istanbul, 26 may

i've had access to the internet exactly once since i've been here: using someone else's computer during a coffee break in the hotel with wireless internet. so, no blogging entries so far. but it wouldn't have really mattered, because i've been running around so much that i wouldn't have had the time or the energy to write things down every day. i know that notes from my travels are a huge part of this site, but it's so difficult to make blogging a priority when doing so would mean writing instead of doing. what's the point in that? so, this'll just have to do.

it's now the first day of our third of three meetings in istanbul. the staff meetings were half-days and easy because we don't have huge numbers of staff and i like almost everyone a lot. for our staff outing, we took a ferry to one of the prince islands, whose name i can't remember for the life of me. the ferry ride was beautiful. we stopped at a couple of islands before getting off, and they were so lush, with the lower parts covered with colorful villas. the island we went to had a no-car policy except for police and construction. so people get around this incredibly hilly city on foot, bikes, and horses. we took a horse carriage ride up to the top and back down, which was a little stinky but overall really very nice. after a fish dinner on the island, we took a (much shorter) ferry ride back to istanbul. these seagulls were flying right next to the ferry, catching bits of food that the riders would toss over to them. i got a couple good pictures, which i'll post on some free website when i get back. [thank you thank you thank you dave for lending me your camera. i'm terrible at taking pictures, and being able to take multiple shots and just save the best ones is really incredible. i think i'll have to make an investment in one when i get back.]

i've been hanging out mostly with the young'uns, but the old(er) folks have turned out to be just awesome. on monday night, daniel and kasia and virginija and heather and konstantin and matt and i went out dancing. we ended up at this place called garage, which played some good music but mostly just techno/house stuff (i never know the difference). man, these people can boogie! it was pretty great. we stayed there for a couple hours and danced all our stresses away. i realized that i hadn't been out dancing in AGES. i really want to do it more often in new york, if i can find a nice chill place where sketchy dudes won't be all up in my grill.

since belfast, i've gotten to know matt and erin a hundred times better. that's not to say that i know either of them well, and i certainly don't see much of them outside of work and work-related travel. but they are just so much fucking fun. from the beginning of the week i've been seeing more of them than almost anyone else, and it's great. i've seen quite a bit of danielle, which is also nice since she's leaving soon. i guess they're my preferred travel-buddy circle, and if they're around i know that i'll have people to eat and explore and bitch and joke with. on tuesday night, danielle and i ran into the ihrd staff on our way back to the hotel and we decided to join them for a coffee. we ended up going to this coffee house-ish place within view of the aya sofia mosque. we got coffee and tea and baklava and apple tobacco water pipes. people played backgammon. there was live turkish music. and we heard the prayer call from the top of the mosque, which was haunting and lovely, with birds flying about the spires. that chill nightcap followed a great day of going to the gym and the hammam and walking around taksim and eating yummy kabab and yogurt with fun, funny, wonderful danielle. it was my favorite day.