Istanbul: Where East Meets West

My travels have always been centered around Europe, for it's great venues and open-ness. I admire modern civilizations. I thought Istanbul, being the connecting point between Asia and Europe, wouldn't be that much of a far cry. I was wrong.
You see, my visit was short but in a couple of days I found myself bored in a metropolis. This hasn't happened to me since Cairo.
The architecture and museums speak of a great civilization, but an economic dowspiral and fundementalist agenda has brought down a nation that once ruled the world. Overtly Anatolian types scurrying towards Istanbul for a better living, however the city, its music and its residents echo a certain sorrow about the country's deterioration and ever-so-evident thrive to get to be a Schengen State. In my decision, it is far away from that. Crime is high, poverty is high and human rights are virtually absent. Even the newly installed Metro system (due to EU pressures) wasn't recommended or heard of when I was there.
This is not to say that Turkey is not a treasure of past glories, ancient art and the workings of a past civilization.
It was worth the visit just to see it. It is a georgraphical joint of two very different continents.
The food is fleshy, the clubs play Turkish music and rarely play pop, The cabs gyp you, and the beggars will not leave you alone. Plus, the chances of finding someone who understands English are slim.

Music: Back To Basics - Shapeshifters