Finally, the last thing on our list of big tourist stops: the Great Istanbul Bazaar.

It’s a nice stroll through an old complex of buildings and corridors, halls and domes, all interconnected and basically turning a whole neighborhood into a market, an ancient shopping mall, so to speak.

You can buy most anything a visitor to Turkey would want: scarfs, tea, hamam soap, leather bags, spices, lamps, ceramics…

 

We walked around for an hour or two, but at one point you can feel your head spinning from all the sensory overload, colors, sounds and smells. Time for a break with Turkish pastry and lemonade. We didn’t buy anything but some (more) soap.

On into the sun to see the neighborhood, especially the Süleymaniye Mosque, a beautifully restored major mosque of Istanbul. But I wore shorts and Sabine had no scarf, and we were to lazy to borrow the ones they kept for visitors, and just sat on the stones in the sun listening to one of the many guides.

From the terraces we had a beautiful view over the Golden Horn, and spotted a roof top café with an even better view. Up there, another break and simmering in the sun.

 

From there, a quick stroll through a really derelict area, towards the roman aqueduct. We didn’t go up this time, even if there were some people taking a stroll. But the construction to get down, a blue rope and a raggedy ladder, resting on some stones, really did not elicit our trust….

Back with the tram over to Galata, we walked over the bridge again and strolled along the water, and sat down for some delicious meze in a restaurant and shop close to the water.

Up to Galata Tower, where Sabine bought more hamam towels, and then we walked back to our place – again having to make a detour at the French school to avoid the police water canons that now pretty much block Istiklal Street.

Back home, we needed a break from all the sun. We didn’t go out (again), being tired, but also a bit scared off by the massive police presence, and the fact that the protests happen mostly during the evening.

 

So we were inside, watching a French movie, and trying to deal with that unfortunate cat that somehow is stuck in our backyard, meowing heartbreakingly all through last night and all evening.

However, when you try to approach her, she runs off, and cannot be lured through the open door… We left her some water and milk in the yard, and tomorrow we’ll try to scare her out and up to the front door… until then, sleepless in Istanbul.