Day 2: The Grand Bazaar

One of the gated entrances to the Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is almost too grand for words to describe, but I will make my best attempt. 

First, there are the people and the crowd is like a river - once you're in it, you pretty much go wherever it takes you. As it turns out, this isn't the best when the inside of the bazaar more closely resembles an ant farm than a market. Once inside, the sights, scents and sounds bombard you all at once. Brightly colored lamps and rugs hang from every wall in every pattern imaginable. The sent of teas, spices, baklava, lokum (Turkish delights) and human sweat combine to form a uniquely Turkish perfume. And on top of all that, the voices of hundreds of men selling their wares and haggling with customers in multiple languages creates that distinctive market buzz.   

When we eventually made our way out, my heart was racing. 

Turkish apple tea

Amongst all the excitement I somehow managed to do a little shopping. But I have to say that my favorite part about the whole thing is the Turkish custom of serving tea to guests. Almost as soon as I sat down to try on a pair of shoes, a warm cup of apple tea was in my hand. In that moment it was easy to almost forgot that I was in a busy market and not a guest in someone's home. Neadless to say, I bought the shoes (below) and I am very pleased with them. I even did a little haggling and got the price down to 50 lira from 90. All in all, the Grand Bazaar was a success. 

Ottoman Silk shoes