🗁Added 96 photos to album Turkey, Dec 2019.
The air was pretty clear today, and it was warm but windy. I went into the city center, the old part of Bursa, Osmangazi by bus then metro. I found the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) and Koza Han, which was busy with people drinking coffee in the courtyard. Nearby a giant line of people waited at a lokma truck. I sat on a bench to watch what was happening. Finally the line began to move as a new batch of lokma was ready, and everyone was handed a bag for free. No wonder the line was so long. I wasn't sure if there was a qualifier though, and was too shy to join, even though I really wanted lokma... I thought I might try again later, but by the time I got back there they were packing up.
I wandered into the main bazaar, which is adjoined with many sub-bazaars, partly covered, for miles and miles. I let myself get lost in there for three our four hours. There's everything you could ever need.
I stopped for cig kofte for lunch, mid-afternoon, at Adiyaman near Kayhan market. Cig kofte is usually vegetarian; typically if a place only sells cig kofte, it's safe. Doner places selling it might sell a meat version. A.. is a chain, though I haven't seen as many of them around as Oses or Lagash, and their logo even says 'vegan food' in it on close inspection. This one was a small place but had upstairs seating. A friendly guy guided me upstairs and took my order. A cig kofte durum and tea set me back 6TL, or less than one (1) Euro. It was a relief to sit down for a bit.
I dove back into the market, determined to actually buy something. Eventually I emerged with dates, dried fruit, olives, and wool. I walked to a park which contains a giant dome which warrants further investigation in the future. Then to Yesil, the area with the Green Mosque, Green Tomb, and all manner of other green things. I also visited the Irgandı Bridge, which is a bridge covered in small local artists workshops/stores, but they were mostly closed up by the time I was there.
I followed the tramline back to the Grand Mosque, then Zafer Plaza, Balibey Han (a traditional crafts market over several floors, mostly closed by then) and up to the viewpoint from Tophane as it got dark.
