Day 2 in Istanbul. ...my friend Amy and I finished a lovely breakfast at the Hotel Neorion. We set out to see the sights in the historical district including the Hajia Sofia. We were almost their when we encountered a "stop man". We had been warned that this was a possibility but that is where you "go with the flow". We ended up seeing the entry to the cistern and then being shown "El Rincon De Fethi". With a swirl, apple tea was in our hands and we're introduced to Halit. We were shown rug structure, wool, cotton, silk, knot technique and finally colors and patterns. One hour later, Halit had served us Baklava and pistachio ice cream. By this time, I am telling him which rugs look like Pottery Barn. He laughs and writes down
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