This post was written on my recent trip to Turkey. In a world of bleak – sometimes all we need is color! Enjoy!
Put me in a mall in America and I grow discontent and paralyzed. Put me in the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul and I come alive.
I am drinking up the colors like I am dying of thirst. Vibrant reds, oranges, blues, and purples. All shades of the color wheel are present. It is an artist’s delight. The colors engage all my senses, bring my eyes, and mind into a world of possibility.
As much as I want to wander and just take it in, I know in a short time my world will no longer have these colors.
I will be longing for their life-giving vibrancy. So I begin using my crude version of a camera called an iPhone 4 and snap away. And in all the imperfection that is my photography – I still capture the colors; the colors of Istanbul.
Sometimes all you need to move forward is to know that life holds color.
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- Istanbul – ‘Cause You Can’t Go Back to Constantinople (whostolemybasil.wordpress.com)
Marilyn R. Gardner 
drooling at that turkish delight and those beautiful cushions and rugs!
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It’s not wishful thinking! I live in Istanbul, and the Spice Bazaar (and that whole hillside) is a destination for lots of locals too. It’s a people-watcher’s paradise!
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The Spice Bazaar in Istanbul looks very cool! I liked seeing all the spices and teas in the photos. Yes, sometimes color can bring the good out of all of us!
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It is really an amazing bazaar. I like it far better than the Grand Bazaar actually – you see more Turks there and in general the prices are way lower. There is something about color……thanks Nathan!
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Definitely one of those places where you can point your camera anywhere and come out with something spectacular. Grand Bazaar unlike any place on the planet.
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Exactly! And no matter what camera you have I found :) You’re right about the Grand Bazaar – the miles and miles of color, gold, stores and more fill the senses. I have to say I prefer the Spice Bazaar. It feels more like the “people’s” bazaar but maybe that’s my own wishful thinking!
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Thank you Marilyn! Needed those colors and memories of Central Asian bazars this morning.
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Oh I know those mornings all too well – where the ache takes you right back to a part of the world that will forever be in your soul. Thinking of you as I am the same.
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Marilyn: Your Aunt Edna, while suffering brain cancer the last months of life here, had trouble remembering names of things (much like our Kristine) but she would identify them by color–the purple thing, etc. She would have loved your pictures, as I do. Thanks for your lovely birthday tribute. Love as always, Aunt Ruth
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I love this story about Aunt Edna! Interesting too that when our brains betray us in one area, we still have another. I want to sit at your feet and hear more stories! Love you Aunt Ruth!
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I have been to Turkey and this bought the memories back! Thank you!
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So glad Helen! It’s an amazing country and Istanbul has to be up there as one of my top cities!
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Marilyn, thanks for whetting my appetite for what to expect when we visit Istanbul in August – only downside is it will be SOOOO hot. but c’est la vie!! I too will be taking LOTS of pictures and look forward to experiencing it all in person!
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Nancy – you are going to go crazy with the colors and more. I had been looking for cushion covers on Pottery Barn for weeks. Decided I wouldn’t spend more that $35.00 for a pair. I ended up getting 6 different cushion covers – all between $2.50 and $5.00 – Make sure you brush up on bargaining skills. Can’t wait for you to see in with your own eyes!
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Your pics are wonderful! A far cry from Pottery Barn, Fresh Market and Whole Foods. And, I bet the prices are more realistic for the wage-earner or retired persons.
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I loved your comparisons! Yes – so wonderful, so real. They really do fill the senses and yes – the prices satisfy!
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Marvelous! Would love to see it.
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So glad you liked them – and glad I could take your there for a minute or so. Thank you for reading!
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Thats a colourful post indeed! ;)
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Thanks! We’ve had some grey days here in Boston and I needed some color.
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Oh, my! I can just smell those exotic smells, hear the sounds. Having been to many cities of the world, I have always said that Istanbul is the most beautiful city in the world! Thanks for the memories. And, you’re a great photographer!
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I am basking in your praise for my photography Auntie Grace!! Thank you. I do want to get a better camera but this iPhone really is handy. I agree – I think Istanbul is the most beautiful city in the world. There – I admitted it publicly. Thanks so much for reading.
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Thanks for these Istanbul bazaar scenes of color and beauty, Marilyn. We find color and beauty all around us, even in the ordinary, when we open our eyes.
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You taught me a lot about color and beauty Bettie – thank you for that. You just had that eye…..
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