Another beautiful place in Turkey – Bursa. We spent just a couple days there and while it was not big like Istanbul it still had some of the magical touch. We started off our day like most walking to see what we can find. We did have a couple places of interest we wanted to see like the Green Mosque, cable cars through the mountains and the Grand Bazaar other than that it was a let’s get lost and see what we find. I have come to realize getting lost is so much more fun than planning everything and it isn’t as scary as I once thought.
We did the touristy thing too and went on up to Teleferik. I had never been on any sort of cable car so this was a first for me and I didn’t know what to expect. The view was AMAZING! As we started going up the mountain you look down on the town and you realize how big Bursa really is. As you look up towards the top you see snow on the caps of the mountains. It is a fill 360-degree view of everything around you. When we got to the halfway point of the mountain we got off the cable car and walked around the little town for s little bit. We had a potato on a stick and saw some great views when we went off the beaten track and explored. Sitting in the cable car on the way back down the mountain I was thinking to myself how great this all really is. How I wished I done this earlier on in life. How I wished my kids could see and experience this too and how much they would learn from it. Once we reach the bottom of the mountain we are off to our next destination – The Green Mosque.
For those that have an IPhone I am sure you will be able to relate to this – we frequently use Siri for directions when we want to know where we are going. This time was no different however, do you ever question where she is really taking you? As we are walking towards the Green Mosque we follow the route she has laid out for us. Down the hills and stairs through places I think even Turkey has declared inhabitable. As we always say – it’s part of the adventure so let’s see where we end up. Thankfully she did lead us to our destination but, not before a quick stop for the TO DIE FOR ICE CREAM of Turkey. It’s a must have on a daily basis.
Walking up to the Mosque you see nothing but, families spending time together and kids playing in the grassy areas. You see Tulips in full bloom. Makes you wish you saw more of this. We enter the Green Mosque and like all others you immediately feel a sense of calm come over you. You look around at the artwork that was done centuries ago by hand in complete and utter awe. There are a few praying and I sit back and ask myself do they realize how magical this area they live in really is? As we walk out we notice how the door entering the Mosque is carved out into this cool little star shape which we later read was of course done by hand but, the door was built without a single nail. To think if we had craftsmanship like that today how beautiful things could be.
Now, off to the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaars are usually mazes of stores where you can literally buy anything you can think of. You need shoes – they got them. You need a prom dress – they got them. Bed linens, housewares, toys, fresh fruits and vegetables – you guessed it, it’s there. There are shops in every knock and cranny possible. Now with that said the bazaars are jammed packed. Trying to walk side by side is virtually impossible and don’t worry the little old lady walking towards you is quick to throw an elbow in order to make her way through the crowd. It is an everyone for themselves situation. My theory for the aggressiveness is items in the bazaar are pretty cheap. We picked up 5 plums for 5 Lira ($1.25). Spices are created to look like pyramids and are paid for by the kilo. My favorite is gummy bears where we can usually get a kilo for 26 Lira ($7.00). Thank goodness we walk so much.
We end the day walking around clueless sightseeing and getting a little lost. We didn’t come across anything like we usually do so after a little while we give up and re treat back to the hotel for the night. However, on the way back we came up with a new saying…. You can’t see that in the US. A couple examples we saw are the tram going by you as you reach out and touch it, stop signs we like to jokingly say are suggestions and cat food and water left out for the stray animals that wander the streets. So, stay tuned for the You Can’t See that in the US entry in the next day or two. In the meantime show your support by following us on the blog Trapped In Neverland and Instagram Shutterflypro for more beautiful pictures and adventures we are having around Istanbul.
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