Things I'm planning to buy in Turkey

I'm not very fond of tourist gimmicks, so I usually go in for local food and delicacies. I'll probably pick up a few boxes of turkish delight, some apple tea and a few other food items. There used to be a hotel called The Divan in Taksim Square that sold some of the best turkish delight, but it doesn't seem to be there anymore. If anyone knows where I could get some, please let me know.

Istanbul Free Time

Kemal already emailed a great list of sites and restaurants for our free time in Istanbul, but I'll add to this a list of Hamam's suggested by Rick Steve's. The Hamams if you're not familiar are the traditional Turkish baths. The whole process takes about 1.5 - 2 hrs. It's useful to bring along a hairbrush (not for me), shampoo, clean underwear, flip flops, a kese (raw silk mitten the people use to exfoliate your skin ... if you don't bring your own, they use the same one they used on everyone else), and a bottle of water. If you're a little adventurous, into taking steams, getting your skin exfoliated, being massaged, sipping tea and appreciate an all around relaxing experience ... the baths are likely a place for you. Expect to pay up to 100 TL and a 15TL tip.

Recommended by Rick Steves:
Buyuk Hamam - in Kasimpasa; designed by famous architect Sinan, reasonable price, most "local" feel less accustommed to tourists
Cemberlitas Hamami - across from the burned column; in also designed by Sinan
Suleymaniye Hamami - next to Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent; also designed by Sinan
Cagaloglu Hamami - halfway between underground cistern and grand bazaar; one of the more attractive and historic baths

Enjoy! See you Saturday!

Jeremy

Istanbul resources

Hi everyone, I'm not sure if people have been sharing information about tourist ideas. I usually find Trip Advisor guides helpful. The 8-page highlight for Istanbul is available at: http://cdn.tripadvisor.com/pdfs/Guides/TA_Istanbul_Guide.pdf. I'm not sure the link will work so email me at: vanessarangel@gmail.com if you want me to email you a copy (before Saturday). It had many of the activities Kemal suggested on his example itinerary such as the Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, and Bosphorus, so it must be good! Safe travels, Vanessa