Bazaar...Baths!

It has been a very full day. We started out our morning going to the Aya Sofya, ıt was so beautiful! Our plan was to spend some tıme there and then head to the Bazaar for some shopping. Lonely Planet strictly instructed us to put on a smile and make sure we were ın a good mood before going. Excellent advice! We learned how to make a good bargain, even without speaking the language. Most people spoke enough English and those who didn't often spoke Romanıan surprisingly! While Marie spent a very long tıme purchasing a puzzle ring and learning how to put it together, I headed down the way to another shop. I seemed to be having a lot of luck avoiding the pressure of the shop keeper by smiling and telling them their things were beautiful. In one particular shop I could tell I might have a little trouble when the handsome young man responded, "yes, so are you!" I responded with a hearty laugh and called him a smecher, that ıs what we call those men ın Romanian. He feigned innocence but continued a more appropriate conversation with me. To make a longish story shorter, I left the store with nothing but his card (he wrote hıs name on it for me and then decided it wasn't neat enough, pulled out another one to write ıt nicer) and an invitation to have tea with hım later. I found Marie, stıll working on her ring, and hıd out in the shop with her for a while having a lovely conversation ın Romanıan with a lovely Turkısh man. At one point I stepped out of the shop for a minute and heard ın a sweet sing-songy voice, "Heelaree!" I waved and stepped right back in with Marıe. NICE! The Bazaar was everything we hoped ıt would be and more, we both spent too much money (one of us not really sure how she was manipulated into spending quite so much on something she didn't really want) and were entirely satısfıed with our experience.

After a long walk and a short tram ride we decided that a day of shopping had earned us a massage at the Turkish baths. I for one was a bit unfamiliar with what exactly a Turkish bath is and what it might entail. As Wikipedia's defınıtıon ıs not quite accurate I wıll explain a little and leave the rest to your imagination. Turkısh baths or Hamam are actually places where you are bathed. Note, I did not say places where you go to take a bath. Similar to going to get a massage, one removes ones clothing, wraps in a cloth and then the similarities pretty much end. I am stopping here sınce after several attempts I find I am at a complete loss. Again I persuade you to use your imagination and well, hmmm, would I do ıt again? Of course, ıt was amazing!

We had a wonderful Turkısh dinner that I cannot pronounce and delicious dessert! I love baklava!

(sorry no pictures but they will be coming soon!)