We awoke to a rainy day, and it continued for most of the day. We were quite wet by the time we got back to the hotel (about 3:30). The Turks were pleased it was raining as they’d only had a few days of rain all winter, the Tourists not so much ☔️.
We started our sightseeing by travelling in our bus to the Pera area and doing a walking tour. We saw some streets where the pubs and nightclubs are, (it was quiet on a rainy morning), we followed a pedestrian street with an old tram running down the middle, went around a small art gallery. We also went up the Genovesi-built Galata Tower with views of the city in all directions. It would be quite spectacular on a sunny day but we experienced the misty grey views. One part of Istanbul is in Europe and the other in Asia, part of the city is situated on the water (the Golden Horn). After that we went to one of the oldest restaurants in the city for lunch. I tried some lamb Gyros which was really good. After that we walked around the corner to the Rustem Pasha Mosque (which is on top of the bazaar) where again, there are beautiful 16 cent. tiles decorating the interior, the carpets we walked on (with our wet socks and shoeless feet) were lovely and clean and soft. We then went back downstairs and had a walk in the Grand Bazaar, first stop was a spice shop for a free sample of their fruity tutti tea which was made from strawberries, pomegranates (and more). We also sampled several different kinds of Turkish Delight - it was very nice, and nothing like that pink stuff Grandma tried to have us eat at Christmas. Of course, once amongst the spices we decided to buy some smoked paprika and some chilli (both grown in Turkey), they were weighed and then vacuum packed and labeled. We continued browsing and bought some hand-made soaps and a fridge magnet. There was no pressure from the vendors, which was nice, one even said his father lived in Oakville, Ontario, and he liked Timmy’s double-double.
We returned to the hotel about 3:30 to dry off. I dried my shoes with the hairdryer so will be ready to go out for some dinner later.
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