Eating and shopping weekend in Istanbul

I'm told that Turkey has a rich history, but I'm saving that for another visit... Just kidding. This is my third visit to Istanbul and I have never gone outside the city-- I know! Erik and I went to the Basilica Cistern and those places on another visit. I plan to go to Cappadocia one day to take one of the famous hot air balloon rides... There are many other sites in Turkey I would like to visit when I have the time... Green mountains and blue beaches...

Istanbul, currently a city of about 20 million people.

During this recent two day visit with my friend Aicha we toured the 15th century opulent Topkapi Palace, home to Ottoman sultans, and really enjoyed the rich history of the Sultanahmet area.. But we also enjoyed the epic restaurant and shopping experiences that are one of a kind. Turkish food is fresh, delicious and at reasonable prices.

Friday breaktime on a terrace overlooking historic Sultanahmet.

We had a visit to the Cemberlitas Hamam for a traditional Turkish steam, bath and scrub, from a naked lady we cannot communicate with. This is a required awkward experience in Turkey.
One other awkward experience was at the Troya Hotel, where I have stayed several times before. This hotel has become a location where a lot of people are staying during medical tourism. Nearby our hotel must be a hair transplant place, and all the other people at our lovely rooftop breakfast had bloody bandages on their heads. A little funny in retrospect, but a little horrifying at the time.. I saw a look on Aicha's face, then I met the place she was looking.. We thought the first couple of guys might have been in a car accident or something, but then we noticed the headbands they were wearing said something about the clinic they were at. It kind of turned our stomaches and we ate breakfast elsewhere. Aicha even had a weird nightmare about sharing a pillow with one of the bloody bandage guys... Though I'm happy that these guys will feel better about their hair, and I'm happy for Turkey to be able to get this income, I don't think I can recommend this hotel anymore, unless you are getting your hair transplanted... Both Aicha and I have sexy husbands with no hair on their heads, so it's a little hard to understand the time, pain and expense these dudes are going to... We ate breakfast nearby at the historic Pera Palace Hotel, which was not a bad compensation. Others to enjoy this hotel are Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern day Turkey; Agatha Christie, British mystery novelist and author of "Murder on the Orient Express"; last but not least American writer Ernest Hemingway, who I am sure had a wonderful bender in the Pera neighborhood, because that area is a lot of fun.

Lobby lounge at the historic Pera Palace Hotel, a stop on the Orient Express.

Among rugs, tiles and other art dealers, there was a leather craftsman, from whom Aicha purchased some original handbags and a cute passport holder. Next door to that place I got several gorgeous tulip design tapestries from a very charming guy named Juma, and it was on a Friday! Juma means Friday, serendipity...

You will not find original designs for such good prices anywhere else! The Turkish fashion boutiques we found were near the Galata Tower area. Thankfully the line was too long to go to the top of the tower, so we were forced to try on all the cute dresses at Nes nearby. We both left carrying several bags...

Everyone was so friendly and despite rain in the forecast, the weather was awesome. It was a bit cool, but only rained for about 10 minutes once during our trip. We got the chance to buy these cool clear umbrellas for $5 each. Even that was fun! Go hang out in Istanbul sometime, and plan on buying extra luggage during your visit so you can haul away some treasures.

Dress from Nes

We were literally singing in the rain!