Istanbul, day one: aka June 16

Happy birthday part 2 to mom, she feels since it's still the 15th in California, that means she gets a second birthday...fine by me, id be happy to just get one. Why we keep doing this to ourselves = beyond me....got in past midnight, and it's now 8am, and we're on our way to cruise up the Boospherous, not sure exactly what this will consist of, so I've got my bikini on under my shorts and tank. Get on the bus with the other passengers....and find myself face to face with my first full fledged burka....awesome, not that they didn't think I was a sinning skin showing slut who's headed to hell before...now I'm in shorts and a bikini. Goodie me. Gotta admit, really didn't think a tourist bus would be the first time I ran into a burka (technically there were 3) anyway through a 1/2 sleep haze we're told we're going to the spice market first, then to the boat. Spice market is super cool, and a must see/do for anyone who visits Istanbul. The prices are set here, no haggling...however, this isn't to say one vendor won't have a better price than another. So be sure to check a few shops before you commit. There's also essential oils, lokum (Turkish delight) and it's made with honey, not sugar or  corn syrup like the pre made boxed stuff. They have Turkish saffron for £3 for a huge bag...which gets you in the shop, once you're in, they pull out the good stuff, Spanish, Lebanese, Istanbul...it costs more, but compared to what one pays in the US, it's still very cheap, (I paid roughly $40 for 3oz) and it's so pretty! Beautiful deep red color, great smell. They have huge bins full of every spice and tea you can imagine. The market has been around since 1660, called the Egyptian spice market as this was the meeting place for the spice/silk road...and if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine what it must have been in those days....on the outer edge, a vendor still had medicinal leeches for sale. (yes really). We headed over to the boat, and it began to POUR...ugh bummer, and guess my bathing suit was a non needed item. (boat had a covered portion, and the rain dissipated about 5 minutes after it started) There are palaces on both sides of the bosphorus, and you can really see the influence of the Asian vs European architecture. I've now seen not only a different country while standing on the shore of another (Greece to Turkey) now, I've seen another continent from the shore of another (Asia to Europe). Pretty frigging cool...and now, time for a nap.