February 9

That was weird – for about 5 seconds the entire hotel lost power. It’s 9:37pm and I have no idea why that happened, but I need the power to stay on because the battery life of my laptop is pathetic. Oh no, it blipped again. I will press on with my writing, in hopes of posting before there are any longer power outages.
Today was a Free Day. They seem to be rare on this trip. We only get about 1 per week. Most people use them as catch-up days, which make them less of a “free” day. I’ve pretty much stayed on top of my work. I have about 3 journals to write tonight, but I know what I am going to write about, and that is the most difficult part. So this morning I spent a couple of hours reading The Yacoubian Building and enjoying a nice long breakfast. They keep the tea brewing while breakfast is served and that lasts from 7:00 to 10:30 in the morning. So basically, I am in heaven here. Breakfast seems to be the meal everyone loads up on, the price (free!) is particularly alluring.
Around 1:00 we went up to the same restaurant for lunch. This time the owner wanted to take our picture for his advertisements. Seeing as how we were the only people in there, both times, he wanted to take advantage of a full restaurant.
I decided to go on the optional outing this afternoon and it was a very good decision. We went to this olive museum, where we saw how olive oil has been made over time and how they make it presently in their little shop. We tasted the oil and it was delicious! This place also makes their own soap from the oil. I bought a bottle to send home and a bar for myself. After the museum we walked up to the particular rock which, Heinrich Schliemann determined to be the Altar of Zeus. Schliemann is the guys who thought he had found the ancient city of Troy, and labeled all the finds accordingly – such as the Mask of Agamemnon. We’ve since discovered that the dates for this Bronze Mask, and the dates for the ancient city of Troy are hundreds of years apart. Schliemann had a bit of an imagination, so ‘those in the know’ (I guess I am now a part of this exclusive group) roll their eyes when they hear that Schliemann determined the function of a particular site. But from this Altar of Zeus, which is just a flat rock up on a hill in the range of Mt. Ida (the legendary place where Paris chose Aphrodite’s gift of love – Helen – and caused the Trojan War), we could see the mountains and the town below. The funny thing was, there were three girls (Sarabeth, Emily, and I) up on this hill and one guy (Krentz). We joked that each of us represented a different goddess, but as typical Davidson students, we all wanted to be Hera, the goddess who offered Paris wisdom.
Next, we stopped by a little café and we each had a cup of Turkish coffee. That stuff is strong, but very good. The tour guide, Gulin, picked all these places. She makes the trip very easy by being pro-active without hovering or being aggressive. Like at the coffee shop, she asked us all what we wanted, and then ordered for us. Oh, she also read our coffee grinds. Apparently, my love life is picking up pretty soon. She knows her audience. ; )
Then it was back to the hotel for dinner and bed. I am very tired. This trip has done wonders for my sleep schedule. I can hardly keep my eyes open by the time dinner is finishing up. I feel like I am eight years old again.