so i finally made it to istanbul. it is very different than i had thought it was going to be because i pictured a much more strictly islamic city, but it has such a large diverse population that it isa very cosmopolitan city. the only thing that is very islamic about the city is the daily prayers (five daily) that are sent over the public address speakers. it was really weird to hear that all over the city for twenty minutes at seperate times in the day. walking through the grand bazaar was really fun because of all the people haggling you. they constantly come up to you saying "my friend, my friend, i have good deal for leather jacket" to which we'd reply that it was too hot for a leather jacket and then theyd say "oh, but my store is air conditioned, very nice to have a jacket." it is the easiest place i have ever seen to bargain with people. you can get stuff knocked way down if you are any good at bargaining. afterwards we went to the blue mosque. i like seeing mosques better than cathedrals because they actually understand that to charge an entrance fee is a bit sacriligious. they make you take your shoes off and stay in one section but i can handle that. the mosques are really beautiful as well. saw belly dancing last night after all the walking around. it was quite an experience, the belly dancer was really beautiful which made for a good experience.
its been a relief because traveling the last few days has been pretty difficult. until last night i had either slept on the floor of a boat or in a seat on a bust for 4 of the last 5 days. now its going to be beds from here on out, unless something unexpected happens. reynnie, jas and i fly to budapest tomorrow then we are to make our way up to see peter in sweden.