Obviously first go shopping. The Grand Bazaar is packed with people and lots of people wanting you to buy rugs and scarves.
Generally that is a place that I avoid but I needed to pass through to get to the spice Bazaar where I was meeting a tour (one should really get the Istanbul e-pass as I saved so much money and had people on Whatsapp to help at any moment).
I did buy Turkish delight there. Hazerbaba is the best. But I followed the recommendation of someone I know to buy Iranian saffron from a reputable dealer (Gülhane Spice) which is near Gülhane park. I forgot to take pictures there. I also bought a cashmere wool scarf with silk embroidery.
Experience a hammam
A hammam is a traditional Turkish bathhouse that has been a central part of Turkish culture for centuries. The experience in a hammam began with a warm and humid environment (sauna). I was given a pestemal, a traditional Turkish cloth, to wear around my body along with disposable string underwear. Now with open pores I am prepared for exfoliation of the skin.
Next, I was led to a hot room with a large, heated marble slab known as the göbektaşı. Laying on the marble slab, I was splashed with warm water and gently scrubbed with a kese, a coarse mitt used to remove dead skin cells and impurities. After another rinsing and then turning over to complete the process on the backside, I was then covered with lemon scented suds. It felt like I was floating on clouds of super soft bubbles. They used a really light towel to skim over your skin and caress you with the bubbles. It felt pretty great. Then you are massaged to thoroughly clean the skin. Afterwards, you are led to a marble seating area to eat your hair and rinse you completely. After seeing your hair and face, you are wrapped tightly in a fuzzy towel.
After this cleaning and relaxing process, I was moved to a cooler room with a traditional Turkish coffee service, allowing rest and enjoying the feeling of rejuvenated skin and muscles. My skin is so soft….
No pictures to show but the experience was amazing. There are many hammams in the city including one of these oldest ones which is pretty expensive. But any hammam that had an older grandma type person does a super job.
