The Grand Bazaar

Yesterday was great. We woke up and got ready for a full day of shopping. We got the kiddos ready and took them to their great aunt's house.

From there we caught the little bus down to the water where we took the ferry over to the other side. It was a gorgeous day for the most part but just REALLY cold. The wind chill made it about 25. As we got on the boat, I looked into the water and found hundreds of jelly fish.

It was a short ride over but this time we stayed inside because it was so cold. We caught the train for a 10 minute ride until we came to the Grand Bazaar, aka the Covered Market. It's the oldest mall in the world!

It's claimed to have about 4,000 shops inside with about a dozen restaurants. We stopped at one and sat by the window where you essentially shop while eating. 

The Grand Bazaar was constructed between 1455 and 1461. It was made for merchants to sell goods in an inclosed place where weather was not a worry.

I found lots of great little gifts to bring back, including a pashmina scarf for myself :) It's a gorgeous blue and was about 7$. We walked around for about three hours shopping and admiring the goods. There were so make fake designer brands, it was nuts. I was tempted but I didn't buy any. I'd rather buy authentic gifts for friends to have as well as myself. 

On the way back to the Asian side, we made a stop at the Spice Bazaar, another interesting market focusing more on spices. Made me think of my mom, because she would LOVE this place. 

Once we got over to the Asian side we had a great dinner at a place called, Kirpi. It had some great flavors with a lovely atmosphere. After dinner we were just a short distance from the kids so we walked from the restaurant. Turkey is very hilly and some roads are very steep. 

It was an overall great day. I bought presents, got a couple things for me, enjoyed a great day with family, not much more a girl could ask for.