All shopped out
Trip Start
Nov 09, 2007
1
8
92
Trip End
Feb 03, 2008
Istanbul,
Turkey
Thursday, November 15, 2007
All this time I was conducting serious business... sleeping in. Jess and the kids came back at 8am and woke me to the sounds of keys rattling over and over in the lock. I got up and let them in, which was just as well, because they had brought me delicious pastries for breakfast.
We headed out about 10am back to Sultanahmet to take up the sightseeing where we left off yesterday
Outside the bakery
. First port of call was the Topkapi Palace. This magnificent structure was the home of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years and occupies a prominent position on the headland where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus.The Topkapi Palace is set in marvelous grounds and we felt privileged just to be wandering though its many courtyards. One negative as we entered was that there is no discount for children, no family ticket, so we had to buy 4 adult tickets - 40 Lira to get in, Having seen historical sights all over the world I'd have to tell the Ministry of Tourism over here in Turkey that if they continue to rip people off in visiting their monuments and don't make better provision for families they will lose their tourist market. Already the very high lira is making tourism more marginal by the day. As far as entry fees etc, Turkey is definitely the most expensive we have come across.
Nevertheless, the palace is well worth a visit. The treasury rooms are particularly impressive, with jewel-encrusted daggers, solid gold thrones and the biggest diamond I have ever seen in my life. We stopped for a bite to eat at the Konyali restaurant inside the palace. It is something of an institution but unfortunately unbelievably expensive. Twelve lira for a kebab and six lira for a can of coke
A decorated ceiling, Topkapi Palace
. Still, the setting is remarkable so we decided to order the minimum to tide us over.So by all means visit the Topkapi Palace but take a snack with you!
We left the palace in the early afternoon and made our way down to the Grand Bazaar. On the way we stopped off at the World Famous Pudding Shop. We had some puddings, of course. Yummy.
On to the Grand Bazaar. This is a vast covered market containing some 4500 shops. Even though the array of merchandise on display was spectacular, the souks of Marrakesh have spoiled us forever. Wonderful as it is, the Grand Bazaar cannot compete for manic, frenetic activity, enticing sounds and smells and the press of humanity. However, it is still a not-to-be-missed shopping experience and we meandered for hours.
The art of haggling
With some experience of haggling under my belt I was prepared for the Grand Bazaar. The first item I had my eye on was, in fact, a talisman for protection against the evil eye
Outside the armoury, Topkapi Palace
.'How much?' I asked
'Fifteen lira'.
'Hmm, ummm, no, too much - would you take 9?'
'No'
End of bargaining. I knew if I walked away he would see reason and make a counter-offer. I thought I knew it. I walked... he went back to his paper. Bugger it. Didn't he know how to play the game?
Jess had her eye on some silk embroidered cushion covers. After an aborted attempt with one vendor to haggle after casually asking the price we found another shop where we were invited in. Thinking of our sore feet we gladly accepted the offer to sit down and peruse his wares. We settled on a lovely couple of cases and began the negotiation.
'How much?'
'70 lira'
'What is your best price for 2 though?'
'OK, 65 lira'
'Sorry, that's too much for us. Would you take 45 lira?'
'No, I can't
Ready to enter the Grand Bazaar
. 45 lira means no profit for me. My best price is 60 lira'I pretend to consult with Jess. 'Look at these dirty marks.' says Jess. 'Yes, and the loose threads' I add.
'These cases are the finest quality' he assures me. 'Look at the fine needlework. Consider the natural dyes. These are not chemical dyes. If you want to pay 45 lira you can have these ones.' (shows us some inferior cases). 'See the bright unnatural colours.'
'OK, I can pay a little more.' I say. 'How about 50 lira?'
'No, I cannot do it. 50 lira means no profit for me. I gave you a reasonable price at the start. If you went to other store maybe they say 50 lira for each case then offer you 'big discount' but I not do that.'
Jess and I confer. We tell the shop owner that we will go away and think about it. He starts to look uncomfortable, but I don't want to push him too hard. He seems like a nice guy. I also quite like the goods in question so I say as we are about to leave. 'How about we meet halfway. 55 lira?'
He offers his hand for me to shake on the deal. As I grip his hand in mine he says 'OK, 58 lira' He's trying it on and I am about to argue the case when the thought occurs to me that 3 lira is neither here not there and means more to him than it does to me
Inside the Grand Bazaar
. I chuckle and give him the 'I know you've ripped me off' look, but I am happy with the transaction.Flushed with success we headed for home. At the waterfront I noticed Hamdi restaurant. I had read about it on the forums and suggested we take an early dinner. Jess and the girls agreed so up we went. It's situated over several floors with the top floor all glass and stunning views of the Golden Horn and the Galata Tower. We ate a meze plate of garlic dip, hommous, eggplant and yogurt served with a delicious crusty bread. This was followed by soup, kofte, chicken kebab and wine. What a feast.
We were all glad to have a walk home to walk off some of our meal. Even so, the walk up Galata Tower stole our last reserves of energy. We collapsed into our apartment. As we got home the evening Adhan (call to prayer) was just commencing. I opened my bedroom window and hung my head outside. I could hear the Adhan from maybe 30 or 40 mosques from surrounding areas. Some nearby were loud, others far away were soft, but they all combined to provide an evocative and haunting sound, perfect for the end of a wonderful day.
Comments
NPR !!!
That's absolutely correct - NEVER PAY RETAIL ;-)
Good work on the bargain hunting, Guy!