Istanbul, Grand Bazaar

We walked to the Grand Bazaar and spent a couple of hours mainly walking and talking, with very little spending, except for the sweaters Emmy bought. Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar includes miles of roofed and cobblestoned passages lined with tiny shops. Over 4,000 stores line dozens of little streets, all under a huge roof. Maybe it’s really many little buildings built next to each other, we’re not sure.

Emmy was shocked to see how hard the laborers had to work to move huge carts loaded to overflowing with carpets, clothes, pots and pans, and the other thousands of products that are sold in Istanbul’s huge market. Many times the huge pile of “goods” were just loaded on the back of some hard-working man. (That’s not a sexist remark, we didn’t see any women doing this!) Of course there is no way motor vehicles could be used in these close quarters, and the stores must be stocked with things to sell.