Since the day started gray and spitting rain, we crossed the street to visit the Blue Mosque.  You remove your shoes before entering and carry them in a plastic bag during your visit.  I was embarrassed to hear an American express dismay that his socks would get dirty.  He hadn't seen the carpets covering the floors of the mosque, I guess.  The blue tiles that cover the interior are spectacular and my crappy photography won't give you a true picture of how stunning they are.

 

 

 

 

After touring, we headed to the Grand Bazaar.  (for those of you making odds as to how many rugs we bring home--nary a one) We'd read all about it, seen pics of it--nothing could have prepared us for the actual experience.  There are THOUSANDS of merchants on hundreds of streets and alleyways--and they're all under a roof. 

Most of the shops are tiny and they sell everything from the aforementioned rugs to incredible gold and silver, as well as the most improbable of knock-off designer goods.  The merchants are notoriously assertive.  They have incredible competition and their spiel to passersby is what can make/break a deal.  They all move from language to language trying to get your attention for a moment. (Mein Herr! Como esta? Are you American? I have a brother with a restaurant in Cleveland)  A favorite was witnessing a young Turk say to a young Asian female, "I've seen you somewhere...on tv? (no response)  You Chinese? (nods and continues walking) ...at which point he started to speak in what appeared to be fluent Mandarin.  (she laughed out loud and continued on.)  We were offered tea by a carpet salesman.  I fear that, had I not walked on, we'd be the proud new owners of an antique turquoise carpet that had caught Terry's eye.

After a couple of dizzying hours, we hopped on the tram and headed to 'new' Istanbul (European, not Asian--that will come later this week).  In ten minutes, we were in Taksim Square and starting down the pedestrian shopping frenzy that is Istiklal Caddesi.  It would seem that half of the city's residents are shopping at any given time.  We popped into a kebap house for lunch before continuing down Istiklal with the millions of others walking it.

There's an underground funicular (Tunel) that connects Istiklal with the waterfront.  After descending we walked across the Galata Bridge toward the fish boats that we recognized from yesterday's fish breads. 

Before heading back up the hill to Sultanahmet, we walked through the spice bazaar. 

While nothing as crazy as the Grand Bazaar, the shopkeepers have the same skills and spend every moment, when not coaxing potential customers, tidying their displays.  These guys are merchandising maniacs.  I do mean guys, by the way.  We didn't see a single woman working in a shop today--and very few in restaurants.  I guess that explains why so many of the women of Istanbul were shopping.

We headed back to the hotel and, since it was just across the street, made a tour of Hagia Sophia.  Again, the pics will not suffice, but it is easily as impressive as the Blue Mosque. 

There are also the tombs of sultans and their families.  To visit any of the tombs, you are required to remove your shoes.  Since the crowd here isn't as crazy, you just leave them by the door.  A sultan's tomb, and those of the princes, feature turbans.  Seriously. Terry with the princes.

The sun had come out, so we headed to the rooftop of our hotel for a beer and an opportunity to get a sunburn before taking a well-deserved nap before dinner.