Istanbul 3

Our last day! Allie and I spent the day shopping then pampering ourselves. We first went to The Grand Bazaar, the historic indoor shopping compound. It is enormous and so much fun to explore, even though the prices are high because they are aimed at tourists. After a few hours of wandering, we grabbed a pide for lunch (flatbread kind of like a pizza) then made our way to the Egyptian spice market. It is also a bit overwhelming but it smells like saffron.

We walked back towards our neighborhood but took our time wandering in and out of shops and had a delightful afternoon.

I loved the ceilings in the bazaar.

Magical Turkish lanterns on display.

After bringing home our treasures, we regrouped then Allie and I went back to the old town where we had a Turkish bath at an ancient hammam. I didn't really know what to expect and feared it might be dumb and touristy, but no, it was awesome! It was a super nice and relaxing way to end our time in the city. We put a finishing touch on our trip by going to The Four Seasons' rooftop bar for a glass of wine. When we walked in, we were the only ones there to enjoy a glorious view of the Hagia Sophia.

As it turned cold, our waiter gave us a snuggie to stay warm! Haha so cozy.

And that's how we conclude our trip! We head home tomorrow, in just a few hours really. As Allie and I recapped the trip together, we both noted that this has been one of our favorite trips ever. We also congratulated our awesome vacation planning skills, because there is nothing that we would have done differently. Turkey is an incredible country with a lot of variety, and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to explore it together.