Rainy Days in Bursa

Gorgeous tilework at the Green Mausoleum.The next morning we took a ferry (then a bus) to Bursa, where we strolled through a peaceful green park dotted with Ottoman tombs (the Muradiye Complex) and spent a couple hours in the local baths (crazy-hot bath, sauna, naked ladies with ponderous bosoms squirting Pantene into our palms and watching us lather up like we'd just arrived from another planet). We were disappointed to find the Green Mosque closed for renovations, but as we were standing by the doorway trying to peek inside a man stopped to chat with us. Yunus (a businessman overseeing the installation of the new carpets and tilework) ended up giving us a mini-tour of the mosque and then taking us back to his office/shop/studio for apple tea. Eventually our cynicism kicked in--was this all a ploy to get us to buy stuff?--but in the end we only got a couple small things that we actually needed (e.g., a wedding gift), and he didn't seem to mind. He gave us his card and told us to call or email if we ever needed any help in our travels. So in Bursa we first saw just how genuinely friendly most Turkish people are!