Istanbul

The plague has taken residence in our abode. Run away from us, run quickly. Ye who know us in Norway, avoid us, for yay we do carry death. The red X is on the door and we are quarantined. Oh woa was us.

Yep, Rich is sick too. It's a veritable slothfest around here. Pyjamas have been worn for two days straight. Tissues run amok. Nose sprays multiply like pointy little bunnies. It's a bad bad scene.

So, to remember happier days, pics from Istanbul, including.....SHOPPING!


Here's a sneak picture my Dad took of me at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Yes, I do have a very serious face on. It's because, probably, I had just asked the guy what the price of that scarf was and he named some outrageous price, so I, in return, put on my "You are fucked in the head" face. It's all part of the game. I have learned there are two kinds of people in the world, those who like to bargain (me and my father) and those who don't (surprisingly, my mom.) I fucking LOVE bargaining.

This is Zincirli Han. The hans are little courtyards off the bazaar, or sometimes kind of in the middle, (it is a vast and "byzantine" place) where the traders and caravanserie used to rest and store their goods. It was also a place for travelers and their livestock to stay in the old days, when going from trading place to trading place. They can be very charming. This one is famous for being occupied by jeweler's shops.

In the Grand Bazaar.

The sort of thing you can buy in the Grand Bazaar. (ahem.) I also got some in black. Because, hello? When will I get back there again? You quickly learn, if you like it, bargain for it and buy it, because God only knows when you will ever see embroidered silk and leather lined boots again in your lifetime. (grin)

Ok ok enough of the shopping (and news break...... OH MY FUCKING GOD IT'S SNOWING. GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!). Colleen always has a rule when traveling: You must do at least an hour of actual touristic sightseeing before can you go shopping. Like eating your vegetables before dessert. So, here's some pics of non-shopping related stuff.

Street scene outside a restaurant we had lunch. Istanbul is a buslting vibrant city. It is peaceful in no way shape or form. Except maybe in the Hagia Sophia or the different mosques.

A view of the Bosphorus I got when I pointed my camera out an open window that was a bit above my head in the Hagia Sophia.

A small courtyard inside the harem at Topkapi Palace. The whole thing was covered in the most beautiful tilework. There was alot of decoration. Every surface was painted, tiled or covered with something.

Byzantine mosaic in Hagia Sophia.
The building was the most amazing edifice I have ever been in. Just imaging the things that have happened there, the history that has passed in out and around it....fifteen hundred years of time and humanity. 9th century Viking grafitti? .... written by someone from half a world away, just casually left on a banister that I leaned on!

Everyone should see this building at some point in their lives.