Today I ate at Haci Abdullah (again thanks to Cheryl and Timor). The place was opened in 1888 and inaugurated by Sultan AbdulHamid. It is off Istiklal street in Taqsim and one block from Saray sweet shop. (I wondered when I went today: did Theodore Herzl ate there when he visited Istanbul? I asked. I was told that he did: apparently, after finishing the meal he tried to take over the land on which the restaurant is built. He was quickly kicked out.) The food is Ottoman Turkish cuisine: the hot dishes (typical in Turkish cuisine) are not for vegetarians. But the cold dishes have plenty. The Dolomas are good but not excellent like Haci Baba. But the rest are great. The best is stuffed eggplants: and they are slightly spicy. The stuffed cabbage are good but not excellent. You get the impression that things are prepared with better care than Haci Baba (my favorite grape leaves there is). I tried what is called Eggplant puree. The first taste was very weird, but the the second and third, etc were much better. It is still a weird dish. I wonder if AbdulHamid liked that one too. The bread in Turkey is a problem: they offer you always really horrible Western bread (but not the good ones). My favorite bread is the bread they used at Shawirma places: it is a thick and small Pita bread. You can get 4 loaves for a Lira. Enjoy. I have taken a lot of pictures but will wait until return to post. I will go back again to my favorite place: topkapi palace to take pictures there (I forgot my camera the first time). Today, it was hot. I thought I was being smart by carrying this really good fan that you hang around your neck. It is quite powerful. After a morning run, and a long walk, I sat down inside the Sultan Ahmad (Blue) Mosque to rest and cool down. I put the fan on my face. I thought that people were jealous of my fan arrangement. A few minutes later my hair got caught into the fan. I freaked out: people looked amused at my ordeal. I survived.