Day 2 in Istanbul...to buy or not to buy

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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 the website. Price knocked out silk...I decided on a 40 year old rug with reds and blues that was able to be shipped. Amy picked out a beautiful brown and blue rug. Together, we left having experienced some genuine Turkish culture. The rugs may have been able to be purchased cheaper but the experience was priceless!

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