The Blue Mosque looms on the horizon as we approach and once inside the entry gate we see it up close in all its splendor. There are already crowds of people.
As we climb the steps I am approached by a well dressed man who claims he works at the mosque and is a volunteer, he does not want money. He points us in the right direction and walks with us, telling us all sorts of interesting facts. It is soon apparent I've fallen into a trap so make little conversation and let him do most of the talking. Once in the line he eventually tells me he is fourth generation in a rug business, at which point I tell him firmly we do not want to buy a rug and POOF! he vanishes quickly with a polite farewell. We encounter many others inside the walls of the mosque during our visit and are quick to fend them off.
Inside the mosque, everyone must remove their shoes and ladies are given a scarf to cover head and shoulders. The mosque is impressive and is fully carpeted inside. There are special areas man and women may pray but mostly it is packed with tourists such as ourselves. Architecturally this is an amazing structure and it must be quite something to be inside at prayer times.
Once outside and finished walking around the gardens, we meander back to the hotel keeping to the shade where possible. On the way we visit a cemetery (pointed out to us by salesman #1 we met on day one) and some tombs date back to 1200's and 1300's and some are as recent as 1900's. Many are sultans. Most graves are above ground with additional columns on top.
Once at the hotel we find the suitcase still has not arrived, make some calls then head out again to find the Spice Bazaar. The mission here is to find some saffron for Helen's friend Andrea. We had seen some the other day and it seemed very cheap at first glance.
We walk a different route through the Grand Bazaar and down the hill for a change of scenery. It is hot and being a Saturday is very busy, the streets crowded and the shopkeepers in fine form.
We navigate quite easily and the Spice Bazaar is found with a minimum of fuss. After Helen admiring the bedding shops, we look for spices.
The first stall we approach, the salesman tells us the saffron we see is "fake" and to come inside for the real stuff. He has three jars of saffron from Iran and Turkey of different grades and the top grade is indeed pricey! He offers us a smell of each and the difference is obvious. We thank him but continue to browse along the way.
Next shop, same drill, the salesman invites us inside to sample the best grade saffron. The cheap stuff out front is just a lure to get us interested. He puts on a fine display placing top grade and low grade pieces into small glasses of hot water and seeing how each changes the colour of the water. Now we're impressed! His top grade is also cheaper than the previous merchant. He also has us try some apple tea, again top grade made from real pieces of apple, and convinces us to buy some of that. Tastes like warm apple juice and sweet without sugar. I've been wanting to try some baklava and they have much on display. We sample some and he explains which are freshly made in Turkey and which are dried and from Iran. We buy a small selection. Result - we are $150TL poorer but a good experience and well informed although in hindsight we should have bartered harder.
We exit the Spice Bazaar and find the square absolutely packed with people. It's hot and crowded and we wonder what next? We phone the hotel to check on Helen's suitcase and it hasn't arrived. We hop a tram back to the hotel and spend the next few hours chasing the suitcase (see previous blog entry). Around 6pm we give up hope until Monday morning.
The Grand Bazaar is nearby and closes at 7:00pm. We head back there about 6:30pm to seek some clothing for Helen. Most vendors are about to close up shop, chatting among themselves, so the walk through is more pleasant and not so busy. One vendor grabs our attention and takes us to a shop, where the clothing is Hugo Boss (cheap copy no doubt) and crazy high prices. We have a difficult conversation with the vendor as he insists on a sale but unfortunately he is angry and offended and we leave empty handed. We find two other stores where Helen purchases some clothes from helpful and friendly people. We bargain hard and knock the prices down to an acceptable level. Best tactic is to walk away and they will pull you back. If you walk and they let you go, you've found their breaking point but can still settle on a good price.
After that we find dinner nearby, I do better at looking at menus while being able to walk away against the insistence of restaurant staff. Eventually we find a comfortable spot and sit down to a pleasant and quite authentic Turkish meal. There are many wild domestic cats around (an oxymoron perhaps?) and they are people friendly, Helen talks to them (best not touch them) and eventually we have three cats sitting next to us wanting a treat. Just like being at home! One cat is pregnant and I ponder where would it raise kittens in a city like this?
After dinner we head back to the hotel, where we hand wash all of Helen's clothes so they may be dry by morning. Half way through this the phone rings, and the suitcase has arrived! The bellboy brings it up and Helen is very happy.
Tomorrow we'll take the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus to broaden our horizons around the wider city.
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