Hungary: Our First 24 Hours in Istanbul

Or is it Constantinople?

You can really see both cities within this one. It's fascinating.

It's wonderful when history is living. It shouldn't be something that happened a long time ago that's been put in a box for people to mull over. It should be alive. What I love about Istanbul is that history is alive all around you. You truly can see both cities within this one modern thriving capital. It has what was the largest church in the world, and one of the most outstanding architectural feats of all time, the Church of the Hagia Sophia, which was then turned into a glorious mosque, complete with baths adjoining it. (the Roxelana Baths), sitting in one of the busiest squares in the world, opposite one of the most glorious mosques ever built, the Blue Mosque. You can sit and watch Germans, Japanese, Indians, black people, white people, brown people, Christians, Muslims, teeming throughout the square, buying souvenirs and snacks, consulting guide books, calming their whining children, all wanting to catch a glimpse of these wonders of the world. Amidst all this, the calls to prayer are ringing out, people are rushing in to the mosques to pray. Life is going on full tilt. It's a spectacle truly worth beholding, and one I don't think I'll ever forget.

We arrived at a very busy Ataturk Airport around noon, and after I had withdrawn a ton of Turkish lira, I was shocked to find out that they would only allow us to pay for our visa in American Dollars or Euros. You'd think they'd want their own currency!? The bank machines there all allow you to withdraw USD, Euro, or Turkish lira, but considering the line, it's a good thing I happened to have 50 EU leftover from our trip to Italy. Just enough. We got our visas then got into the seemingly endless line to have our passports stamped. It was fascinating watching the influx of people----truly diverse people----coming into the airport. Women in black veils, faces entirely covered, men dressed in white with little caps on their heads that would bring to mind a Bedouin herdsman. People in clothing you would picture people in the Bible wearing. Women in veils with sexy three inch high heels and kohl-painted eyes. Beautiful eyes looking out at you everywhere from under veils. If you thinking that flying into a major US international airport like JFK or Dulles you see some diversity, hell, you ain't seen nothin'!

Here is Jimmy upon arrival, waiting for our driver to find our car.

Looking a Little Tired and Confused

Already Acclimated

Here are the "taksis" at Ataturk.

Taksi!

Here is Jimmy in the taksi on the way to our hostel. The drive from the airport was gorgeous. We drove along the water and on one side we could see minarets everywhere and garden by the side of the highway and on the other side the beautiful Sea of Marmara.

Ready for the Hostel

Pretty soon we arrived at the Orient Hostel where we had booked a private room.

The Orient Hostel in Sultanahmet

Street Near the Hostel

That yellow building on the right with the red geraniums is actually the Istanbul Four Seasons hotel.

We were welcomed to Istanbul by a very friendly staff at the Orient Hostel, with some complimentary hot apple tea, and a nap! I had a headache so the nap was obligatory. But not before we had a little snack in the hostel cafe. Here is Jimmy at the table outside at the hostel cafe, where he had a hamburger and I had chicken kebab and my first order of dolmas. He told them it was the best hamburger he'd had in Europe and the waiter grinned from ear to ear. The only other place I'm aware of that he had eaten a hamburger is at the TGI Friday's near our apartment in Budapest. I always swore I'd never eat there, until one cold night when my arm was broken and I was craving a hamburger. Never say never! Here's Jimmy enjoying his burger. Or what's left of it.

Jimmy looks so happy because the Orient Hostel was a really cool place. Rarely have I met such nice people. They were all young, friendly, interested in everybody and everything. And they were just as helpful as can be. We were friends with everybody there by the time our 6 nights was up. They had a friendly little outdoor cafe too where everybody was always relaxing. The weather was mild and breezy when we were there instead of the head we were told to expect, so we spent several afternoons in that outdoor cafe over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, writing postcards and perusing maps and guidebooks.

A few hours after arriving, after the snack and the catnap, we made our way up to Sultanahmet Square, which was a few winding streets around the corner and up a hill, and we gazed upon the Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque by moonlight. The air was balmy and a cool breeze was blowing. The crowds had left for the day. Cats wandered by. A couple of dogs ran by playing. All was right with the world, and we were in Istanbul. I felt so happy and so much at peace. It was almost magical. Here is a really bad photograph of the Sultanahmet Square at night. I really need to learn to use the manual settings on my camera.

Terrible Shot of Sultanahmet Square by Night

Pretty soon, however, hunger pangs motivated us to seek one of the restaurants we had read about in our guide book, and one that boasted great meats and fish entrees, as well as delicious vegetable mezes, served on a rooftop terrace with a view of the Blue Mosque, captured our fancy, so we set off to look for it. We found it, and it looked awfully quiet and perhaps even closed. It was hard to tell because the restaurant was on the rooftop of a hotel, and the hotel looked quiet, and we couldn't detect any activity upstairs, even though the cheerful baskets of geraniums flanking the stairs and adorning the hotel porch looked happy enough. We stood around trying to make up our minds. We walked up the street towards the hostel, back towards the restaurant, hemming and hawing. Finally we said what the hell, we have to eat somewhere and we ventured inside.

We entered the hotel, and could not have been greeted more kindly by a friendly young man who assured us that the restaurant was most definitely open, and who ushered us into the "lift" to the top floor. Upon exiting the lift, we were immediately greeted by a short, grey-haired man called Rambo (a nick name for Ramir) who gave us just about the friendliest and happiest greeting I have ever had a restaurant host offer me. He was clearly happy to have customers, and seemingly the more the better, regardless how late the hour.

The restaurant was beautiful. Well lit, yet not too bright, white tablecloths and wooden walls and furniture. The dining room was round, surrounded by windows, with a gleaming wooden bar in one corner, and a view of the entire surrounding area, including the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, visible right in front of our table. I ate dinner looking at the Blue Mosque by moonlight There were two other couples already dining, and he was making friendly chat with them. As we looking over he ventured to make some suggestions. I'm wild about Turkish mezes so I was eagerly looking them up and down, whispering to Jimmy about what sounded good amidst his protestations that he wouldn't eat anything containing onions or mayonnaise.

Rambo walked over and politely suggested that if we wanted to sample the mezes, the mezes sampler came with a little bit of everything and was just enough, then he asked if I preferred seafood or "meat". When I told him I loved seafood he showed me the selections and explained them to me. When I asked about the whole grilled fish, which was one of the options, he said it was more difficult to eat due to bones, but definitely very tasty. I don't mind a few bones so I ordered that.

Jimmy was all about having a big plate of meat, so when Rambo explained what was on the mixed grill and Jimmy found out it was nothing too out-of-the-ordinary, he ordered that. I wish I had taken a picture of Rambo, but hindsight is twenty twenty, right? Anyway, his suggestions were amazing. Here are some pictures of our first Turkish meal. It was wonderful and set the mood for what would be a wonderful trip.

A Plate of Turkish Mezes We Attacked with Zeal

Turkish mezes are interesting, and some of them are similar to food we'd eat here in the States. Many of them are vegetarian, although certainly not all of them. They do have meat and seafood mezes as well. They use a lot of chard, they stuff zucchini, they make a salad similar to potato salad. Pickled red cabbage often appears, as does this pureed aubergine dish which looks a little goopy but is really tasty. Several times we were also served something which tasted to me like spiced turnip greens, but I don't know what they were. And the ubiquitous dolmas adorn any tray of mezes. The ones we ordered this night were vegetarian and were some of the best we had all week. I wanted to go back another night and order more of certain of the mezes which I had especially liked, but we ended up having so many places to try we never made it back there.

Here is my grilled fish, before I dived in and tore it all to pieces. In Turkey, grilled fish is usually served with onion and lettuce as a garnish, and often with a salad of tomato and cucumber and dill as well. This fish was beautiful, and tasted beautiful too.

Grilled Sea Bass with Turkish Garnishes

The peppers they eat as garnish seem to be the same flavorful paprika they eat in Hungary. They are not like the Belgian-grown red bell peppers you buy here in the States. They are not shot, but they have a stronger and more piquant taste.

Here is Jimmy's mixed grill.

Jimmy's Mixed Grill

We ended up meeting a really nice couple who were sitting behind Jimmy, Kim and Tracy, who happened to be from Raleigh. Small world! We chatted with them through dinner. NC's passing of the Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage taking up a good thirty minutes right off the bat. It had passed the day before. Can I just say, good going, NC. I feel ashamed to say I'm from this state sometimes as much as I love it.

They were on a Rick Steve's tour of Turkey and had only 4 nights in Istanbul before setting off to other towns, so we chatted about travel. Between the four of us we'd been to some interesting places, so we had a good time comparing notes and making recommendations. We also interrupted our meals to go outside on the balcony and look at the Blue Mosque a few times, because the view was so perfect. I wish it was possible to preserve moments like that in a little bottle and take them out and look at them when you wanted to feel better. I guess that's what memories are, they just aren't quite that perfect. You can't dive into them. Wouldn't it be nice to open a little bottle and have the memory surround you like the smell of perfume, and transport you back there for just a minute?

Rambo had been suggesting Turkish coffee, so we ordered some of course. Here is our bitter Turkish coffee in the beautiful little Turkish coffee cup. Turkish coffee is super finely ground and served with hot water. It's hot filtered, so you're drinking the beans, they are just so finely ground it's just like drinking a slightly thicker coffee, the way hot chocolate can be thick. It's tasty if you know what you're getting, but it's certainly not American coffee, and it's not really like espresso either.

Fresh Turkish Coffee

After coffee, Rambo broke out the complimentary Raki. I should explain about Raki to those of you who haven't heard of it. Raki is the "local firewater" as Kim put it. It's a very strong liquor that is anise flavored, and it is much favored by the Turks, although I never did quite get a taste for it. If it's served neat, it's clear, like vodka, or water. If it's mixed with water it becomes cloudy. Many people mix it with water and drink it the way you would Scotch and water, for instance. Turks swear it is good for your digestion, and I saw one couple a few night later slowly consume a whole bottle while they also slowly consumed an entire Turkish meal complete with mezes, salad, and grilled meat. It's very popular, but I didn't like it enough to try to bring any home. Frankly, my suitcase was so full at Christmas and my trip home so harried as a result, I just didn't feel like dealing with an overly full suitcase this time around., especially one containing something that could break and spill. And as you shall see, Jimmy had his hands full enough.

Here are some stock photos I found of Raki because I never did take a picture of any even though it was in all the stores. Rambo gave us each two shots, and it was fun to be able to say I'd had Raki, but that was where the fun stopped. :)

Turkish Raki

When Raki Mixes with Water

Shortly afterwards we headed home to the hostel and to bed.

The next day we were up early enough for us, and after eating the free breakfast on the Orient Hostel's rooftop terrace. We could see the Sea of Marmara from the cafe, and it was great to sip coffee and feel the breeze and smell the salt water, watching the waves. Breakfast consisted of sliced baguette, French toast with no syrup, cheese, olives, butter, jam, and boiled eggs :) After lingering over breakfast and the view, watching the cats on the neighboring rooftop, we headed out to see what we could see, which is what the first day in any new city is all about. Just seeing what you can see. Getting your bearings. Getting the feel of it.

Here's what we saw that morning, and every other, as we exited our rooms and made our way to the front of the Orient to climb the stairs to the rooftop cafe. All the little cafes in Sultanahmet seemed to have mini-backyards filled with roses and winding staircases, not to mention fig trees.

Rose Bush Outside the Orient

Back Stairs at the Orient

Fig Bush Out Back of the Orient

So I said that after breakfast we set out to see what we could see. We quickly realized that what there was the most to see of seemed to be carpet shops.

The Ubiquitous Turkish Carpet Shop

We also saw our first Turkish shoe shiner. These guys were cool!

Turkish Shoe Shiner with Brass Shining Kit

Here is a blue building on the street near our hostel. In Istanbul, because it's such an ancient city, you would almost expect a lot of ancient stone dwellings or something, but many of the houses are wooden and are 18th Century. They are usually tall and narrow and almost always have rooftop terraces for when the weather is warm.

Typical Istanbul Buildling

These next few shots were our first view of the famous Blue Mosque during the day, ironically enough over the rooftops of the Cavalry Bazaar.

Minaret from the Blue Mosque Seen Over the Cavalry Bazaar

Our next view of the Blue Mosque was from behind a steam shovel. It's one thing to view these great monuments in guide books or to picture them in your imagination, but life goes on all around them in a way that makes it seems as if the ancient world and the new world coincide quite nicely, and they do in a city like Istanbul.

The Blue Mosque with Steam Shovel

And here is our first day-time view of the Hagia Sofia. With lots of people in front.

The Hagia Sophia

Here are some more shots of this great architectural achievement.

Hagia Sofia from the Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque Behind Construction Walls

Sultanahmet Square is full of interesting things to see, not the least of which are the people. I wish I had more shots of them. On one end is the Hagia Sofia. Opposite it is the Blue Mosque, which was built in the 1600's by Sultan Ahmed I. Rumor has it that he built it to rival the Hagia Sofia, and it has six minarets which was unheard of in that day. It derives its popular name from the fact that the inside is covered in blue and white decorative tiles.

Immediately outside of the Hagia Sofia are the Roxelana Baths, which were named after the wife of Suleyman the Magnificent. Their purpose was for purification before visiting the mosque, which the Hagia Sofia served as after the Ottoman takeover of Constantinople. Here is a rather bad, far-away shot of the baths.

Roxelana Baths

And here is a small mosque in Sultanahmet Square whose name I have forgotten. It will come to me.

Here is the ablutions fountain located in the Square.

Ablutions Fountain

Jimmy and I were ready to visit the Blue Mosque, but of course, I had to check out the local facilities first. I always do. They were no worse than some I encountered in Italy.

Public Facilities in Sultanahmet Square

And we finally made it to the outer gate of the Blue Mosque, so here it is.

Outer Side Gate to Blue Mosque

Talk about a mob scene, these mosques seem less like houses of worship than tourist attractions. People are milling around like crazy, and the street vendors are going wild. It's always interesting to see what wares people are hawking in new cities, and I was surprised to find the street fare in Istanbul a little more interesting than in some other places. It wasn't hot dogs and popcorn, but chestnuts, roasted corn, and spun honey.

Chestnuts and Roasted Corn

Jimmy kept cracking up every time we saw one of these chestnut carts because he saw this little girl sneeze on the corn before I took this picture. :)

Corn and Chestnuts Before Visiting the Mosque Anyone?

The big mosques like the Blue Mosque have gates with many entrances, followed by courtyards with inner gates. It's quite a production getting inside. Here is a plaque in Arabic above the side entrance we took into the outer courtyard.

Plaque in Arabic Above Side Entrance to Outer Courtyard of Blue Mosque

Here are some shots immediately inside the outer courtyard. If it had not been for all the crowds and noise it would have been quite beautiful, with big evergreens and fresh green grass.

Inside the Outer Courtyard of the Blue Mosque

Tree Inside the Outer Courtyard

Here is one of the minarets behind a big pine or cedar tree.

Minaret from Behind a Cedar

Here are two minarets as you approach the inner gate.

Approaching the Inner Gate to the Blue Mosque

The inner gate is a huge gate with many arches and long stretches of what look like cloisters. Here is a shot of the cloisters and then of the entrance to the inner courtyard.

Cloisters of Inner Gate in Blue Mosque

Entrance to Inner Courtyard of Blue Mosque

Crowds Entering the Inner Courtyard

Closeup of Minarets Over Entrance

Right about the time we were entering the inner courtyard, something funny, yet very annoying happened. It quickly clued me in to some tactics I learned you had to be very careful of in Istanbul.

We had not been there 24 hours when the expression, "Like a carpet salesman" became something we were accustomed to hearing in many capacities, but usually in one denoting an annoying persistent and persuasive person. Well, that's what we encountered.

The crowds of people were rushing into the entrance, and this man turned to us and said, "You must hurry, it is almost time for prayer and they will close soon." We thanked him and moved on through the crowds to the entrance. He followed us. He said, "I think I can get you in the side door, which is not for tourists." I saw a line of women in veils waiting at the prayer entrance and I thought, "I'm NOT going in there, seeing as how I'm not Muslim and am not here to pray," and I wondered, "What is he up to?" He pretty quickly said, "I thought I would tell you that I own a carpet shop. I would love to show you this beautiful mosque, and then perhaps we can walk back to my carpet shop which is right around the corner and have some tea and I can show you some carpets."

Of course we said we had no money, and of course he said, oh, he could work out a bargain, blah blah. I was armed with my camera, and really wanted to take photographs, so after telling him no, I rather rudely just started ignoring him and snapping photographs right and left. He kept following Jimmy as we rushed through the inner courtyard and towards the entrance. Jimmy kept saying we had no money, and finally he said, "Well, I take plastic." Finally, Jimmy said, "Really sir, I don't want to mislead you. We have just enough money to pay for our hotel and eat, and none left over for carpets." Somewhere between that statement and the crowds entering the mosque we managed to lose him, thankfully. Whew!

In any case, these shots were taken in haste while trying to ignore this man, but here is another shot of the entrance, and then of the painted arches on the walls of the inner courtyard.

Painted Arches

Here is the inner courtyard.

The Inner Courtyard of the Blue Mosque

Minaret and Ablutions Fountain Inside Inner Courtyard

Here are some shots of the lone minaret in the corner of the courtyard, and another of the fountain as well.

These next few shots are all taken as we left the inner courtyard and made our way towards the entrance to the mosque, which is at the back if you are viewing it from Sultanahmet Square.

And this is the inside of the Blue Mosque. Once again, I regret not taking any photography classes and really knowing how to use the manual settings on my computer because the view inside was absolutely gorgeous. The entire interior was imbued with a blue light that pervaded everything, but in this photograph nothing really looks blue at all. You do get some idea of the splendor, however, the height of the dome, etc. but it's nothing compared to seeing it in person.

Inside the Blue Mosque

Here is a shot of the dome.

Dome Inside the Blue Mosque

Here is Jimmy holding his shoes.

Jimmy Holding His Shoes

And here are the lanterns suspended from the ceiling.

Lanterns Inside Blue Mosque

It was kind of crazy. There was a big line of Muslin women in their veils waiting at the prayer entrance to get inside and pray, and the tourists were just milling around like crazy, and believe me, there are just as many Muslin tourists are there are others. They kept ringing this bell telling us we had only a few minutes but some people were determined to stick it out until they were kicked out.

It was truly beautiful, although with the crowds milling around, snapping photos, even videotaping the whole affair, it's hard to get the solemn spiritual feeling you would hope a religious site might evoke.

Here are the masses exiting the mosque at prayer time.

Crowds Leaving the Blue Mosque at Prayer Time

After exiting we entered the realm of the street vendors.

Hagia Sofia Leaving the Blue Mosque

Spun Honey

Here is a pasha selling something or other.

Pasha Selling Beads and Bags

And here's one cute Turkish kitty. One of many we were to encounter.

Cute Cat!

Here is a group of devout Muslim ladies who had taken a bus tour to Istanbul and who had probably just finished in the mosque like us.

Devout Ladies On Tour

And here is someone I like to call Turkish Sammy.

Turkish Sammy in Need of a Good Meal

Here is a shot looking back at the Blue Mosque during prayers, with all the crowds that have just exited.

Everyone Has a Camera (Including Yours Truly)

I bought Jimmy a hat from a vendor who was playing with a kitten. I just thought he would look handsome in it, and he does doesn't he?

Jimmy Stylin' in His Fez

Here is the Hagia Sofia relatively unobscured, by people anyway. The weather wasn't exactly cooperating that day.

Hagia Sofia

It's funny how when you first go somewhere new and you're just learning your way around it takes up more time and energy than you think. And it's funny how we first encountered Sultanahmet Square at night, and it was so peaceful, that we had no idea it would be mobbed with busloads of tourists and chestnut vendors and carpet salesmen and hungry cats, so wending our way through that took more energy that you might imagine. We decided we walk around the streets of Sultanahmet on the opposite side of the square from our hostel, and almost immediately encountered the Sultanahmet Fish House, of which we had heard good things. Suddenly we realized our stomachs were growling so we made our way inside.

It was a tiny little restaurant with white tablecloths and with the proprietors standing out front, which is typical. They allowed us to select a nice table and immediately brought our sparkling water and beer. Everywhere we went Jimmy tried the local beers and I the local sparkling waters. In Turkey the beer was Epes. I thought we would be dining alone but the place quickly filled up with tourists and locals alike, and soon we were eating in a full dining room.

We ordered some mezes, since I was determined to try as many as possible, and of course we ordered hummus since that's Jimmy's favorite. I had read that one of the famous Turkish mezes was an aubergine mixture with grilled meat mixed into it. I never did find out the name of it and kept trying to order it everywhere I went, but never did end up eating it. I tried to order the aubergine mixture at the Fish House based on a loose description on the menu but ended up with pureed aubergine, which was actually delicious even though it looked like yellow mush, and Jimmy wouldn't touch it. I think I also ordered some dolmas. I had to try them everywhere we went. I still don't think I encountered any as good as those Jamil at the Med Deli in Chapel Hill makes.

They were out of several types of seafood, and I requested the baked fish but the proprietor told me he didn't believe it was a very large variety and he would suggest I choose something a little fresher, which I appreciated. I decided to try the fish casserole which is a traditional Turkish dish, and it was fabulous! I was reading somewhere, in some cuisine magazine or something, that the rule is never to use cheese with fish. Don't put cheese on pasta containing seafood, blah blah.

Well, forget that. The Turks take a mild white fish, and they bake it with mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and a creamy tomato sauce that has probably been mixed with yogurt because it has an orangish color, much the way some Indian sauces like Tikka Masala have an orangish color. It is then covered with cheese and baked. It's served hot out of the oven in the baking dish with crusty bread, and it's delectable. Jimmy opted for fried red mullet, but after he tasted my casserole I think he wished he'd ordered it. Of course I gave him plenty. Here is our lunch. Yes, like a true tourist, I photographed just about everything we ate on this trip. They served the seafood with two seafood sauces, one which was a pureed hot pepper paste, the other which was a yogurt and dill mixture.

Traditional Turkish Baked Fish Casserole

Fried Red Mullet with Traditional Garnishes

After lunch we noticed the sign pointing to the Grand Bazaar, so of course we followed it. What else could we do?

Grand Bazaar Thataway!

Istanbul is such a cool city, and the street to the Bazaar kind of looked like any street in any big city, except that the call to prayer was ringing forth, and so people were rushing to little and big mosques everywhere for prayer.

Street Leading to Grand Bazaar

Side Street

Here you can see people gathering for prayer outside a tiny little mosque. The people who couldn't fit inside were quickly whipping out prayer rugs and taking off their shoes and seating themselves on the sidewalk outside the mosque. It was pretty cool.

Call to Prayer

Mid-Day Prayer

Everywhere You Go People Need the WC

The Grand Bazaar is truly that----grand. Huge. And according to Jimmy, too much junk and too much hassle. Here is the entrance. It was another mob scene, although I'm not sure this photograph captures the mobs that were bustling in and out. I recall seeing a WC sign outside the Bazaar, and thinking, "No way, I bet the line is an hour long."

Approaching the Bazaar

Nearing the Bazaar

Entrance to the Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar

Outer Gate to Grand Bazaar

Here is the inner gate to the Bazaar.

Inner Entrance to Grand Bazaar

Inner Bazaar with the Swarming Crowds.

As soon as you get to the bazaar and before you can even get in the building you see the wares displayed.

Colorful Wares for Sale Outside at Bazaar Entrance

Rugs and Purses Outside Bazaar

There is a mosque in the Bazaar building and here is the minaret.

Minaret at Mosque in Grand Bazaar

Here is the arched and painted ceiling inside the Bazaar.

Painted Arched Ceiling Inside Grand Bazaar

Another shot of the celing.

Main Downstairs Hall of Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar resembles a huge shopping mall, only it's hundreds of years old. You can find some beautiful things, but there are a million shops that sell the same things. So, if it's ceramics you're interested in, you have about 200 choices of where to shop for them. It's a great place to buy gold and silver, which they sell by the weight. I have always wanted a gold bangle bracelet. I almost bought a very simple, beautiful one. 18K which is the best. It's so beautiful and shiny. It would have cost me about $250 but I decided in the end I'd rather spend the money on us than us having to skimp on things during the rest of the trip. I told myself if things cost less than I anticipated and I still could afford it at the end of our trip I'd go back for it, but in the end I decided I have a lifetime to acquire a gold bangle.

There are also millions of shops that sell gemstones. Lots of diamonds. I saw some beautiful rubies. I have also always wanted a ruby. :) Here is a cat taking a nap in front of a diamond shop.

Cat Dozing in Front of Diamond Shop in the Grand Bazaar

The Bazaar is cool if you want to shop, and as much as I usually enjoy shopping, I just wasn't in the mood to buy gifts or souvenirs. I think Christmas did me in. I shopped and shopped for months and packed and repacked those suitcases after packaging and padding breakables, then I sweated it the whole way home. I just didn't feel like going through it all again. Plus, I feel like everybody owns too much junk and we surround ourselves with meaningless crap. I decided I would buy something functional, like a beautiful ceramic vase,but that I wasn't going to bring home dolls and little wallets and purses and the usual tchotchkes I bring home for everybody.

In any case, I hate malls, and after you walk around a little while you get the picture. Plus, the shop keeps are aggressive. If you window shop, they come out and try to persuade you to come in and buy something. One man even overhead me speaking to Jimmy about gold and dragged me to his shop two "blocks" away. He's the one who offered me the deal on the bracelet. But we were kind of tired and after awhile we felt like we'd seen all there was to see there so we headed back to the hostel to regroup, and also to sightsee along the way.

Here is a mosque right outside the Grand Bazaar. I wish I knew the names of all of these mosques.

Mosque Outside Grand Bazaar

I took this picture out on the main drag because I thought it was funny.

Harem Jewelry

Here's another mosque.

Another Mosque Whose Name I Never Discovered

They are literally everywhere.

Here is a column in a parking lot we walked through. It had carvings on and it and looked ancient, and it was kind of funny to see it sitting in this parking lot with cars parking around it. Like I said, such a mix of old and new. So many eras, so many moments in history, all touching.