Sumac, silk, saffron... too little time to bazaar... taste Turkish delight.

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At breakfast we are joined by my sister and her husband for a family gathering overlooking the Bosporus. The sacrifice holiday is over, few mackerel fishermen on the Atatürk Bridge and we start our day by visiting Rustem Pasha, a jewel box of a mosque beautifully restored and covered with Iznik tiles. The smaller sites are much more accessible and less crowded. We walk to the spice bazaar for a tutorial on saffrons, teas and Turkish delights. From there we bussed to the Grand Bazaar. It would take a day or 2 to figure it out and we had 2 hours. I was disappointed at the time allowed. Blue mosque in the afternoon. Funky restaurant near Taksim square. Lots of hooka smokers. A substitute for alcohol? Oops, forgot the Roman cistern and hippodrome yesterday.

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