When we got up today, Dan and Mindy were checking out, but had nothing to do until 6.30pm, so we decided to go next door to Palatium to get some lunch together. We went out the back of the restaurant where they had stairs down underneath the place to where there were massive roman ruins that had been excavated. It was very cool, and much bigger than I thought it would be based on the glass floor inside the restaurant! After checking that out we went inside and got some bean bags and got a beer and a meal each. I got a couple of entrees instead of a main, because the dolma were so amazing last time! The place has such a nice relaxing vibe, we ended up staying for literally 5 hours, just chatting, drinking beers and sharing a lot of videos on YouTube! It was a nice way to waste a day! Eventually we left and went all the way back to the hostel next door where we hung out on the tables out the front for another hour ish until the shuttle bus for Dan and Mindy came to take them to the bus to Cappadocia. So we said goodbye to them, then as we didn't have enough time for a snooze as we were planning to do, we just went upstairs for half an hour or so to warm up in the blankets, then went back out the front to meet Keith and Lindsay, who we had met in Morocco, and were also in Istanbul! They were just arriving as we left the building, pretty good timing! Then we went for a walk down to the next street, which is full of restaurants, where there was a place we had been recommended by friends we'd met in Croatia. We slowly walked along the street, and every restaurant tried to get us into their shop! We had a look at a few menus, but ended up at the place we'd been told about, Defne. Our waiter Aziz seated us inside and he was a very funny man! Instantly joking around with us, it was very funny! We got some recommendations for food from him and ordered, then had a really good chat with Keith and Lindsay about both our travels so far! It turns out that this is their very last night before they fly back to Australia! And they chose to spend it with us! Feeling a bit loved right now! We got a whole lot of little appetizers (mezes!) for FREE to start with! A bunch of pita bread, humus, mushrooms, other dips and marinated veggies and that sort of thing! Amazing! Then when the mains were about to be served, Aziz called us out the front to watch the spectacle of the clay pot dish that Darren and Keith were sharing. He had a big tray of salt which was on fire, and he was putting the clay pot in and out of the fire, putting it out with his hands then repeating it. Then he started tapping on the pot, and got the entire restaurant to clap along before breaking the top off it and pouring the contents into the bowl to serve it! It was very cool to watch! So we all had an amazing meal, and a great catch up and chat for ages. At one point Darren went to the toilet, and when they took him to show him where it was, they joked with him and took him out the back of the bar, where there was a huge ancient well, with fish swimming around in it! So we all had a look at that, as well as the roman ruins they had out the back and side of their building, which looked very cool. There's a whole old building next door connected to the restaurant too! So after a bit more of a chat and another beer each, and a lot of joking around with Aziz, we eventually finished up and paid our bill before heading back down the street. As we were walking, we were convinced into one of the pubs, Shadow cafe, with a happy hour deal, and sat at a table with a German guy who was there by himself. We got a drink each and had a chat with the German guy, Rolf. At one stage the staff went around giving out large pieces of white paper towel, then put on Sweet Caroline, jumped onto a couple of chairs and started singing really loud and waving their papers around! The whole restaurant joined in, then some fireworks were going off too! They sang YMCA next too! It was very funny! After getting another round, served on the top of the staffs head, we had a bit more of a chat before heading off. It turned out Rolf was staying at the same hostel as us too, but he hung around for a bit longer. We walked back to our hostel, where we made plans to meet the boys tomorrow before saying goodbye then heading up to bed.