Happy Anniversary to Us--in Turkey

Today is our (religious) wedding anniversary, and yesterday was the anniversary of our civil marriage ceremony. We celebrated yesterday by going to the Grand Bazaar in an old area of Istanbul (yes, we're in Turkey, now!). Rashed bought me a beautiful antique-y-looking necklace of silver and blue stones, and I got him a striped cotton shirt, cool for summer.

The market itself is sprawling and covered, with painted designs on its arched ceilings. You can easily get lost wandering its streets among shops selling carpets, clothing, soaps, and jewelry. One passage we followed led out into the shaded courtyard of an old caravanserai which now contains jewelry-making workshops. Another led to a large public drinking fountain, complete with dented metal cups hanging from chains.

After the market, I walked around Istanbul University, and Rashed went for an evening scrub in the hammam (bath)! He sweated in the hot room, was soaped clean by an attendant, cooled off in the cool room, and got an oil massage. He emerged glowing, a shade lighter (a layer of tan had been removed), with rosy pink cheeks.

We had a quick supper of döner (a meat plate for Rashed) and pide (bread with melted cheese for me). Then in the cool of the evening, we headed back, crossing the Golden Horn by tram, climbing one of the city's many hills by funicular, and finishing our trip with an air-conditioned metro ride and then a long walk downhill to the apartment.