May Day where it means something

looking though a chandelier to the ceiling
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Just at the end of the tram line there were massive protests and arrests.  I was completely unaware until I returned this evening and saw it on the news here at the hostel.

Last night I stopped very close to the hostel to eat as it was very chilly and I had no coat.  The place was upstairs, small and had a killer view.  One direction the Hagia Sofia.  In the other the Bosporus.  The waiter was a cross between true elegance and Inspector Clouseau.  Lots of flourishing and intimate whispers and brooming the table.  The tomato soup was excellent and the music came from the easy listening radio station.  I smiled through the whole meal.  The Efes beers added to my enjoyment.

patterns on the wall
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Today for breakfast we had olives, tomatoes, zucchini, bread, jam and tea.  I think I will be seeing a lot of those items.

My first purchase of the day was an ink pen.  I stopped into a small shop and the girl there could have been a posterchild for complete boredom and disdain.  Her demeanor was so bad it was humorous.

I sent off some postcards to the email illiterates of my friends and family.  Got a box to (hopefully) mail stuff back and got a haircut.  I stopped at the first place I found from the hostel and a young sniffling man did a very professional job which included not only trimming my nose hairs but taking a flame and singing my ear hairs and some off my cheeks.  It was a bit freaky but I feel quite clean.

A Swedish Birdcage couple
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I was trying to hold off on touring the sights until Robin arrives but I decided to go to the Hagia Sofia because I figured I could see it twice.  Not wrong that.  It does not disappoint.  Grand spaces with elegant design and wonderful light which my camera totally loved.

Ataturk had the brilliance to convert the mosque into a museum and today there are elements of both faiths at every turn.  The mosaics from the Christian era are stunning.  From small windows which were opened you have really pretty views of the surrounding area and other aspects of the building itself.

Looking up in the Hagia Sofia
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I tortured a very cute carpet salesman today.  He laid out at least 25 carpets and I told him I had just stopped in to use their toilet.  He had me eliminate carpets down to one I liked the most.  Then I got up, shook his hand and left without asking or offering a price.  I got two cups of apple tea out of the deal.

A fairly short walk to the water led me past the train station and a quick lunch of a balik ekvet or fish sandwich.  Then I crossed into Asia.  Just like that across the bridge and onto another continent.  There is an old, in fact really old like 500AD tower called Galata which you can climb up to a viewing platform and look out across to the European side and see over 11 mosques, palaces and monuments creating the skyline of the old city.

The dome interior being refurbished
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By the time I got back to the other side it was cooling down.  I walked into the spice market for a small bit then found a clothing salesman on the street and bought a coat.  From there I made my way back to Sultanhamet and the hostel.