Istanbul - Walking to the Grand Bazaar

5/19/2012 The tour bus with the fancy steering wheel wound through old town to drop us off.  The guide pointed out where the pick up point would be.  We were now on our own to head to the Grand Bazaar...AND find out way back.

The first thing that I saw was a barber shop below street level.

 I looked around and noted the corners and color of the buildings. We needed to meet here at the end of our two hours (which is WHY I took a picture.)

We were specifically to meet by this building.  

 We walked towards the Grand Bazaar.  The street was wide and lined with shops and cafes.

 The windows were filled with interesting treasures.  One of our stops was to be in a rug showroom, but our little group decided that we had seen enough rug showrooms for a month.  We were heading directly to the Grand Bazaar.

 Oh good, street signs. That will make it all easier.

 Nicely done streets.  Side walk, paved street walkways, and fancy gutters.

 There it is, the local Starbucks.

 This street is entirely for pedestrians so it made wandering quite easy.

 This shop had some beautiful items.  I liked the black hand with an eye in the center of the shelf.

 Some snack wagons were out.

 Ah, there it is, the gate and entrance that we were targeting!  I am very excited to get inside.