Sultanahmet Markets

On the first day of the great Turkish adventure, Paul and I donned religion-appropriate gear and headed off to explore Istanbul's Old Town--Sultanahmet.  Pottering around in this part of town can take the best part of forever; it ranges from the Hagia Sophia to Sultanahmet Mosque to the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market to Topkapi Palace, which in of itself, can take the whole day to explore.

Again, massively overwhelming.

We spent three days on and off, with siesta breaks in between, exploring the old town and paying various entrance fees. The highlight was seeing Serena Williams and entourage towering above hordes of Turkish men in the Spice Market with her billowing height, massive biceps and bouffant hair.  There was no chance, post Istanbul Cup Win, that she was going to blend in.  And I must admit, I was a bit starstruck.  We tailed her briefly before heading back into one part of the maze or another.

Spice Market:

Other parts of various bazaars revealed lamps, carpets, candles, tiles, books, all at tourist prices.  Rumour has it, that the Grand Bazaar is home to over 4000 shops and stalls. Multiply that by two, the average number of men working in each stall and that's over 8000 men shouting to you that their wares are the best, the prettiest, the most moderately priced.  It was entirely spectacular. 

Different Parts of the (very) Grand Bazaar: 

We also discovered the gem of the Nargile bars--large open area bars decked in benches and cushions serving various flavoured teas and tobaccos, hookah style.  From time to time, a man with a bucket of burning coals comes around to replace the coal on top of individual pipes and then you're just free to sit, relax, drink tea.  It's like a coffee shop, only outdoors with smoke.  But not smoky smoke. Flavoured apple, strawberry, mint smoke.  Tasty smoke.  

Delish!