Total Tourist Overload

Well, that didn't last long. If for even a moment I thought I had embraced the tourist thing yesterday, today it was all undone. And then some.

We started off the day at Topkapi Palace, which was built around the 1450s and was the official residence of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire. It is a series of buildings which are spread out over the grounds and were each used for different purposes. It really is quite lovely.

I decided to start off in the Harem section because, come on, that's pretty fascinating stuff. The thought of 300 women living with one man in a palace guarded by eunuchs... now THAT is rich history, my friends. It was a pretty impressive place to walk through, to see how it was all laid out and interconnected, the amazing and extensive tile work, to learn a little about life in a harem, the sheer magnitude of it, the opulence of it all.

It would have been even more amazing if there hadn't been a million other people there. And all in the same room as me. By the time I was about halfway through, I was starting to feel my blood pressure rise, for reals. Being pushed and shoved around, not being able to take a picture without 12 strangers who are taking their own pictures walking into the middle of mine, being squeezed out of rooms by tour groups... yeah, blood pressure rising.

And, yes, I know that all of those people have just as much of a right to be there as I do. And, yes, I know that they paid just as much as I did to be there. And, yes, I know that I am a tourist too. But that doesn't make it any more enjoyable to be crammed into a tiny room with them.

And it got worse from there. I was willing to shake it off and to move to other buildings to check out what each had inside. I was inside of the first one approximately 10 seconds before backing out. I didn't make it more than 20 feet inside of the second one. By the third, I didn't even bother to go through the door (I'm not kidding. See the second picture... that was a PART of the line to get in to one of the exhibits). At a certain point, it just isn't worth dealing with the massive, oppressive hoards of people to see someone's crown or robe. I went and sat in the grass, breathed deeply and regrouped. Aaaaah.

The thing is that I don't even mind crowds. When we walked down that massive street filled with literal hoards of people the other night, it didn't bother me at all. In fact, it energized me. But crowds of locals going about their daily life is one thing. Crowds of tourists pushing and shoving and angling for the perfect snapshot is quite another. Grrrr. And, yes, I still remember that I am also a tourist.

After that we headed over to the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world. It has 60 streets and 5,000 shops and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors every day. Now THAT is a hoard. And yet it didn't bother me in the slightest. Go figure.

It started out as an important trade center in 1461, which is pretty impressive. Even more impressive is that we're pretty sure that the lines that the vendors use to try to get you to into their stores are just as old. Here were some of our favorites (we are not making these up):

1. I must be in a dream, because you are an angel.

2. You dropped something... (and then, when you turn back to look behind you).... it's here, in my store.

3. Come inside! It won't hurt.

4. Let me help you spend your money!

5. Come take a look at my rubbish. (a Turkish attempt at sarcasm, we think)

6. Come on in and let me help you buy something you don't need.

7. Do you like tile? I like it, too - you should buy one for me.

8. See anything you like? A scarf? A rug? Me?

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We didn't buy anything.