Friday

well... today like all the others started the same, ate breaky 4hrs before my race, so I just stuffed myself with pancakes and cereal and fruit and yogs. Skied the classic, portion a little back from planned, in 45th(ish) but didn't have to push too had and kill myself so stay there but made up 13 positions in the exchange with a 2nd fastest exchange time of the day, .1 second off fastest. The skate leg is pretty much climb out of the stadium, small downhill/flat and then crazy climb to the top of the course and then feed at the top and straight back into the stadium.
2nd/part of the third lap I was felling pretty heavy in the legs but as the last lap came around started to feel good and pushed it hard up the climb to pass 6 or 8 people and catch up with the next pack, dropped in behind and lapped one guy and another fell right in front in the short up before the stadium. entered and could hear a guy closing in behind, turning into the last 100m felt like I was going a little cross-eyed/tunnel vision. Very nearly caught the next guy in the final sprint. Came in with the 14th fastest skate leg
http://www.fis-ski.com/pdf/2012/CC/3234/2012CC3234RL.pdf (results)

Went into the city again but went without attache but brought Knute. Went for quite a good lunch of Erzurum specialty Kebabs where the only person who sorta spoke english was the door man.
From there went to an old school house that they'd turned into a museum, some very cool artifacts and history

really short doors leading off a main hall into classrooms designed so you had to bow to the teacher.
Walked on to get some Baklava, apparently the best in town. just dripping with honey :D
Got back into the car and braved the crazy and quite icy roads to check out three mausoleums and the Citadel which was really cool, got to climb up the minaret and get a 360 view of the city... well as much as you can see through a nasty haze of smog.
Finished up the day with a good old sauna with the coaches and a little rolling in the snow with some Russians.