Their small stalls were replaced by jewelers, carpet or souvenir shops. Spices Carpetsįrom the late twentieth century, and with the arrival of Western tourists in search of an “oriental bazzar experience”, the prices of goods (and the rent prices) soared, forcing small merchants to leave the Grand Bazaar and settle in the surrounding areas. Its walls held over 4,000 shops selling from jewelry to silk clothing, copper pots, spices and products imported from Orient. Until well into the twentieth century, the Grand Bazaar remained the most important commercial center in Turkey. During its golden era, the Bazaar was locked up every night and watched by more than a hundred soldiers, as if it were a walled castle. Soon the Grand Bazaar became the most important trade center of the Ottoman Empire. Over time, the maze of streets of this mega-market were covered by vaulted ceilings. Its strategic location made it the central meeting point for different groups of manufacturers and merchants associations that were established here and contributed directly to the Bazaar’s impressive expansion.
Look, I know we're a tourist trap here in Venice, and I may have even contributed to it being so by telling all of our great stories that make people want to visit (Sorry, not sorry). I believe I actually laughed out loud at the timing. We parted ways as I headed off for the French Market for a coffee (where you will still see REAL Venice residents), and was immediately met by this Jules Muck art car. I kept catching up to them at the next light, and each time resisted the urge to school the guy in front of his Millenial-looking charges. It took everything I had to not kidnap them all and take them to some REAL Venice spots, with REAL Venice people, with actual REAL stories behind them that are actually interesting. Why anyone needs a tour guide to check out a shopping street is beyond me, but there they all were, in their dorky helmets, single file riding up Venice Boulevard all nervously (I guess I should just be happy it wasn't a Segway tour. The guy was telling them how he was about to lead them to the shopping street called Abbot Kinney, named after the founder of Venice. The tour guide had on a Madonna-like headset microphone, and was broadcasting his little tour tidbits (that anyone could read on any brochure about Venice) over a little amplifier that must have really pleased the Canal residents whose window they were right outside of. I was coming back from my first beach walk of the year, and I was waiting at a stoplight next to a bunch of people on a bike sightseeing tour. And so do a lot of visitors to our little beach town, and who can blame them? But. the familiar sights and sounds, the community of wonderful, generally like-minded people here in our little bubble, the possibility of absolutely anything at all happening. It's always so nice to come back to Venice after being away anywhere.
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