Later Today

Alright...I forgot to add some stuff to the last post...so I'm going to add it in now. So, in the Hagia Sophia and basically everywhere you go there are stray cats. And they are so cute! 

That one was just chilling in the the Hagia Sophia. 

And that one was just on the sidewalk in the middle of the city. There are also stray dogs and one of the dogs had a stand off with one of the cats...

The cat was quicker. But the poor doggy just wanted to play. Also, I forgot to mention that the "not a tour guide but will give you a tour" carpet guy asked how old I was. When I told him 18, he looked at me and said "you look no older than 15!" All I'm gonna say is, I was not impressed. I do not look 15. But I guess he thought that if he told me I look younger than it would flatter me. Unacceptable. Haha. And we found the pomegranate guy again! This time, I took a picture! 

Sooo good. Anyways, so we headed out from our hotel and went to Palatium cafe to have some more Turkish coffee and baklava. The cafe kept playing Spanish music. 

Then we planned on walking to the Grand Bazaar to go shopping. Well, by the time we got there it was closing. So we decided to head back to the hotel. On our way back we stopped at 3 shops to get Lokum (Turkish Delight). Then dad decided to use the local bathroom and this is what it looked like. 

He said that it looks just like the ones in Africa. Or at least how they used to look. So we spent some time looking around, talking to different vendors. Using that "we'll come back tomorrow" line. Then we entered some bazaar that's name started with an A but I can't remember. And that's where we struck gold. We walked around and then entered a spice shop. We were trying to find saffron, but all the other spice shops were selling Turkish saffron which had no taste or smell and didn't even look like saffron. We go into this shop and the guy working there approaches us. He asks us where we are from and we say Texas. Then he says that he used to live in the states for 6 years. Dad asks him where he is originally from and he says Egypt and then the real conversation starts. He and dad start talking about all the places and where they've been. Then he asks us what we are looking for and we say saffron. He tells us the Turkish saffron is shit (his words) and that he sells Iranian saffron. He gives some to dad to test out and it's amazing. Probably the best quality we would be able to find. It's got the right smell and taste and the color was so vibrant. 

The top is the Iranian and the orange is the "shit". Before we purchase the saffron he asks us if we are looking for anything else. We were looking for some heads scarves and so he brings us to his friend across the street who sells linens. This guy also sells fake watches and so dad spends forever looking at the watches. It was a really cool store. After we were done there, we went back to the spice shop to finish our purchase. We ask about the Turkish delight they are selling and because this Egyptian and dad have been getting along so well he gives us 10 lira off the price per kilo and advises which to get and which not to get. Then he and dad start talking politics and about the Kuwaitis and the British. They offer us tea while the pack everything and he and dad just keep on talking. At one point, when describing the Kuwaitis the Egyptian says "there is a phrase in Turkish that describes them perfectly. They look at the sun with their ass!" Haha. When all the purchasing was done, the guys says his name is...Hamid. Just like my dad! And dad says "an Egyptian selling Iranian saffron in Turkey. Who would have thought." 

After all that we decided to go get some dinner. We went to the cafe right beside the hotel called Defne. I ordered apricot juice (they didn't have my pomegranate) with this dish called güvec. It was a lamb stew. And we had pita bread with humus. I normally don't like humus but this was so good. Ahhhh, the food here is just perfect. And cheap! 

For some reason they always serve fries. And the fries are not very good. But the waiters every where are wonderful. RICO! If you're reading this, I want you to know...I FOUND YOUR SUPER SIZED ME! This guy reminded me so much of you, except he was shorter and a bit fatter. But he is the Rico of Sultanahmet! Except he doesn't run the city, he is just a waiter. But still, he was your twin. 

While sitting on the street I got to hear Turkish rap. It's pretty hardcore. And they played Shania Twain. So much English! 

All the people here are so nice and wonderful. They are just happy. Which makes me happy! I could totally live here. There is so much culture and just a good vibe from everyone. Oh my goodness, the men all look so metro. It's that European fashion. And even the women with burkas look beautiful. People here are just pretty. 

Anashaya - the guy who sold me my head scarves looked like a younger version of babba. It was so weird! 

That's a picture of some of the Turkish Delight we bought from. Ha, I also took a picture of the Burger King here. 

And a view of the sea from the street. 

While we were having dinner a Turkish version of Mariachi came by. I took a video and I don't know if it will load. Ugh. It won't post the video. But it was pretty cool! And here are some pictures of the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque at night. 

So gorgeous. Anyways, it's about 4:50 am. Time for bed! I used the bidet...it was actually nice. Hopefully I didn't forget anything this time. But my memory sucks, so who knows!