The Bazaar and the Galata Bridge

Didn't get around to a blog yesterday so here goes today. 
Went on a mission on Monday morning to find out about the ferries to some islands, and to get some decent chili spice from the spice market. But first here's a view I see every night on my way back to the hostel. 

The Blue Mosque from a park full of people.

The Galata Bridge is mostly built like 2 causeways jutting out into the waterway except joined by a bridge to allow boats to go up the Golden Horn. Lots of tourist cruises do this trip. It also serves as a useful place for restaurants to accumulate. It is a never ending succession of waterside eating places. 

Restaurants along the Galata Bridge

I had already gone down through the corridors of the Grand Bazaar which is an experience not to be missed. So after the bridge and the ferry docks I headed back, beginning with the spice bazaar. Got quite impressed with the apple tea, like I once did with mint tea in Morocco,  and so as well as some promising chili I bought some apple tea. It came as quite a surprise when both purchases were put into vacuum packs done by a machine under his stall. The result 2 rock hard compressed packages. Bad picture in difficult lighting. 

A good natured spice salesman in the spice bazaar

The colours and atmosphere are incredible, once you get accustomed to huge numbers of people moving relentlessly through the bazaar. 

Just a couple of the extravagant displays in the Grand Bazaar 

Just about anything is bought or sold in this massive market, including gold and currency trading. In my wanderings I came across a couple of very noisy groups of guys, some with a mobile phone on each ear, shouting to each other just as used to happen on the stock market trading floors before the electronic age changed everything. Apparently, these are unofficial stock market traders.

The bullion market traders in the grand bazaar

Even though Istanbul is a city of 20 million, I still think that it is just a bit over endowed with those large distinctive multi domed mosques. When calling to prayers, the Blue Mosque and its neighbour seem to be having a conversation as they take over from each other creating a long continuous chant, from alternating directions. 

Multiple domes in the 'New' mosque near the Galata Bridge

Istanbul is holding a cultural week and various events are taking place on a stage near here. Last night, there was a large group of young people acting out a story, from Turkish history no doubt, with a series of dances. I couldn't help thinking that the dance style was not all together very authentic. It looked more as though they were having an aerobics session to music not uncommon to that sort of thing. Anyway, free show and big crowds on a very warm night below the walls of the Blue Mosque; just to say the setting was perfect. 

1 - 2 - 3 - 4, bend your knees and leave the floor!

Wi-fi is everywhere here. I have noticed that most of the town centre restaurants provide it as a free service. A bit surprising really, not to mention the name of the hotel below.