Istanbul is an amazing city but you have to like to bargain if you are going to go shopping there. If you look at something too long in a window of a store be prepared to haggle or move on quickly. Don't even think of asking how much something is unless you are seriously interested in purchasing it. After our tour of the mosques we went to the Grand Bazaar to a rug store where they literally threw every rug they had at us. By the time the "demo" was over we had to duck just to exit the door due to all the rugs they rolled out. Of course Karen asked how much one of them was and the next thing she new she was in it. Thank god David was there to save her from purchasing a rug she didn't need let a lone want. Every step you take away from them the price drops until either you say yes or run. It's not as bad as it sounds and it can be pretty funny but then again Karen makes anything funny.
So, back to Istanbul. First we went to the Blue Mosque that was built in the early 1600 by Sultan Ahmed. It is still used for prayer so we had to take our shoes off when we went in. Then we went to Hagia Sophia which was a basilica then a mosque and now it is a museum. Not only were they both enormous buildings but the amazing details and tile work was unbelievable. I have seen a lot of ruins and cathedrals and I still have to ask myself how did they build this?
Sophia
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