourishes, style and flair or sleek and smoothly modern.

Most of all, Monaco is a playground for the rich and gaudy, ideal for people watching. I saw:

• A young man with big, blonde hair and golden sunglasses clutching an older woman as they sashayed through the streets.
• A man accompanied by five woman complaining about where to get his shirts made.
• A young wife emerging from a designer store saying, "thank you, it was wonderful".
• A larger man wearing a bright purple polo shirt whilst driving a bright orange sports car.
• A young man wearing white shirt and khaki shorts fuming about "ultra-conservative countries that have no bearing on reality".
• A young woman sporting bright pink lipstick alongside bright green sunglasses.
• A glamorous Shirley Bassey-esque woman arguing with hot-headed taxi driver, then walking a few metres away and laughing "ha ha ha" whilst haughtily tossing one hand in the air.

Below, my favourite photograph I took in Monaco shows a woman wearing sunglasses, relaxing by a swimming pool, and not a single other person to be seen.