Final Purchases
Our last day in Istanbul saw us meandering around with plans for the evening to eat in a restaurant we had seen several days before. As we had a bit of time, R decided to go look at a carpet store that he had promised to go back to. A gorgeous shop but a bit expensive. We left empty-handed a walked over to another area with many carpet shops. R eventually bought a silk Kilim at the second shop we visited, and we left to have dinner at a restaurant called Sarnic. The setting is incredible; I highly recommend eating there if you’re in Istanbul. When we came back to pick up the carpet, they insisted on serving us apple tea (a Turkish specialty.) Somehow, I ended up looking at more carpets, and R told the carpet dealer to sit down, that he would sell the carpet. Quite hysterical. He rolled out some carpets and totally stepped into the role. As the carpet dealer was sitting next to me, R asked us, “Are you on your honeymoon?” (This is the infamous question that followed throughout our carpet viewing experience.) It went on from there. He was applauded by the salesmen at the end of the performance. I’m sure it’s something that will be remembered by those salesmen for years to come.