Bakeries and butcher shops

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12 March 2012 04:55 MDT (12:55 local)



I had a very rough night last night. No sleep at all - but I am caught up on Doctor Who.



Breakfast was yummy. One of the breakfast breads is a roll with hot dog pieces on it. I am noticing that a characteristic of Turkish food is to randomly include a jalapeño or its equivalent. Pretty much the same breakfast as yesterday. I had more fruit and less cheese. I really like the apricots.



After breakfast, I went on a walk. I started out north hoping to catch a ferry to eyup. I was stopped three different times by people trying to sell me an umbrella. I became very cross ( Sisy would say pissy). It was misting. I had a very hard time making it to the docks and walked quite a bit moving around construction projects. At the docks, I asked for help and was told to walk to the other side of the bridge. Well I did that and still no ferry so I kept walking until I was about halfway to eyup myself (I'll figure out how far I walked later.) By this time the mist had turned into a steady rain snow mix and I went from wishing I had that umbrella to realizing it made no difference. I was feeling very down when I was stopped by a man on the street. His name is Mehmet and he wanted to wish me well. I made him smile by using one of the three Turkish things I know how to say "Gurlay gurlay" which is an idiom for goodbye. That made me feel a lot better about the Turkish people who were beginning to annoy me. After Mehmet, I turned south to start back to the hotel. I passed through the community of fatih. It was very interesting to see non touristy Istanbul. I think conservative Americans would be very envious of the number of bakeries, butcher shops, and houses of worship. It was a very nice walk. After quite some time, I was very cold and I was having trouble finding the energy to run across the roads (which you really have to do). I stopped at a little restaurant and had some lamb shavings with tomato and green pepper slices ( and a random jalapeno) I also had some of the horrible yogurt drink Melis and I had from the Turkish market. It wasn't great, but in its proper context I could see how it could grow on you. After food, I went walking to see if I could figure out if I needed to get a taxi. I stumbled upon a metro stop. I don't know how to say "one", but I know how the mass transit system works. After all this it was only about noon (I left a little before nine) and so I wanted the hotel to have time to clean my room. ( after I finish this I am going to take a hot shower and sleep for hopefully twenty hours or so.) So, I rode the subway out and then took the light rail back. And here I am.

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