Souvenirs: Clothes
In my last blog post, I wrote about t-shirts. This time, I am going to write about clothes in general. I have purchased a few dresses when I have been traveling. One is a green dress that I found at a bazaar in Ephesus, Turkey. My family and I were on a cruise going around the Mediterranean Sea, and one of our stops was in Turkey to see the archaeological ruins in Ephesus. Near the ruins or in another spot (I can’t remember!), there were quite a few shops for us to walk around and shop. I believe it was a handmade dress, and it had detailed beading around the waist. I was just out of college, and I was proud of myself for haggling with the shop owner. I did feel bad years later when I realized they probably really needed the money, but in some cultures, it is acceptable and expected to haggle for a price. I ended up wearing the dress later that night since the cruise ship encourages people to dress up for dinner.
Later, when I was in Charleston, South Carolina with my mom, we happened upon a small boutique. It was raining, and we needed to do something indoors while we waited for the bus, so we went shopping! I found a cute dress that I have worn on dates and while ballroom dancing at social dances!
I am trying to think of what other clothing items I have purchased while traveling, and it is hard for me to think of any other items except for a gold scarf that I got on the cruise ship we were on for our cruise around the Mediterranean Sea. Before the ship stopped in Turkey, there was a vendor on the ship selling scarves for women in case they wanted to go into a mosque. Several mosques require women to wear a head covering. To be respectful of the culture, my dad bought me, my sister, and my mom a scarf.
Other than those dresses and that scarf, I do not believe I have gotten any other clothing items while traveling. I tend to gravitate towards tchotchkes when perusing souvenir shops. What about you? What souvenirs do you like to buy? Have you ever purchased clothing while traveling besides the typical touristy t-shirt?
