Yesterday was awesome. A nice day wandering around by myself. One of those days where you have a set plan - you want to get this and this and this done. But you end up doing none of those. And despite it being what seems like a very unproductive day, it was great. I had planned to go to Bogazici University's campus to see if I could find someone, like a professor, to talk to. Then I wanted to go to Rumelihisari, a fort/palace. The one from which sultan mehmed II besieged Constantinople for the Ottomans in 1453. The fort is right next to the campus, so I figured why not. The campus is in Bebek/Rumelihisarustu, neighborhoods north of Beyoglu (where I live) along the straight. I had to take the bus there, which I wasn't thrilled about. I've gotten used to just walking everywhere and a first attempt at figuring out the bus system was daunting. I'm extremely lucky to live where I do.

I was about to leave and Shima stopped by! She was headed to Taksim, so I walked with her. She was meeting a friend there for lunch. She invited me to eat with them, so we went to one of the turkish buffet places that are very popular here. One of the things I love about the people here, not just Turkish, but other people as well, is their generosity at meal times. It seems like eating isn't time for yourself, a break from what you were doing, separated from the rest of the day. They always eat with other people. I've been asked so many times to eat with someone and so many times I have had a meal bought for me. Even if someone has already gotten food they will offer you some or just give you some. Sedat does that a lot since he is always around the hostel he orders from a couple of resturants nearby and eats in the hostel. A couple of times he has saved me something for later or offered me to eat with him. I haven't quite figured out the etiquette for this yet because I usually decline. I feel like normally, from Americans at least, this is just a nice gesture but not always an invitation. But everytime I decline, I feel like I offend the person.

Anyways...I had this sausage on a gourd thing. Delicious. Shima's friend, also Iranian paid for our food. (see what I mean) They tried to tell me what bus to use and I headed for the tangled mess of a bus terminal. The trip up to Bebek was pretty far. It was about a  30 min ride. The districts farther outside the city are so different. Not only are they modern, but they look modern. The buildings are either fresh or in progress. The last stopped unloaded right at the entrance to the university campus. I hadn't been up there so I didn't know what to expect. And what I found was the coolest campus. It is built on the side of a hill (remember the hills?) that overlooks the Bosphorus. It's very green, but every few steps there is an overlook with seating that gazes out across the hillside, the Bosphorus, the bay area of Bebek dotted with yachts, and the green and wealthy asian side. This city is prime for beautiful vistas. The pictures I took are mediocre in comparison to reality. I walked around the campus, down. All the way to the sea. I didn't find anyone to tlak to and the museum I wanted to go to was closed. I couldn't find the entrance to the fort either.
The exit road spilled out to a boardwalk type thing along the water. Good thing the Bosophorus is full of hamsi (the little fish) because Istnabul is full of fishermen. I walked along the water for a good hour back towards home. Yacht after flashy yacht clung to the walkway, squeaking against the buoys between them as they bobbed in the choppy water. It was very windy out, but the sun blazed like always. I was hungry, but all that was around were nice cafes on the waterfront. I knew they would be expensive, but food was calling my name. I sat down under these giant umbrellas that swayed dangerously in the wind at a place called la sirene. Am I still in Turkey. I felt like I had stepped out of Istanbul and into the French Riviera. French music played and the people were decked in nice clothes and jewelry, covered by blankets given to them by the waiters. I had the most delicious steak wrap that was 16 lira...8 bucks...really not that bad for tasting so good. The water was beautiful so I hung around before I realized I had only two hours to get back. I really wanted to take the ferry back, but the closest one only went across the Bosphorus and not down it, so the bus again!

I got off at Ortakoy because I wanted to walk around the shops. It was the same place that I went with Daniel and Julien awhile back. I walked back to the stray cat from there...another hour walk. I decided to reward myself with some ice cream :) A delicious end to my day.