Istanbul part deux

Even when it's rainy, completely overcast, slightly foggy and more than a little cold, this city is incredible. Today I slept in an hour later than intended, as my ipod clock is still on Spain time. When I finally did get up and out, I headed to the Basilica Cistern. I don't think that this is the same underground waterway from the Bond flick, but it's pretty cool. Just like every other must-see tourist item in the historic district, it's a ten lira ticket for an unguided visit, and given that it only takes about a half-hour or forty minutes to see all there is to see I was a bit disappointed at the price. Nonetheless, glad I did it. Took a few good pictures, although I'm still not adept enough with the light metering on my camera to make them extraordinary. Incidentally, there'll be no pictures in this post as the computers in the hostel lounge are fossils and it would take forever to upload them. The wait for computers is bad enough without somebody clogging up the line with picture posting. Hopefully I'll be able to find a time up here when it's empty-ish to post some, but worst case scenario they'll be up when I get back to Spain. I think some of them are quite good, especially the handful I took of the Blue Mosque last night.
After the cistern I strolled about aimlessly for a time. It hadn't begun to rain yet, but there was no doubt that it would, so I put on my rain jacket. Decided to head across one of the footbridges to the other side of the Golden Horn (still Europe). I walked a winding route pretty much on purpose, eventually making my way to the Taksim district, a very polished shopping area with one wide main street that is home to several foreign embassies and also St. Anthony's church, a big impressive structure that is apparently not open to the public. In the mist and gloom and beginnings of a rainstorm, Taksim is quite magical despite its modern feel. It's also home to about a half-dozen Starbucks joints, so I stopped and had my first truly oversized cup of coffee since leaving the states. It was a real treat. I forgot my book at the hostel, so I had nothing to do but sit and write while sipping my coffee, and that was fun until my pen ran dry. At that point I headed back out into the street, taking pictures at many points on my walk down toward the Galata Tower. Another 10 lira ticket, a short elevator ride, two flights of spiral stairs and I was rewarded with a great view of the city. It is absolutely sprawling. The fog and greyness add to the effect, but I think the edges of the metropolis might still be invisible on a clear day. Took a few pictures, the quality of which I won't be able to evaluate until I see them on a bigger screen. Mostly I just stood and took in the height and the surrounding rooftops. It's a very cool spot. After descending I did a bit more winding, most of it on very steep inclines, before heading back to the hostel. I had decided it was time to get in touch with Dad's friend in Istanbul. This turned out to be a very frustrating project as Turkish pay phones don't take coins but claim to take credit cards. 30 minutes and many a curse later I gave up and bought a local phone card (a waste of a few lira since there's no way I'll make 50 minutes of local phone calls while here, but whatever). Couldn't get a hold of Dad's friend, however, so I decided to head back to the hostel and hang out in the terrace bar. The view from here is actually much more fun when the glass is covered with rivulets of rainwater. I've been up here since-- the cook makes a damn good Iskinder kebab (that's a local specialty, delicious tomato-based sauce over lamb garnished with yogurt...magnificent). I think I'm going to call it a night pretty soon, although I'll probably end up staying here for a few more beers with the couple of pals I've made. I love hostel travelling.