As promised. I have made it safely to New Zealand. My plane was late leaving Istanbul, what was I saying about efficiency? I had an hour to clear customs and get on my flight to New Zealand in Doha. Although I and my large suitcase made it here. My Fri(day) suitcase I had fastidiously packed before I left did not make it. I will probably see it on Monday. For now, I have made another technical pitstop before I drive home. My two friends work from home on Fridays and I shall *work* as well.

Where were we? Ah yes, Bazaars. After leaving the Basilica Cistern we meandered towards the Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning ‘Covered Market’; also Büyük Çarşı, meaning ‘Grand Market’^[1]) in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops^[2][3] on a total area of 30,700 m²,^[4] attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.^[5] In 2014, it was listed No.1 among the world’s most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors.^[6] The Grand Bazaar at Istanbul is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls of the world.

Hard-earned experience being grifted in South East Asia, downright mugged in Egypt and everything in between has made me a bit shy of such places. I had an ace up my sleeve this time. Very little luggage space and a convivial but firm German. I would not be buying a carpet, magic lamp, or anything else I did not need.

I have to say most of the shopkeepers were very polite. They will usually say hello and are not pushy in a traditional sense. I am sure if you engage and say you are after a particular item a game of sorts will begin but Silvi would just say thank you and that would be it. What I was not prepared for was Silvi finding increasingly ridiculous items that I did not need.

Cat Pillows.

Camouflage outfits for Dad and Son. Moustaches optional extra.

Turkish traditional outfits, Tarboush Tarboosh, and strange boots were also floated.

I deflected this unintentional salesperson with good grace and after a good session inside the Grand Bazaar, we made our way to the spice market. Surrounding the Spice market you get the temporary stalls and street sellers that you might find in Asia. This blend reminded me of the Souks in Qatar. It was here the shopkeepers would rattle off a series of greetings to ascertain where you are from. I am VERY happy given my garb and demeanor I was not mistaken for being English. Not so happy I got mistaken for being Dutch or South African.

We were soon inside the Spice Bazaar.

There are several documents suggesting that the name of the bazaar was first “New Bazaar”. Then it got its name “Egyptian Bazaar” (Turkish: Mısır Çarşısı) because it was built with the revenues from the Ottomaneyalet of Egypt in 1660.^[1] The word mısır has a double meaning in Turkish: “Egypt” and “maize“. This is why sometimes the name is wrongly translated as “Corn Bazaar”. The bazaar was (and still is) the center for spice trade in Istanbul, but in recent years shops of other types are gradually replacing the sellers of spices.^[1]

I would have loved to pick up some spices here, the colors and variety on offer were inspiring even for a Chef who needs a six-month break from his potentially lethal cooking each year. Unfortunately, New Zealand biosecurity and the potential unwelcome admin were not something I could stomach. I will never forget the smell of the spice bazaar, all of the spices combined in a fragrancy from another world.

We did pick up a good amount of Turkish Delight. Pro tip; Turkish Delight works best when it is stationed on top of a bedside set of drawers.

After the Spice Bazaar we made a unique walk across the river Bosphorus. We left the European continent and walked to Asia.

We dined at a couple of places near our hotel. In my next post, I shall write about these and add professional photos from Silvi. TTFN.