It's Friday and what a week it has been. I am staying with Cadgas, friend from Piedmont, at his dad's place. It's been great to get the local tour. Sultanhamet area, tourist area, is nice, but the places that Cadgas has taken me to or sent me off to have been fantastic. Yesterday I caught a ferry to the Princess Islands where they don't have cars. To get around you take horse carrages. I took a short tour of the island for 45mins. It was great fun riding in the back of a horse drawn carrage. Then last night we went on a Bosphorous Cruise. This is the body of water seperating the two parts of Istanbul. This was a last minute thing, we started our little tour at 11pm. OH, did I mention that this trip was on his dad's boat? What fun!!! I get to see all the good stuff and not have to go to a carpet shop. (this happens everywhere, I have more fun changing my cover story just to see if they buy it, and i am not forced into looking at carpets for 45mins.). Got to see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia from the sea, a few palaces, a fireworks show (Cadgas kept trying to take credit for arranging it for me), and just be on the sea till about 1:30am. A bit tired we went home. Today was up at 8:30, a wander about the Taksim area, tonight we are going to Cadgas's friend's birthday party at a swank club. So I had to iron my slacks and shirt. No sandals tonight.
A few days back I got to see the Olympic Torch pass through Istanbul. I wasn't sure what was going on, there were lots of Coke trucks and Mavi Jeans cars, and bam, there's this guy running down the street with the torch. I watched and it dawned on my just how commerical the Olympics is. Sad.