I'm writing this at around 1am Turkish time, since there is disco music blasting at a club across the street from my hotel. I'm in an odd part of town, with lots of upscale shops, 5-Star hotels, and clubs that pump up the jam until the wee hours each morning.
Today, my colleague and I played tourists in Istanbul. We visited the blue mosque (absolutely stunning), took pictures of the other main mosque (the name escapes me), the museum, and then spent the afternoon shopping at and around the Grand Bizarre. Let me tell you something about the Grand Bizarre - it's draining!
The grand bizarre has a few thousand stalls, all under one roof. Add in a couple hundred thousand Turkish people and tourists, and a generous helping of pushy vendors, and you have yourself semi-organized mayhem. It took my colleague and I 3 hours before we bought anything, just because we both found it so overwhelming. I walked out totally drained, but with a couple of gifts for you fine folks back home.
Tonight was a nice supper in the hotel (lamb, cherry trifle, and a dark Turkish beer) and a movie in my room (Sex and the City...cause I'm so comfortable in my masculinity). There might be some big plans for tomorrow, but you'll have to wait to find out about those.
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