Today was my first full day in Istanbul. Baba and I toured the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, got sucked into a carpet merchant shop, and shopped at the bazaar. While waiting around for my dad at the bazaar, a guy from the scarf shop coaxed me to come over to have a chat and a cup of tea. Because I was desperate to make Turkish friends I asked him to hangout that evening. Ridvan obliged.

He took me to a terrace cafe to smoke hookah and drink tea. The conversation was comfortable and interesting. We talked for a couple hours then decided to peruse more of the crazy streets of Taksim. We walked everywhere and ended up by the Bosphorus River overlooking the city lights drinking tea. The whole night was incredibly fun, romantic, and new.