Neile's Turkish Holiday

July 12

In the afternoon, Jim, Matt and I took a taxi out to Koç University where Marsha teaches. [Christina and Matt just started teaching there, too, in the fall of 2000.] Christina stayed behind to pack up boxes they had left at Marsha's. Matt stayed at Koç to read journals, while Marsha, Jim and I went to the Grand Bazaar by taxi. The Grand Bazaar is huge and amazing, but I was surprised how much it reminded me of Pike Place Market here in Seattle, but a one-level one that goes on forever, alleys and alleys full of stalls selling jewelry, carpets, scarves, pillow covers, onyx things, tapes and cds, etc.

Marsha took us right away to a jewelry shop she likes, and I fell in love with an odd ring, which has two very small sapphires side by side in a round setting, and on side of that the band is white gold and on the other gold-coloured gold. It's the perfect ring for me since I wear both silver and gold jewelry together [I've worn it nearly every day since then]. Jim bought it for me as an early birthday present.

The sales(men, mostly) in the stalls are quite aggressive, and seem hurt when you don't want to go in and look. The usual North American technique of ignoring them makes them complain that you're rude or stuck up, and a couple of times I felt quite annoyed and at other times charmed. Since he'd bought me one, we had to find a ring for me to give to Jim, and we quickly located a joined trio of silver rings, though it was much less expensive than the one he found me. We also found a cd we'd been looking for, and I bought several silk scarves as presents, and pillow covers (made from antique woven and embroidered hats flattened out and set in silk borders) which I bought for us and one for a friend. It was fun going through the stalls with Marsha, because she could take us to the stalls she particularly liked and helped us with the bargaining.

She took us to one particular place she loves, and we climbed up to it. It was full of fascinating antiques like tent hangings, earrings, weavings, all sorts of things that I wanted to stare at but not to take home, even as gifts (most of it was out of my price range, anyway), though I pondered ear hangings for a long time for Mom but realized I couldn't imagine her wearing them. They were neat, though--hooks that went around the ear, and chains and stones dangling from the bottom so they looked somewhat like regular earrings.

My stomach was starting to act up, so after I couldn't stay as long as I'd wanted to, but neither Jim nor Marsha really objected--we are all pretty tired. Went back to Marsha's and had dinner at a restaurant across the street, then sat around none of us with any energy--except Marsha's kitten--and talked.