I had someone pity me the other day. I went out for coffee with this Marine I'd met in a bar. He was working in the US Consulate. He said he pitied me for "having to live like a Turk."

"As opposed to..." I prompted. He then began expounding on the benefits of working at the Consulate. They get diplomatic cards, have official translators, and people who get them out of trouble when they get in it. He talked about the Americans who live in the rich areas behind security gates. He got paid $1500 a month and lived in a house with 6 other Americans.

"I went to this restaurant once where each table had its own waiter who stood at the table through the whole meal," he said.

"It sounds ghastly," I said. "I would get really annoyed at having some stranger hover over me while I eat. "

"Hey," he said. "When is the last time you had a Big Mac?"

"Oh probably about 8 years ago," I answered explaining my lengthy stint as a vegetarian. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever eaten a Big Mac. When I was a kid I ate cheeseburgers, fish sandwiches and then chicken. No, I don't think I've ever had a Big Mac. Anyway, I wasn't about to start so I dragged him to a place with the menu entirely in Turkish, and pointed out which items were chicken. He will be finished with his service in a couple months. I mentioned that he was lucky to be able to experience different countries. He spent a year in Korea before coming here.

He shrugged, "I'll be glad to go back. It is boring here. Everything is routine."

"WHAT!!! " I exclaimed. "How can you be bored in Istanbul!!! There is so much here! I don't think I've ever lived anywhere that is so much fun."

Then I figured it out. Poor little me was "living like a Turk." And that was where all the fun was.

I definitely was having too much fun this weekend. I don't think I've ever danced so much. Firuze is always the first one on the dance floor and she drags me with her. As the dance floor gets crowded, we head to the area near our table where dancing becomes an obstacle course. The challenge is to be able to swing and spin without knocking over anyones drinks or falling into another bar patron. One minute they play 50s rock and roll and everyone twists and turns. The next minute it is 80s rock. Then it changes to something with a Latin beat. Saturday night at some point I ended up in a pogo-ing kick line with Firuze and a bunch of drunk Irish guys.

This is why I was too tired to do much by the time Sunday rolled around. I dragged myself out of bed sometime around noon. Then I fell asleep at the breakfast table while trying to convince myself that I should go study Turkish in a cafe, while drinking vast amounts of caffein. I had a business meeting today (Monday) and wanted to make sure I had some Turkish fresh in my head so I could say something intelligent. After I woke up again I managed to go to a cafe. It was an overcast day. The cafe was loud but they were playing some cheesy American pop singer instead of their usual Turkish mix. I love being around people but if I spend too much time being social, I have to sort of clean out my brain. This usually involves taking a walk, preferably by water.

At around 5.30 I headed down to the Bosphorus. Everyone was outside. Kids were playing ball in the streets. Groups of men and women sat in the doorways talking and drinking tea. I walked along the Karaky water front. The sounds and smells of the fish market filled the air. Seagulls were circling overhead or perched on boats, waiting. The Galata bridge was not as crowded as usual. There were still a lot of fishermen but only on one half of the bridge. After crossing the bridge I walked along the Eminonu waterfront. Merchants had their arrays of watches and childrens' toys clattering and beeping. There was the smell of frying fish from the fish boats and döner from the stands. After I passed the last ferry dock, I was in new territory. There is a road that runs around the Eastern part of the Golden Horn, underneath Topkapi. There is a thin stretch of sidewalk that leads to a large waterfront park, Sarayburnu. The park is at the tip of the Golden Horn, where the Bosphorus becomes the Marmara Sea. Across the road from the waterfront, are the old city walls. They stretch from this point around to the SouthWest part of the old city and then North until they meet the Halic at AyvanSaray, where I took the bus through last week. Last night I only walked along a very small section. Lots of people were out walking or fishing. The walls are fairly standard stone structures, with the tops a bit broken by time. In some places the towers and domes of Topkapi were visible above them. In other places, wild or domestic flowers were growing along the top. I was getting hungry so I decided I should find my way back home or find someplace to eat. At one place, a road led through the walls and up a hill. The sudden abundance of hotel and restaurant signs told me I was approaching Sultanahmet. I walked up a hill past a mosque which I believe is called the Ishak Pasha Camii. When I reached the top of the hill, I was in front of the Aya Sofya. The way back to Taksim from there is a familiar walk down the hill to either a bus stop or the Tunel (unfortunately they close early).