An "Armenian" tour of Istanbul

I spent yesterday exploring Istanbul with a friend of a friend (Thank you, John) who was born and raised in Istanbul, but is an Armenian. We spent about three hours walking around the city and seeing many of the Armenian sites. It is interesting to see so much of an Armenian presence here, but it is very much behind closed doors. For instance, the Armenian high school that has existed since sometime in the 1800's and still serves as an Armenian school is marked by a large Turkish flag.

We also spent a considerable amount of time in the many bookstores of Istanbul and I was absolutely amazed by how many books have been translated into Turkish on the topic of the genocide. It is a very popular topic, and books such as the Black Dog of Fate have already been translated. Another popular book is Metal Storm, in which Turkey and the US are at war. Though I haven't felt the affects at all, there is certainly some Anti-American sentiment.