A Social Sunday, a Manic Monday

Spent a sunny Sunday afternoon in Maçka with my new friend, Nayat. We caught a movie, had smoothies and played backgammon (but that sounds weird to me because here it is called "tavla"). It was a tight match and we left it before it was over. As a side note, I learned the game and got fairly good after downloading this free computer version a couple years ago. Afterward, we took a bus to Beşiktaş and then walked to Ortaköy.
Our original plan was not to walk, but with all the traffic (and the free time!) we decided to. Actually, the traffic was so jammed that we arrived ahead of the bus that we would have taken there. In Ortaköy, there is a mantı place that Nayat likes that is inexpensive and really delicious. The air started to cool down in the evening, and the breeze coming off the water was a nice touch. And of course the mantı was fabulous. Definitely in my top 3 favorite Turkish dishes. I am thankful for these kinds of days where everything flows and the time just flies.

In sharp contrast to Sunday... Monday. Took care of a bunch of obligations, sent emails, checked job postings and the time just dragged on. To top it all off, Israeli military forces killed upwards of a dozen Turks who were part of a large international crew on an aid-delivery voyage to the Gaza Strip. Thousands of protesters have gathered at the embassies in İstanbul and Ankara. At the time of this posting I am preparing to go see the protests for myself. More on this later +pictures.