Istanbul is often described as ‘the crossroads of Europe and Asia’ – a heaving bazaar-city of camels, carpets and caravanserais with an imperial history stretching back for more than 1500 years. This metropolis of 15 million occupies both sides of an east-west land bridge divided by the 32km (20-mile) Bosphorus Strait, which also connects the trade routes of the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean. As a result, the city has been a jealously guarded centre of world trade since the Byzantine era, and protected by water on three sides, with the natural harbour of the Golden Horn nestled within the city. With the buzzing atmosphere of the pedestrian Istiklal Caddesi and its hundreds of bars, cinemas, art galleries, restaurants and bistros, the city seems more funky and cosmopolitan than ever and young people even more keen on cultural expression. Istanbul’s climate is, in the main, a Mediterranean one, although it is affected by climatic variations due to its location on the Marmara Sea and Bosphorus. Summers are hot and winters are mild, with no extreme temperature variations between seasons.