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| We entered Istanbul at midday, past some of the magnificent mosques that line the shore.
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Our arrival was greeted by a flotilla of small boats and at least one tour boat that changed course to come over and check us out. | |
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There are still old stations for guarding the Hellespont and the entrance to the Black Sea.
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Since we had been to Istanbul before, we had seen the major tourist attractions. We decided to take a tour that went to the bazaars--a bizarre choice for non-shoppers like us.
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One of our stops was the Spice Bazaar.
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True to its name, the bazaar had stall after stall offering all kinds of spices. Saffron was the most common.
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There were many other offerings, including many confections made of dried fruit and/or nuts. Turkish Delight was popular.
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Other, less expected things included sponges and a few things that we never did identify. | |
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Then we wandered outside and found ourselves in the middle of a crowded local market selling all kinds of vegetables, meat, fish, etc. At every stand someone was yelling the Turkish equivalent of "Get your roasted almonds here," so the noise level was high.
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| This is the only place we have ever seen where you can buy string cheese by the string.
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And if you ever need a sheep's head. . . | |
| Afterwards we did a little shopping at the Grand Bazaar, where we bargained instead of taking pictures. | ||