The Spice Bazaar of Istanbul

A jarring mix of voices projected through loudspeakers atop mosque minarets echoed throughout Istanbul... at 5 AM.  The Muslim call to prayer happened five times a day, serving as a wake-up call and ended the evening as a brief soundtrack throughout dinnertime.  At first it was quite chaotic, but as the days passed, I found the singing blending into the background of daily city noise.

The Blue Mosque

I wasn't sure quite what to expect before arriving in Istanbul.  My husband and I extended our long layover there from 3 hours to a full 3 days before landing in Madrid, and it ended up being an unexpectedly wonderful detour.

Istanbul "Tulip Carpet"

Istanbul was a beautiful city - incredible architectural sites like the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque surrounded by landscaped green parks and bright blooming flowers.

While wandering through the old city from our hotel to the Blue Mosque, I encountered an enormous tulip garden, with different colored flowers arranged in a pretty design reminiscent of a turkish carpet.  This tulip garden was coined "The Largest Carpet of Tulips in the World in Sultanahmet" and I learned that it was part of the 10th annual Istanbul tulip festival (and was indeed the largest in the world).

Hagia Sophia Interior

I marveled at the intricate arches and domed interior of the Blue Mosque (women need to remember to cover their heads with a scarf first and both men and women remove shoes).  And the lofty Byzantine architecture of the Hagia Sophia nearly took my breath away (but shoes stayed on since the mosque had been converted into a museum).

The setting was so picturesque, I almost expected to see James Bond or Liam Neeson running on the rooftops outside using one of his special set of skills.

The one and only Liam Neeson

Mosques, hammams, baklava, apple tea, whirling dervishes... the trip would not be complete without a little shopping.  The Grand Bazaar is an endless covered labyrinth of stalls with items ranging from knock-off Louis Vuitton bags and shoes to bright handmade Turkish lamps to expensive rugs.  Smelling of cigarette smoke and brewed tea, the Grand Bazaar is filled with locals and tourists (but mostly tourists), looking for souvenirs or hidden gems.

The Spice Market

Pouring Essential Oils at Arifoğlu

In the nearby Spice Bazaar among hundreds of other vendors, I found my favorite shop, Arifoğlu.  Baskets of richly pigmented and fragrant spices lined the storefront, but the real treasures were just a bit further.  At the very back of the store, lining the entire wall were shelves of glass vases containing different perfume oils, tinctures and other aromatic potions.  A perfumer's dream!  The extremely helpful salesman who I befriended encouraged me to smell as many scents and I wanted.   They carried some common oils - jasmine, rose (several different types) and sandalwood.  I also had the chance to smell some authentic rare musks and the elusive oud, the sweet, deep, complex oriental ingredient so expensive that it is often called "black gold" (it smelled WONDERFUL but unfortunately was bit too rich for my blood).  

After smelling flowers, woods, and ambers, and chatting for a while and getting to know the salesman and shop owner, they ordered a round of turkish tea from the waiters who scurried by outside.  The salesman half-joked as he handed me the cup that the longer you stay, the more you buy.  As I enjoyed my tea, our little game of haggling began.  In the end, I happily walked away with a bag of new raw materials to work with - all generously discounted (even if I had to promise my younger sister to the storekeeper when she traveled to Istanbul next).