Pigs

On the way back through Taksim Square I wanted to buy roasted chestnuts from a vendor.

The first one we stopped at filled up the small bag we indicated we wanted and demanded 5 YTL. That being about five times the normal rate we refused and walked off. "That's the foreigners discount," Drew told Boki, "now you know how we feel in Sarajevo most of the time."

I got the same amount of chestnuts from a second vendor for the normal 1 lira price, but as he handed me my bag four policemen, all armed including one with an automatic rifle, came up to the vendor and began hassling him. Boki says it was something about not selling in the particular spot in the square he'd chosen. The vendor didn't go along with what their order. So one of the cops just clamly overturned his table sending chestnuts flying everywhere and walked off.

It was shocking.