So I’m back from my trip, having eaten far too much pizza, baklava, and gelato. (And doing my penance now by training for a half-marathon. Ugh.) It was pretty fun to visit Europe this time and just soak up the city without have to run helter-skelter doing a ton of research. I did pick up some local Istanbul color for The Secret History, as well as seeing some things that made me chuckle.
Here’s a bit of a paraphrase from the current draft of Theodora’s story:
I learned to follow suit,
spending my afternoons roaming the markets and imagining I had the coins to buy
gems from Asia, Persian silks and spices, and Baltic amber. More in our price
range were the jars of leeches and senna and licorice root for constipation,
both of which Mother sent me to fetch for Vitus.
So imagine my surprise when we came upon this in the Spice Bazaar!
So jealous, but glad to hear you had fun!
Jade- We definitely had fun. Those countries are addictive!
That is the coolest! I'm in envy of your journeys. Looks like you had a great time.
Very cool. Love that photo of the spices. I can imagine the sights and sounds in the markets must be amazing, though I'd keep a good ten feet between me and the leeches. Blech.
Definitely jealous of all your travels. Glad you had fun!
EWWW! I would have had a gross-out in front of that leech jar right in the marketplace! Your photos are fantastic!
I want to be in that carpet shop. Right. Now. Thanks for the virtual journey.
But how can anyone have too much gelato?
I think Americans would be a lot more relaxed if we had kitties in every shop. Yay pet therapy!
Sounds like you had a fabulous trip. Thanks for giving me a nice mid-morning break of virtual travel.
Aside from the leeches, it looks awesome!!! What a great experience to see such a different part of the world. Glorious pics! 🙂
I wish I were in Istanbul. One of my favorite cities.
Your back! It looks like you had a ton of fun. Wonderful!
Super rad! Looks like you enjoyed your trip:)