Sightseeing with the Police

So this Wednesday I didn't have class and made plans to finally get my student Akbil (transportation card that makes the bus/metro/tram way cheaper), and then to do some sightseeing with Sedat, the police officer we met who is trying to learn English. Of course, with my nonexistent Turkish, administrative matters like getting an Akbil are nearly impossible to complete.

After following the directions given in an email by the school, only to find out they were wrong, I was late to meet Sedat, so I just gave up on the Akbil for the day and headed to the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. This is where all the major touristy things are -- Ayasofya, Blue Mosque, etc. We went to Topkapi Palace, which is also a museum. Its so beautiful. I can't wait to go back in the summer when all the gardens are blooming! And I also saw the Basilica Cisterns which is this huge underground cavern that was used in like the Byzantine Empire for people to have access to water. They were so eerie -- nearly pitch black with these huge cavernous ceilings. Every time I visit places like these it amazes me that I am living among all this history! We swung back by the Blue Mosque (see left) after sightseeing so Sedat could change into his civilian clothes. So he sat me on this little stool outside the security and I chilled for a few minutes with the security guards at the mosque gardens. Talk about random situations that I put myself into!

So thats pretty much all that is going on right now. The weather is so-so, not too cold, but definitely not the gorgeous stuff we had when we first got here. It kind of makes me just want to hang out inside, not go outside exploring. I'm saving that for when I won't freeze to death. So we may or may not take a day trip tomorrow. But there's homework I should be doing, and weather I'd rather just avoid (um, I left Michigan for a reason). So we'll see...

Anyways, love from Istanbul. Pray for sunnn so that I stop doing my homework and start getting a tan!