The Grand Bazaar

I don't even know what to say! Total sensory overload. There is so much of everything. People and cars and merchandise and noise and things to see and old buildings and new ones and I don't have any idea of where to start! Let's see.

Melek took us to İstanbul's version of "downtown" which was new stores in old buildings and street vendors and cobblestones and C-trains all in the same place. Mattie and I bought quite a few postcards from booths along the street. Then we enter a building and I think "mall". Not quite. I am in the Grand Bazaar, and Günar motions for me to hold my purse to me, which I do for the entire night. There are SO many people crowded into the covered marken that I didn't have time to really look around because I was afraid of losing Melek in the crowd. But basically she winds this crazy path through the halls of this building until I have no idea what direction is where we came from and we exit into an outdoor market, more touristy than the one I visited last weekend. We strolled around and bought envolopes and baked potatoes and some sort of candy on a stick and had a grand time.

But oh! The indoor section was crazy! There was barely room for another person and everyone was moving and going about their business and if you were in their way it was like a game of chicken and whoever ducked out first must be a tourist. And the vendors were talking to everyone and anyone and some would offer me things in Türkçe but some would offer me things in English and everyone was talking. You would walk by a store and if your eyes lingered too long on any one item someone was trying to sell it to you and if you were bold enough (or stupid enough, in my case) to point at something- good luck! I would love to go back when I'm fluent in Turkish, but until then I would fear death by overeager sales people.

I also saw a mosque, though I'm not sure which one it was. It was huge! And we weren't able to go in because Melek and Mattie and I were all wearing sleeveless shirts. At the door they had a basket of what I assume are headscarves for tourists to borrow when they wish to enter, so that wouldn't have been a problem. I will get to see inside eventually- I am here for a year.

Well it's 2:30 am here and I am exhausted, so if I think of more to write, I'll post tomorrow.

-Maeghan