Istanbul, Turkey

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Brian and I enjoy exploring a city on our own.  I was a bit concerned about Istanbul, but we did some research, talked to people and got advice from the travel guide on board.

So early this morning we walked down to the tram stop and rode the tram 4 stops.  Walking  a short distance,  we saw the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and the palace grounds.  The Blue Mosque is a stunning sight with 6 domed roofs and at least 4 tall spires.  It is supposed to be beautiful inside, but we opted not to go in when we decided to wear shorts for our sightseeing trip.  No shorts allowed, & women must have knees & head covered.

Finishing up our culture studies in about 2 hours (which is long for us – ha!) we reboarded the tram and headed to the Grand Bazaar.  Imagine an American mall that is only 10 feet wide, with stores on both sides (each store is only as big as your bedroom) and fill it with thousands of people.  We were lucky as we arrived at the Grand Bazaar early enough that the crowds weren’t there.  We meandered always trying to be aware of where the entrance was so we would not get lost.  There are 11 gates to enter the bazaar and each one of them leads to a different street…  The bazaar offered a wide variety of Turkish rugs, 24k gold jewelry, belly dance outfits (we bought one for Brian! LOL!) hookahs, clothing and more.  We stopped for a rest and a bite to eat – Turkish gyros, yummy.  I had to go to the bathroom and that was in itself and experience. 

There was only 1 stall and a line.  A lady would come out and I thought ok one should go in…  however eventually 4 women came out!  Finally it was my turn and I discovered it cost apprx $1 and it was a stand up/squat toilet!  No seat!  Enough said!  LOL!  I think I need to do more yoga!  LOL!

After lunch we dove back into the bazaar and I was really enjoying myself when we discovered my camera was stolen!  All those great photos I had been taking for ya’ll were gone!  Damn!  It kinda soured my day – but we headed off to the spice market on the tram, as I wanted to get some spice and see stuff there.  When we first entered the Spice Market it was fine and I bought some spice, which they vacuum sealed!  As we walked further into the market, it was more like trying to move in a crowd at a concert or sporting event.  We had to elbow our way through just to get OUT of the market!  Boy was my claustrophobia acting up.  When we finally got back to the tram, the travel situation was about the same too.  We were crammed into the vehicle like sardines but as we only had 1 stop, we squished in.  After a short walk, we arrived at our ship footsore and in need of a rest…  The ship had an evening BBQ with a local band and a belly dancer aboard.  Istanbul was certainly an adventure and I think we liked the city… 

I will post a few photos, if I can get someone to lend me theirs – also B has the large camera so we still have photo options…  Happy Sailing

 In the Sultan's boudoir...

The Blue Mosque