Day 1

These pictures are a little out of order. We'll start with the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. They used to be the local markets hundreds of years ago, but now they're mostly for us tourists, to practice out bartering skills. I was of course ripped off, not heeding the advice of our hostel owners who said...girls just look today, don't buy. And it was then that I heard the words of David telling me, oh who cares it's all just part of experiencing the culture :)Sandra's favorite - the lamp store
Mmmm, Turkish treats and spices....
Dried rose buds, the man at this counter gave one to each of us and I still can't believe how strong they smelled...apparently you make tea with them.
This is where we get out of order.... this is the night we arrived and the next morning.
Our hostel !! We got there at 5 am, and our taxi barely made it up the hill with all that snow...
We slept right through breakfast so our hostel made us some extra special Turkish omlettes, more like eggs stewed with tomatoes, peppers and onions and some concoction of spices that we were told could only be emulated in Lyon if we brought a Turk back with us.
a tour of the roof, during the summer this is the spot to be, but as you can see right now, it serves only as a spot to throw snowballs.

The Blue Mosque...