Yesterday we got up early and took a ferryboat to one of the Prince's Islands (Adalar), which are off the Asian coast of the city. It was a nice excursion from the hubbub of the city & those intense travel days. There are no private cars on the islands, so people get around with horses & bicycles. It was very quiet! We went to a public beach and tanned... the water (Mamara Sea), was super cold and had a film of oil on top from the many barges and boats going by - no thanks, I'd rather not swim in polluted water. The sun was very strong though, so we decided to leave after a few hours. The town center was very crowded with tourists by the time we left.
Today, we went to the Grand Bazaar again, to find some souvenirs. Prices are not displayed, so much haggling is required. It's quite an experience. We tried not to let any one find out we are American, because that makes the price double - today, I have been from Australia, Canada, and Croatia. Rachel and I usually pretend to speak Croatian when we're on the street - it usually throws off the many guys who are trying to get us to come sit at their cafes, eat at their restaurants, or buy their souvenirs. Usually, they just assume we are Russian and give up.
Our Serbian/Croatian disguises backfired on us today, when Rachel managed to interact with the only Bosnian shopkeeper in the Bazaar. We went up and did our "Ohh, ne govorimo engleski!' (We don't speak English!) spiel and then the guy goes, "Ah! Dobrodoshli!" (welcome!). It took Rachel nearly everything she had to continue a conversation in the language and me nearly everything I had to keep from laughing!
We rounded out the afteroon with a tour of the Dolmabahce Palace and an early dinner. Tomorrow, our classmates Alex & Emma join us here - looking forward to seeing them again!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment