Another gorgeous day in Istanbul

Hagia Sophia

 We had quite a day today, walking 9.5 miles around the city. We had absolutely beautiful weather, though. It was up to around 75 degrees, which is warmer than we anticipated before we left home.
We began by taking the Tunel down to the waterfront, then walking across Galata Bridge to Fatih, the old historic city center. As I expected, the views were fantastic - this was a walk I had been looking froward to. On the other side of the bridge we arrived at the Spice Bazaar, or Egyptian Bazaar. We were early for meeting our guide Claire, so we spent a few minutes walking through the Bazaar.

Once Claire arrived, we stepped into the courtyard of the "New Mosque" (17th Century), then passed through the market again and began climbing up through narrow, crowded streets of merchants until we reached a han, which was a set of old building around an open square, with a chapel in the center for prayers.Along the way, we passed dozens of men's clothing shops and I would have loved to have stopped to spend some serious time there, if only I had the luggage space to bring stuff home. Anyway, the han were originally Inns where merchants visiting from abroad could stay but also have safe and secure places to store and trade their goods, as well as board their horses or camels. Today, these house shops, but the upper levels contain workshops where people make various goods to sell. One highlight of the day was our opportunity to go onto the roof of the han and take in the amazing views of Beyoğlu, the Golden Horn, Bosphorus, and various mosques.

After seein another han and more shops, we made it to the Grand Bazaar, which we seemed to walk through for an hour although we only saw part of it. Oh, my - this world has So. Much. Stuff. And way too much of it is collected in that bazaar. It was a bit overwhelming, not to mention it was getting pretty warm and I was quite thirsty by the time we got there. I might go back if I had time to go through at my own pace, but then again I probably wouldn't buy much so I'm not sure it's worth repeating.

Next we had a lunch break, and we facilitators found a nice spot to eat some Turkish food outside in the shade at a cafe. Just after lunch, before we were to meet again as a group, I wanted to go take a picture of the facade of the mosque next to the Grand Bizaar - but when I got there I discovered it was still prayer time and there were hundreds of men standing around the outside of the mosque facing Mecca. I quickly turned around and skipped the photo.

We next walked past Constantine's Tower down to the Byzantine Hippodrome next to the Blue Mosque, then around the mosque to the palace mosaic museum (that's pretty interesting). After that we went to the shop of a Canadian entrepreneur who runs a social enterprise selling hand woven, original design towels and throws made from organic cotton and other fibers sourced in turkey. She discovered that weaving is almost a lost art, and she is happy to keep weavers employed at fair wages. She hopes to eventually open a school where others can learn the art. Our students really enjoyed talking to her about her experience starting and growing businesses in Turkey, operating according to a defined set of values, dealing with competitors and copiers, and her unique approach to managing her brand. And we had fun buying her wares.

Crossing the Bosphorus

After shopping and a quick stop for tea, we headed back to the hotel for a short break before a group of 15 of us headed to dinner across the Bosphorous on the Asian side of the city. We had an absolutely beautiful ferry ride at sunset, walked into a bustling entertainment district to find restaurants, and enjoyed some meze and unique desserts. After dinner I was set on trying the Turkish national drink rakı, so we found another cafe where we could sit down and try it. Megan had tried it before and still didn't care for it; Melissa didn't like it either. I didn't mind it, so I finished mine. And since we had purchased the entire bottle, I brought the rest back to my room to enjoy later this week, On the way back, we opted for the ferry again instead of the subway, and it was an excellent choice. The weather was still perfect, and the city is beautiful with all of the mosques and historic structures illuminated at night.

Sunset over Fatih

Now it's past my bed time but there is still loud obnoxious music playing at the store and voices in the street. It's as if my window is open, but it's not. Just a few minutes ago there was a voice over a loud megaphone and children screaming. Now it's just the voices and pan flute music. Oh, and now drumming. (it's 12:23 am.) The noise-cancelling headphones are a little uncomfortable, but they do help.