Great Journey 🏍 Day 287
The Grand Bazaar is probably the highlight of İstanbul. But the Grand Bazaar is not everything, the whole old city is a bazaar.
We stroll through the neighbourhoods, observe the traders, the suppliers (on carriages, with wheelbarrows or tower-packed scooters or motorbikes and simply dragging the goods behind them) and the customers. We notice that this is a man's world. We see few women, at most as customers or tourists.
The quarters seem to be divided thematically: here the lamp quarter, there the electrical accessories quarter. Our son strolls through the artists' supplies corner. A little later, we discover the fabric and tailor's accessories shops. Now it's all over for us. I discover in my son the same joy in handicrafts as in me. That was new to me. He stomps out of the shop with a big bag full of ribbons, zips and sewing knick-knacks.
In the end, he even convinces me to lend him my beloved Bernina sewing machine that I had left at home. (And Gerd helps him with it. Later I find out that they had cooked it up together beforehand!)
The Grand Bazaar flickers. Our hearts leap. These old walls, the radiant colours, the scents and last but not least the haggling, the chatting, the wooing of us as customers. And again and again the invitation to tea. "No, just drink tea, you don't need to buy anything!"
And no, considering our luggage situation, we didn't buy coloured lamps, beautiful tea glasses, real carpets, shiny gold jewellery or a year's worth of spices. We actually just enjoyed the moment there.
#grandbazaar #İstanbul #imRauschderSinne #Istanbul
