On Sunday we had our first weather of the trip. Until today we have had sun and not much wind with comfortable temperatures. Yesterday we started hearing that it might rain all day on Sunday and when we woke this morning it was pouring down. It has been overcast and cool with a high in the low 60s.
After stalling for a while we walked down the street for breakfast. We could have eaten here, but after 6 or 7 days the novelty of the Empress Zoe breakfasts has worn off. We both got under one umbrella for the dash down the street but we are pretty much out of practice on proper umbrella usage and we both ended up more than a little damp. But the restaurant was open and we had a leisurely meal. It was leisurely in part because it just kept raining harder. Our waiter acknowledged with a shrug that it was likely to rain all day.
When the rain let up mid-morning we took a walk—with two umbrellas this time. I was surprised to see that the rain did not keep everyone inside. There were quite a few tourists about. Our walk turned out to be quite pleasant. I noticed that we were not walking at random and sure enough, we ended up at Noah’s Ark, a carpet store just off Sultanhamet square. We spent a couple of hours in conversation with Youseff and Hamza learning about carpets and kilims. They are both nice men and they put no pressure on us but you know the outcome.
By the time we got back it was raining hard again so we spent some of the afternoon planning how to pack for the trip home. I suppose it is a good thing that we brought an extra, collapsible bag with us. It looks like we will need it.
It is about 5:30 in the evening and it I still raining so we aren’t going far for dinner. The Empress Zoe does not have a restaurant so we will brave the elements. We are hoping for drier weather tomorrow.