Day two in Istanbul, like day one, got off to a slow start. We have an apartment here in town, and it is dark and cool and very conducive to sleep. I won’t tell you how late we’ve sleeping in but trust me when I say it’s embarrassing.
We took the tram to the very busy, very colourful Grand Bazaar. According to all the literature, it is the world's largest covered bazaar with 64 streets and over 2000 shops. Mom bought some tea paraphernalia and pillow covers. It is usually the sellers’ jobs to charm the customers but I think mom was the one doing the charming; she loves the personal touch, and one of them served us a cup of apple tea after agreeing on the price. Maybe that’s the trick of it, but it was a pleasant way to make it through the throngs of people and goods for sale regardless.
Once we’d had about enough of the crowds, we found our way to a restaurant recommended by two of mom’s newly acquired Istanbul contacts, which turned out to have a lovely view over the Bosphorus and good mezes and wine. The restaurant bordered the spice market part of the Grand Bazaar, where we ended the day loading up on tea and spices and cheese and olives. Some we’ll bring back home, some we’ll finish here.
Love, Biber and Cay
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