Alış Veriş Istanbul’da

The theme of the day was shopping! After sleeping until a slightly more normal time of 6:45, we enjoyed breakfast and then headed out on the tram again, intending to see the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace... but the first had a huge line and the second is closed on Tuesdays. So we improvised, spending several hours in the Istanbul Archeology Museum, which has an impressive array of artifacts, including some enormous sarcophagi decorated with ridiculously detailed carvings.

From there, we wandered back to the area of the spice market, but stayed on the surrounding streets, where things are cheaper. We bought some apple tea since we had enjoyed it so much when one shopkeeper shared some with us yesterday. Walking by the water, Tay got us each a simit, or a circle of sesame seed bread. (Yes, it’s pretty much a sesame seed bagel, just proportioned differently.) We wandered through mazes of cobblestoned side streets lined with shops, taking advantage of the fact that the weather forecast was wrong and we actually had no rain today. We found our way to the book bazaar, which is one of my favorite experiences so far. As soon as you climb a few steps onto this street, the world is suddenly quieter, and the bazaar has a cozier feel, shaded beneath trees and the side of a mosque.


We made a few purchases – when can Tay and I ever pass up books? – and, on a whim, decided to enter the mosque. We were met with fantastic mosaics of bright red and blue; it was our favorite mosque thus far, even over the famed Blue Mosque. Just beyond this was the impressive entrance to Istanbul University.

Taking advantage of the surprisingly dry day, we decided to head up to Taksim Square, on the other side of the city, where Tay’s cousin and his wife had taken us for dinner on our first night. They had showed us around a bit, but we wanted to explore for ourselves. We walked partway, stopping to purchase a set of Turkish tea cups so we can preserve our daily ritual of sipping delicious tea from the special glasses once we are back home. Due to tired feet and no nearby tram stop, we took a cab the rest of the way and were greeted by an impressive statue depicting Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, leading the military and then emerging as a statesman.


Prior to our trip, I had read and heard that Istanbul is a city that embraces both the old and the new. Though I had been warned, the stark contrasts between Taksim and the parts of Istanbul we had previously seen shocked me. This section is incredibly modern, with trendy clothing stores and Westernized restaurants. The architecture is more similar to that seen in other European cities; in fact, we could easily have been exploring Paris or London. The people who frequent this area are, in general, younger and less conservative; brightly-dyed hair, piercings, and trendy styles of dress abounded.

We finished the day browsing the main thoroughfare and a number of smaller offshoots (and, yes, made more purchases… you know, to support the economy) and enjoyed a delicious dinner before taking the tram home. Tomorrow we will attempt to see the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace, but with all the things to see here, we never quite know where each day will lead us.