Our adventures in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continue....

Today was Sunday and whilst still cold it was dry, so we decided that another venture down to the Sultanahamet area would enable us to visit the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. The Blue Mosque is still a working mosque, so this time it was shoes off, and carry them round in the plastic bags provided. When you get inside you can see why, apart from the religious reason, the carpeting is beautiful and covers such a vast area in one single colour scheme. Again the domes were quite huge, but now you can also see why this is known as the blue mosque. The domes were covered in magnificent panels of blue and white gements/mosaics.htm">mosaic tiles.From the mosque we walked up to the Grand Bazaar, stopping at a patisserie which we had used the day before, for a light lunch. Apart from the Turkish equivalent of sausage rolls they served the most succulent blueberry muffins. Now what nobody told us and what the guide books forget to mention, is that the Grand Bazaar closes on a Sunday. So we will have to revisit on another day. What we did find in the streets around the bazaar was an open market. This made for an interesting way to spend a couple of hours, there was everything you could imagine for sale, jeans, sweatshirts, shoes, leather goods etc. etc. all with the famous brand name labels. Anyone want to buy a Rolex!At the end of the afternoon we walked back down to the ferry and bus terminal and hopped a bus back to our hotel area. The services are very cheap, you buy a ticket at the terminal, for 1 million TL (40p) and can travel as far as you like on a single ride.In the evening we went down to the fish market area and had ourselves another feast for a very reasonable sum of money. You order the fish you fancy, the restaurant sends the boy over to the fish stalls, they bring the fresh fish back, show it to you and ask how you would like it prepared. It then is served up with a nice fresh salad and seasonable veg. We like it here!