After I last wrote, I went to meet Oktay.   Very nice person...he is a mechanical engineer, 28 and lives with a flatmate who i call Charles because i can't even say his turkish name let alone spell it.  They have a very nice flat near Taksim Square and are wonderful hosts.  I was so tired...but they wanted to take me out.  So we went out at 10 pm...and the streets and cafes were full!  we had some typical meditarranean food, coffee, and talked, talked, talked...we were out until 2:30 AM talking about Bush, Politics, Iraq, Islam, Christianity, ATheism, Nitczhe, Camus, the purpose of life, etc.  Very light topics as you can see...i thorougly enjoyed it.  I am there first American Guest and they kept saying I should be an ambasador to prove that not all Americans are foolish!

They had to go to work this morning...so i took the bus to Old Istanbul.  These people here must have the strongest legs...Istanbul is the city of 7 hills....it is like San Francisco.  I got seriously lost in Old Istanbul..to the point that i just went to a cafe to calm down.  I couldn't not find my way out of the maze of streets.  Finally, i found the Grand Bazzar which has 4500 stalls selling carpets, spices, trinket...it was overwhelming.  From there I finally got to one of my main sites that has been on my list of places to see...The Aya Sofia...built in 532 AD by Emperor Justinian and was the largest Christian Church until the Vatican 1000 years later!  But it was plundered by the muslims and they removed all the mosaics and made it into a mosque.  now it serves as a museum.  it was breathtaking.  From there I went to the Blue Mosque..which was a great experience. i removed my shoes and it was my first time in a mosque.  i even knelt down and contemplate for a while.  I think my highlight was after that sitting in the park and the noon time prayers started over the loud speakers through the city....it was surreal to sit in front of the blue mosque listing to the islamic prayers broadcasting over the city!  After that i walked to the hippodrome where the Roman had chariot races,   Oktay recommended I go to the Basilica Cistern....it was great.  It was something out of Phanotm of the Opera or Dracula...It is all underground, damp, wet, with water, candles and it was build by Contantine nearly 1500 years ago.  I then took a walk along the Divan Yolu to Topkaki Palace.  But it was getting late and the palace requires a lot of time...so i am saving that for tomorrow along with shopping.

The sun started setting about 4 pm so i thought i better head back near Taksim Square where i stopped to have coffee and two waiters wanted to join me and ask questions of the States and to practice their English.  That is the stuff i love...meeting people and talking.  there is a bittersweetness in it...to meet someone, share a conversation, and know that you will never see them again.  It is like a microcosm of life.  So it is evening now...and I'm unwinding and waiting for Oktay and Charle to get home from work.  They want to go out again tonight.  Tomorrow I will wrap up the sites of Istanbul, do a little shopping and then move on....