shoes, Istanbul

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Getting your shoes polished won't be a problem. On the major street you will find men that handle their antique tools with great enthousiasm. My advice is to pick out a seasoned shoe shiner and not get fooled by some passing charlatan (read: crook).

Little urchins starting to hustle their way up the economic ladder with a box of polishes, a rag, and a cheeky call - "Shoeshine mister?" One day, maybe they will become a taxi driver, with their own car.

It is the custom in Turkey, when entering a private house, to remove ones shoes. Having been in the Middle East previously, I know this, and even at home in England I don't wear shoes indoors. So, if you are staying with Turkish friends remember this, and take some slippers wth you.

Before entering a home, school or mosque in Turkey, it is customary for shoes to be removed. In a home visitors will be offered a pair of slippers to wear. Before entering a mosque, you will be given a plastic sack to carry your shoes in.

You can just seat and wait for your shoes to be cleaned. Of course in the streets it is not so luxurus!