Sunday--January 23--Spice Market

Sunday-January 23--feeling a bit better

Around 9:00 a.m. I get out of bed, take a shower and go downstairs for breakfast.  I see Maria and ask if she wants to have dinner together.  We agree upon 7:00 p.m.

I’m feeling a bit better today and decide I want to see the Spice Market.  The weather is not looking so stable and the forecast is for rain.  After breakfast it’s not raining so I venture out.

Getting to the Spice Market is easy; the funicular to the tram and the tram to Eminonu just on the other side of the Bosphorus.  

Walking to the Spice Market from the tram I pass the “New Mosk” and go for a quick look but when I walk up the stairs realize I’m not really interested in going in.

The outside of the building is more interesting with all the birds nestled on walls and many more gathered on the ground.  

There are several women selling “food” for the birds. 

bird feed seller

Just around the corner is the Spice Market.

  

Not long after I arrive at the Spice Market the rain comes down but I’m inside.  I walk around and see that there is more to the Spice Market than just spices.  There are many spice vendors but I also see a lot of stores with “Turkish Delights”,  sweet candy.

I find an essential oils stall and go inside.  The man, of course, is all over me wanting to know where I’m from and how he can help me.  I love the display and different bottles the oils are in.

For some reason the “rose” oil speaks to me.  There are many variations of rose oil but I ask to smell the one from Istanbul. I figure it’s best to take something local.  Oh that smells great.  

I sample a few more oils but really like the one from Istanbul.  He asks if I’ve come to Istanbul with a group or by myself.

“I’m with a group”, I say “I’ve just gone away from them for a while”.  Best he thinks that’s the truth.  Then he asks if he can give me a hand massage with a “special” oil.  O.k.  I let him.  Then he brings out this bottle of  "afrodsia for men" and I have to laugh.  Is he trying to say something.  I just laugh.

afrodsia for men

I buy a very small bottle of the Istanbul rose oil for 30TL.

There really isn’t as much of the Spice Market as I thought there would be.  Some of it is outside and now it’s raining.  I decide to go back on the tram so maybe I can visit the Dolmababce Palace.  On the way to the tram I stop at a “nut” seller and buy some pistachios and walnuts.  I’m sure I overpaid but not in the mood for bargaining. 

I get on the tram and the rain is coming down but I have my hood on the jacket.

I get back to the hotel and am very disappointed that the weather is so bad.  I sit and write for a time hoping it’s going to stop.  

The girls who are staying here from Greece, Alexandra and Olivia return and tell me the palace was fabulous.  Oh I’ll go later or tomorrow.  No it’s closed on Monday.  I’m not sure I want to go today in the rain so I continue to write. 

Before I know it, it’s 4:00 and now too late to go to the palace. I’ve pretty much decided I will leave Istanbul Tuesday so I won’t get to see it.  I’m thinking maybe I’ll feel  better in a place that is warmer.  I don’t know.  I’m very anxious.

I go upstairs and rest for a while.  Just want to feel better.

At 7:00 I meet Maria downstairs and ask if she wants to try this restaurant that was recommended to me.  Sure why not.  We get directions it doesn’t seem to be too far away.

The rain has stopped but it’s really cold outside.

We walk down Istikal Steet toward the restaurant.  

While walking we see the street car but there are two connected and one is filled with a band playing live music and throwing off fog.  Amazing.  I try to get a photo but it’s moving too fast for me.  

We continue down the street and when we find the address I have for the restaurant it is unfortunately closed.  I hadn’t even thought about calling ahead.  The street we are has many restaurants, all seeming well populated so we choose another one.

Maria decides that this restaurant must be famous or well known because there are many photos of people, who we assume are famous in Turkey, on the wall.  

It is a fish restaurant so I decide I’ll have fish.  They have several kinds of fish but when I go to the case where they are displayed really they only have two choices and I pick the Sea Bass.  This restaurant is 3 times the price of the one below our hotel.

The man comes over with a tray of lots of different salads.  You can choose what you want.  I’m thinking they are included if you order fish, like in Israel, but I was wrong.  When the bill comes I see everything is ala carte.  It was very good though.  The fish was even better than the restaurant next to the hotel.

I enjoy having dinner with someone else for a change.  Maria is very nice and of course we talk about teaching English.  She tells me a bit about her earlier travels to Istanbul with her mother and sister.  This is how she knows Bashar, one of the owners of 10 Suites hotel where we are staying.  We talk about the noise and I discover it isn’t only me who thinks it’s noisy.  She also tells me that she can smell the fish from the restaurant below and the cigarette smoke from the street.  She is two floor below me.  Ouch.

We decide to go to another place for dessert.  I suggest the famous one with the pistachio pyramid in the window.  So that’s where we go.  

I have flan and she has some pudding log made from rice flour with what looks like chocolate on top.  It was very sticky and I didn’t like it much.  I did enjoy my flan though.

We walked back to the hotel and said goodnight.