April 28, 2015

Unplanned Roof Top Tour of the Grand Bazaar


Suliman Mosque


Some of mine and Lady Hiva’s favorite experiences come from unexpected trips and wandering in places we have never been. This weekend did not let us down! We had planned to meet some great friends for a last Turkish Breakfast—they are delicious. We then all decided to walk off all the calories that we just ate and experience more of Istanbul’s historical area.

Turkish Breakfast



We walked around Galata Tower area and then across the famous “Golden Horn” on the Galata Bridge (dodging all the people and fishermen along the way). Actually, I am not sure why they want to fish there, the water is not the cleanest…but I guess if you like your fish flavored a bit, go to it! Haha.

Galata Tower






The Golden Horn (an offshoot of the Bosphorus)


Fishermen on Galata Bridge






The next stop was the Spice Market. We walked through the tourist section for looks and then went into the narrow streets were local shop from thousands of vendors. WE wanted to get a juicer, something that we have come to love about Istanbul is the never ending amounts of juice stands to buy fresh fruit juices. We are hoping we can re-create it in the States when we go.
Turkish Lamps




We went right in without asking questions...to matter that it was locked and this old man had the key. We had not idea where we were headed and if we could come out--talk about blind trust!
And…if we were this close, why not go to the Grand Bazaar? So we walked through all the store lined back streets to the famous Grand Bazaar. I actually like the stores out in the street so much better—it is less crowded and the salesmen are less aggressive. On our way, one of our good friends took us to some places we had never been before—the roof tops of all the old shopping areas. If you have ever seen Taken 2 or 007 (the newest version), you can see Istanbul and people running along these rooftops. The views are amazing and it was fun to see them in real life. We have wandered the streets and shops several times, but this was fun to see the views differently. Even if it did look like we were being led into a dungeon a few times! Hehe










Rooftop view of Golden Horn










It was a great way to celebrate all that Istanbul has been for us! We are going to miss this amazing city and the people (and food) that it holds. 

Inside the Grand Bazaar






Above the Grand Bazaar



He wanted to wash his hands at every fountain












Free candy from the shop owner