4th April - Having my bike securely parked away in the parking of the hotel put me at ease. After a relaxed start to the day it was time to get out and about - I was in Istanbul and there were things to see and do.
After an interesting bus ride - the driver was chatting up one of the passengers who was also riding the front step with me and reading the sports pages, handing out apple he'd been cutting with his sizeable pocket knife, and negotiating with street side (on the street) salespeople -
Bus driver reading the sports pages - he was doing it when we were moving too!
I arrived at the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul.
The Grand Bazaar is a wonderful tourist attraction with stores selling a broad range of knock-offs and typically Turkey products. There is also a range of silver and gold merchants, silk and pashmina and of course rug salespeople. The side streets are also filled with more stores apparently paying much lower rents.
I was invited in to several stores to talk rugs, leather, rugs, and Australian connections and to drink different teas. I explained time and time again that since I was travelling on my motorbike I had no room and needed to save money for the trip. After pomegranite tea my day in the Grand Bazaar was drawing to an end. All in all it was time well spent and interesting to meet so many people.
Outside the Grand Bazaar it would be difficult to miss the impressive Beyazid II Mosque
After leaving the mosque I headed for the water's edge below the city centre on the Sea of Marmara. I found the Seafood Bazaar (a collection of seafood restaurants rather than a large seafood market) and enjoyed some local fish and beers.
After dinner I headed off along the corniche promenade and noticed some air rifles and a pistol sitting on a stool with some balloons strung up near the water. This could be fun. A man appeared and loaded up the pistol so I was ready to go. I could set the sights with a bit of light and good background but it was impossible where the balloons were in the dark. I missed a few, got a few and then the lights came on - game on. I finished off the remainder and loaded up again. The man put up fresh balloons and this round was better with the only miss being one that skimmed off the side of the balloon. It had been a while since I had used a handgun, even though this was just air powered it is still fun (you can buy one for 450TL or less than $250)
A little further along there was another man with the same set-up with newer looking air rifles. I watched while some others had their go. When they hit one of the cigarettes I thought the sights must be good so I would give it a go. The air rifle was loaded up and after a few misses on the cigarettes I thought I should check the sights on a balloon - all good. I lined up the cigarettes again and after one that seemed to hit the top and continue off I aimed a little lower - success. Cigarette hit and gone to the riotous applause of the gathered crowd (4 others). I went another round and blew up a few of the balloons - good fun on the public walkways of Istanbul.
One cigarette and a few balloons less - public shooting gallery in Istanbul
The bus ride home was much less eventful.