We want MOOOOORE protests!

Another interesting day in Istanbul. Today I tried to cross on the ferry to have coffee with Michelle, only to find that the city was crawling with police and that all public transit had been shut down. At about 11:15 this morning, apparently there was a big violent clash between protesters and police in Taksim square.

Mark and I were out at 9:30 this morning and saw nothing, then, after I abandoned my attempt to get across the city this afternoon, we went down Istiklal again at 3 which leads to the square. We saw a bunch of closed shops, a ton of men just sitting along the street, and about 1000 police all along the street in riot gear, and a few tanks. We breathed some residual tear gas from this morning (not the most pleasant experience), but otherwise Mark and I haven't been affected directly.

The deaths being commemorated by the protest (which was also directed against the government) happened right outside Mark's school, where I'm writing this email. I can see the carnations the article mentions on the sidewalk from this very window. Very surreal.

And this is all after a major protest by what some sources say was a million people of the government on Sunday that Mark and I only knew was happening because of the thousands of people with flags EVERYWHERE. This is what happens when you don't watch TV and can't understand the proverbial Word on the Street - it's a little unnerving to be uninformed when things like this go down.

But, anyway, Mark and I are totally fine, if deprived of an afternoon of shopping. We'll keep you posted.