Day 3 - Istanbul

So for the second night in a row, we had trouble falling asleep... we were awake until 4am this time. Our bodies don't want to switch over to Istanbul time. And once again, we got a late start in the morning, eating breakfast then setting off around 11:30am.

We spent most of the day at the Topkapi Palace. Since I am not really a jewels guy, I wasn't too interested in the imperial treasures (though quite impressive). However, I did like looking at the relics the Ottoman's captured during their conquest of Egypt. Where else can you see Moses's staff, John the Baptist's right arm (yes, his actual arm), and Mohammed's beard and tooth? We paid the extra admission fee to go further into the palace and check out the Sultan's Harem. The Sultan had an interesting set up. He had hundreds of concubines for the choosing living within the harem walls, arranged in a hierarchy according to his favorites. There was one sultan who had his entire harem of 280 women tied in sacks and throw into the Bosphorus Strait when he tired of them. The men who guarded the harem had to be castrated (the Eunuchs). Despite all of this, being a Eunuch or concubine seemed to be highly coveted positions.

After the palace, we traveled to the Grand Bazaar, the largest covered bazaar in the world with over 4000 shops (employing 30,000 people). The Bazaar was basically a huge maze . . . we got lost many times and vendors accost you with the few English phrases they've learned, such as "Let me sell you something you don't need." Items have no set price, so you basically have to negotiate with vendors. I didn't really want anything, but after a few minutes Kim decided she wanted some small bowls. Time for me to start haggling. After surveying the prices of bowls at 10 different vendors, I engaged. Kim's job was to walk away as if disinterested. Eventually, after Kim started getting frustrated with my cut-throat negotiations, I settled on what I thought to be a good deal. Mission accomplished.

For dinner, we met up with a few American friends who now live in Turkey.