Mizz S and I are spending 6 days here in Istanbul. Going to the Grand Bazaar earlier today, we had a game plan: try to see at least a respectable fraction of the 4,000 shops and don't make any sizable purchases today because we can come back later once we shop around more.
We visited four shops.
The first, we stared at carpet upon carpet and drank apple tea with the owner. We stayed strong in our plan.
The second, I almost bought a diamond and sapphire platinum ring from the 1930s. And, or, maybe an opal ring. But I walked away (almost certain I'd come back).
The third, Mizz S and I drank apple tea as we bought pashminas- me, two; Mizz S, one.
The fourth, I walked away with one silk-on-silk soumak carpet, and Mizz S had two of 'em. We got more apple tea.
Thank goodness they were heavy because we were forced to be done shopping as a logistical matter (because, clearly, our plan to not buy today was not full proof).
 |
| One of the many entrances into the endless maze of shops. |
 |
| This may come in handy to use as a tent while I pay off my credit cards. |
 |
| These photos are not doing it justice. |
 |
| This is a design from the Caucus region. Saying it's a Caucasian design makes me laugh. |
2 comments:
Not wanting to be a buzz-kill, but curious how you're going to get the carpet home? I don't know if it works like this, but maybe you can ship stuff home at a discounted rate on available space on military flights? Hope so, that would be nice.
The carpet actually folds up quite nicely. It's just a matter of toting 15 pounds or so. :-/
Post a Comment