Istanbul, Turkey: the SPICE BAZAAR

            Shopping around the world may be the                        same but only Istanbul has the                                                 BAZAAR

A tour with Walks of Turkey included visiting several of the bazaars.  I could spend the day here learning about life in Istanbul

But first we had lunch.  As a solo traveler I know I could not have selected all these wonderful foods without any assistance.  With countless restaurants in this area it would have been hard to pick one.

                After lunch we visited the bazaar!

First there are several bazaars.  There are many entrances.  Some feature a particular series of products.  Some are very crowded while others have casual shoppers.

 The bazaar is a series of shopping arcades.  Some are more modern and well lite.   The shoppers were mostly locals, mostly women.    There were groups of tourists as well.   Most of the shops' staff were men.

Our 'walk' allowed only moments to stop and browse but we did visit a well know Turkish candy store and sampled many of the different flavors offered:  Turkish Delight

Colored glass globes of different shapes and sizes glowed in several of the stalls.   The effect was similar to giant fire flyies and butterflies swarming over the tables.

Stacks of colorfull pottery bowls and plates.  An easy treasure to slip into your suitcase.

No square inch was spared!   But I expect the shop owner could put his hand on any item a buyer                                                                                 asked for.

Among all the shops and crowds there are small quiet places to sit and have tea.   I need to ask why the tables are short.     And do women also stop for tea?

                                                                         GOLD

                                                           An entire wall of gold

Trinkets for tourists

Spices, beans and more

Vendors were set up out in the street too

An entire store just for head scarves

                          Traditional Turkish Candy.   Each sample had a different flavor

I participated in this tour as a guest of Walks of Turkey.  The photos and the opinions are my own.

Istanbul: Walks of Turkey shows you the mystery, the splendor, the sites

Istanbul, Turkey

with Walks of Turkey

Is there any other country that evokes such mystery, history and assault to your  senses in color, sounds, smells and tastes?

Day ONE:  Mosques and More

When Walks of Turkey was launched earlier this year I KNEW this way the way I could travel solo and be confident I would see everything and learn more.   The exceptional reputation of Walks of Italy assured me I would have a similar experience in 

exotic Istanbul.

  It was a great pleasure to be invited on two of the tours Walks of Turkey offer and the photos only tell a portion of the wonderful two day events I experienced.   I also learned a great deal about solo travel to exotic locations.

From the roof terrace in my hotel I had a view of everything.  This day started hazy

 The covered colonnade surrounding the interior courtyard of the                                            Blue Mosque

Before 9 am this popular site is less crowded but within an hours hundreds and hundreds of visitors flooded the interior

 We were prepared with scarves to cover our hair (women) and plastic bags were handed out to put our shoes into.  The entire interior was carpeted.  Our guide told us that year ago fine carpets lined the floor, either from donations or gifts.

Our guide Duygu, on day one was amazing and made all the difference.
She knew more history than my brain could absorb but went beyond the Ottoman Empire and told us
about religious customs, beliefs and practices.

No question was off limits but the three (tourists) were respectful:

Why are there only men working in the shops?
How many times a day are the devout called to prayers?
Is there a separate place in the mosque for women?
and on and on.....but she NEVER tired nor did she ever say 'I don't know".

Next stop:  Hagia Sofia:   Here it was not just the architecture but the history of the building that went back centuries.   

                     From the second floor of the Hagia Sofia there were great views of the Blue Mosque

Next Stop Basilica Cistern

The lighting is very dim but adds to the atmosphere 

There are GIANT fish (perhaps carp) swimming around in the dark

Part of a movie was filmed here and we debated if it was the Dan Brown adaption or a James Bond film.  Either way how they got a speed boat in here is the question.

There was one other couple on this part of the tour.
They were very friendly and did not mind a solo traveler at all.

At the end of the visit you can stop for a beverage at the underground cafe.   

          See part II for a review of the incredible food served during lunch!  Without a 'tour' I would never have found the restaurant nor been able to order such a wonderful assortment of great treats.

I was the guest of Walks of Turkey for the full day tour but the opinions and photos are my own.

Solo supplement be gone! More good news for individual travelers!

As seen on travel weekly, link below

from http://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/For-solo-river-cruisers-strength-in-numbers

Insight River Cruise Insight

For solo river cruisers, strength in numbers

By Michelle Baran / July 08, 2015

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In the past, passengers traveling alone were often seen as a bit of a liability — one passenger in one stateroom is definitely much less financially viable than filling ships with two people in each cabin.
Enter the single supplement, that nagging fee that solo travelers often have to pay to compensate for their economic inefficiency, which can cost as much as double the per-person cost of two people traveling together in one cabin. It is an unfortunate, but often necessary, single traveler tax.

Michelle Baran

But one by one, as the number of solo river cruisers continues to increase and as river cruise capacity balloons creating greater competition between the river cruise lines, solo passengers’ cumulative buying power is beginning to hold some sway, and river cruise companies are responding by adding more departures with waived single supplements. 

“It is extremely important that we continue offering programs specifically for solo travelers … without any additional costs or sacrifice,” said Kristin Karst, executive vice president of AmaWaterways, which recently announced that it will now have a limited number of base category (lower deck, category D and E cabins, which range from 160 to 170 square feet and have a fixed window), double-occupancy staterooms with no single supplement available on all of its 2015 and 2016 sailings. “We continue to see high demand in this fast-growing market.”
Additionally, Ama has four vessels that have two single cabins onboard with French balconies, and two vessels that have one single cabin with a fixed window onboard, all of which are 140-square-foot cabins with one twin bed.
Other river cruise lines have been increasing their offers for solo travelers as well.
Uniworld, which says that 10% of its customer base is made up of solo travelers, currently waives the single supplement on more than 80 departures — 54 in 2015 and 29 in 2016 — including on river cruises on the Rhine and Danube as well as in France, Italy and Russia. Uniworld’s waived single supplement offers are inventory controlled and as such, availability changes throughout the season.
Thus far, 20% of Uniworld’s 2015 Europe sailings had or will have a waived single supplement offer. These offers are not available for suites, but is otherwise not restricted to specific cabin categories.
For 2015, Tauck eliminated the single supplement on its lower deck, Category 1 cabins on its ships in Europe, something the company has been doing since 2013. While the program itself isn’t new, each year Tauck continues to sell out of the Category 1 cabins for solo travelers despite the fact that the company’s fleet has grown by 75% (from four ships to seven) since 2013. 
In addition, Tauck this year reduced the single supplement by up to $1,000 for solo travelers booking Category 4 and 5 cabins on 37 departures of 15 different river cruise itineraries.
Avalon Waterways, Scenic and Emerald Waterways all feature reduced and waived single supplements for solo travelers as well.

So, wave your lone traveler flag high and proud, solos! It would appear you are no longer a liability but rather a hot commodity, and river cruise lines with their ever growing number of cabins to fill are vying for your business, one solo traveler at a time.


Thank you for sharing great tips for Individual Travelers!