An American in Turkey

I knew it was coming, but it isn't that bad. Yesterday we scoped out a bunch of buildings in Sultanahmet including the Blue Mosque, Ayasofya and Aya Irini. We tried to get into a concert by world renknowned Israeli composer Daniel Barenboim in the Aya Irini (for those who don't know this byzantine church outdates its sister Ayasofya by a few decades and sits on the grounds of Topkapi Palace). The standing room tickets for the concert were 50 YTL (about 35 USD), so we decided against it. So we walked to the Galata Bridge and had dinner at a fish place on the bridge. The bridge is a crazy place to eat, waiters are pushier than normal in trying to get you to sit down, kind of unsettling as an American, but it's just the wayy it is. We had a decent dinner of sea bass, but it would later prove a little disagreeable with my stomach. It's ok now though, I'm lucky to have only a minor bout with the Sultan.

As for my bag it seems the service that finds bags for BA has located it, but won't tell me where it is or when I'll get it. Regardless this is comforting news.

We might either be going to the Asian side or hanging around Besiktas. I'll update tomorrow.