People, voices, a horn somewhere. "Buyrun" sounds from everywhere. The traders know how to bring their truths to the people. Lights flash, shine, form words from coloured LEDs, blur again in the background of the noise. It is one o'clock in the morning. This city does not sleep. The smell of fresh food is in the air. Tea is drunk. Also at night. To my left, two men are talking excitedly. A taxi makes its way through the crowd. I walk through this world as if in a trance.

İstiklal Caddesi, as the big shopping street in Taksim is called, is busy around the clock. But the side streets are also full of life. A small teahouse beckons to me and so I decide to take a seat there. The waiter, a man in his fifties, greets me in a friendly manner and brings me a cup of Turkish tea and a few pieces of the famous Turkish desserts. Sweet as sugar, but still tasty. A variety of nuts and fruits create a world of exciting textures and diverse flavours. You can't eat much of the Turkish desserts and yet the desire for more, for something new, hardly diminishes. The traders in their small shops attractively display their assortment. I continue my journey of discovery. Roasted seeds and nuts, traditionally served with tea or coffee, but also Lokum, a sweet based on a mixture of jellied starch and sugar, often mixed with nuts or fruit flavours, is offered for sale in thousands of varieties. Want to try it? No problem! Often there are small bowls with smaller pieces that can be tasted.

Four hours to go until the muezzin will call for morning prayers. At 6:39 a.m. sharp, his voice will resound from the minarets of the nearby mosque over the streets and squares. Here, tradition, culture and conservative ideology meet modern nightlife and people from all over the world. And in the middle of it all, I will spend three months exploring, discovering and experiencing this city. With this thought in mind, I slowly realise that it's time. I go back to my hostel. I need a few hours of sleep after all. Even in the city that never sleeps.