Met with the tour group at 5:00 in the lobby of the hotel.  Meli was her usual self, moving quickly and promoting enthusiasm and spontaneity.  Quick assessment concluded  that we were going to be an okay group, folks were all very friendly.Meli quickly took us off to an Istanbul "gathering place" where people meet and sit around to socialize, drink tea, play backgammon and smoke hookahs. 

Some of us were at first, a tad tentative about trying the hookah.  And then everyone got into trying it and laughed and had a good timereally, not to bad.Then off to the 'fish' area of town for a wonderful meal of sea bass and multiple mystery beginning things.  We laughed a bunch, the food was great, the gypsies played enthusiastically