Shopping here may not be everyone's first choice but its great fun for a couple of days. This trip there seemed to be more shops with merchandise from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and the other "stans" which are my very favorite.
And every woman needs a bit of jewelry doesn't she?
The gorgeous ceramics are everywhere. This time I didn't resist and bought a few to bring home.
The Old Market
When I leave the Bazaar I head down the steep hill through the shops where the locals buy. This was a favorite bead and thread shop.
Then I always seem to need a few Oyas, beautiful long strings of flowers made by the women in the hills. A sort of combination of tatting and crochet unique to the area. They often are used to trim scarves and sometimes on quilts.
Spice Market
At the end of the local shopping and at the bottom of the hill is the famous Spice Market. It is touted as a great place to shop but I personally am not impressed. It has gotten too touristy over the years and the prices are out of sight. But it still makes for a few great photo opportunities.
Craft Fair in Ortakoy
Every weekend there is a craft fair in Ortakoy, a beautiful village in the Istanbul suburbs right on the Bosphorus. You can shop for jewelry, clothes, paintings, ceramics and the like. And when you get tired you sit and sip tea in of the tea houses overlooking the water. Its a hard to beat combination.
Ceramic Shop in Iznik
Iznik is a very historic town west of Istanbul which is known for its Roman ruins and ceramics. We couldn't resist buying some in these cute little shops.
Quilt Shop in Istanbul
This is probably the only quilt shop in Istanbul, run by Selma Kenter and is actually in Kuzguncuk on the Asian Shore. Above the shop is the local Quilt Association where all the local quilters meet and have classes. They sponsor the International Quilt Show every other year.
