Had a lazy morning after getting a solid ten hours of sleep and then finally taking a shower where I completely soaked the entire bathroom.
Went out to do some sightseeing and things happened exactly like the book said they would. The tour guide said a young Turkish man would approach me and offer to be my escort for the day (he did) for a fee (how many Lira is too much for a private tourguide?). As part of our tour of the sights he would take me to a carpet store owned by his uncle (actually, it was his cousin Mahmet), where I would meet his family (one more cousin and a brother) where they would drink tea with me (really delicious apple flavored) and then try to sell me a Turkish carpet (yup). Following that he would take me downstaırs to hıs brother's jewelry store (it was across the street, and he was a friend, not a brother) where I would drink Turkish coffee (only half) then I would be convinced to buy jewelry (a ring and a bracelet) at a price special to me because now I am practically a member of the family (yup).
It was Bhartin's first day as a guide. He didn't know that much about the places we visited, but he was a fun companion, he showed me where everything was and he did manage to take a lot of wildly unflattering pictures of me. We visited the Blue Mosque, Ayasofya, the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace and saw a lot of monuments. When he dropped me off at my hotel he suggested that we get together in a couple of hours for dinner. I initially turned him down because I thought it would be weird or uncomfortable, but going along with my resolution to not miss anything because I was fearful, I decided to go. I could use the company and I had nothing else to do; so the kid gets an extra free meal out of it. Whatever. We'll see what happens.
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