The Grand Bazaar and The Blue Mosque

No trip to Istanbul is complete without getting your sleeve tugged about 50 times as you walk by rug dealers who say, "Let me show you two - just two! No cost to look!" as you walk by their shop in the Grand Bazaar.


So we walked down to the Grand Bazaar in the afternoon to take a look.

It is not hard to find, and it is HUGE! It was founded to help pay for the Blue Mosque (below). It is divided into sections (antiques, jewelry, rugs, etc) and is a rambling place.



It feels both ancient and modern as you walk in and are acccosted at all sides by people trying to sell you their stuff. We went into a couple of shops (Doreen was particularly interested in some old tiles) but we left without buying anything.



Then we walked back to the Blue Mosque. This is an active Mosque, and you have to take your shoes off to get in. It was a nice, big, open space.


There were no prayers going on at the time, and we were able to wander around at will.

After that long day, we ate at Milka, a modern restaurant on top of a new hotel in Beyoglu, just across the street from the famous Pera Palace.

The food was outstanding (mostly local. We had the tasting menu, which included wine) and the local wines were not too bad. (They won't be replacing South Africa as the new source of fine wines in the US, but they are quiet enjoyable). If I have the energy, I will describe that meal later.