Thread: Istanbul Trip Report

Our line at Blue Mosque was not too bad, considering Aya Sophia and Topkapi were closed same day. We ended up paying a guide a reasonable amount to skip line and get full info tour. I didn't have guide last time and we learned so much. It wasn't an absolute necessity tho. A combo museum card is not a bad idea if you intend to see lots of places: MÜZE - About Museum Pass and it gives you fast track entry. BTW--Aya Sophia is 30tl ($15 per)
Best to check what's under renovation thru tripadvisor. Some very informative folks there.
I hate bargaining but it works--30 to 50% of the asking price is fair. One shop was fixed prices and that was nice. Top quality spices, too. I used some sumac on my homemade hummus today as a treat for our local wine tasting. Even made my own pita bread. Tasty dreams of Istanbul, except I'm not dreaming. It's 2am and I went to sleep around 8. I HATE JET LAG!! Gotta love TIVO.

Originally Posted by Migflanker

Spice Market - M7 I bet you have some fierce bargaining skills.

You should have seen me with a lady in Ubud, Bali. We bargained with her calculator--I was buying 75 vanilla beans. Back and forth--it was quite funny. She'd tap out number then I'd do the same and give it back--several times. I even stamped my feet in fun and she did the same! I ended up paying about 20 cents each--what a steal! Everyone got them for Christmas and I made bourbon vanilla--YUM! I wish I'd done a video...can't wait to see her again this September.