Thursday, December 12, 2019

Grandma

How could one do such a remarkable woman justice in a few short minutes?  An entire lifetime of memories, and boy are we blessed to have so many wonderful memories with her.

How many of us grandkids can finish this chorus thanks to Grandma?  Skidda merrinky dinky dink…….  And I’m sure many of us can also say that we had our first sip of coffee at her house too; she loved having us spend the night.  She could never babysit just one grandchild, if she had to babysit one she would immediately drive to another one of her children’s homes and picked up their kids as well.  She was definitely onto something with that, she never truly had to babysit as we’d all entertain each other.  Sometimes she’d take us all to the pond, but we never seemed to have swimsuits (as half of us had been picked up spontaneously).  Not that Grandma minded, she’d always tell us, “You don’t need a swimsuit, just swim in your underwear!”  I don’t recall how our mother’s felt about that (or perhaps they didn’t know), but there are incriminating photos to prove that many of us did just that.

Most people have memories of their grandmother’s cooking, but by the time we all came along she’d already spent 20+ years in the kitchen.  I don’t think I ever saw her bake, ever.  But she always had a cabinet stocked with Chips Ahoy or Oreos and she would pull them out with a smile and joke that they were fresh from the oven.  Ramen Noodles, one would hardly call that cooking, but just the smell of them and I’m transported back to her sun-room, sitting around the lunch table with my cousins, slurping from a steaming bowl.  She would always cut and peel apples for our lunch as well, and one time she peeled a potato and snuck it onto the plate.  Seth and Zach were fighting over the last piece, and I believe Seth won the battle, but Zach and Grandma had the last laugh.  Since we’re on the subject of food and her jokes, here’s one she told a few times: “How do you turn anything into a vegetable?”  “Throw it up in the air, and voila, squash.”

When I think back, it’s a small wonder that none of us girls work in retail-sales considering the countless hours we spent in her basement buying and selling Shaklee products and playing “store”.  Speaking of Shaklee, we all have strong bones and teeth because she would always let us eat the protein bars off the shelf – to us they might as well have been candy bars.

How many of you remember the year she bought Christmas gifts, wrapped them all up and then put the name tags on them?  Inevitably many of the tags were mixed up and some of the boys received baby dolls and the girls received toy cars.  I distinctly remember receiving a baby’s playmat, so that had to have been Zachs.  After that she started taking us all to see Disney on Ice as our Christmas present.  I can’t say for sure how many years we went, but they were certainly a highlight and the memories lasted far longer than any toy ever could; she was ahead of her time in that way.
Even in her later years, she never lost her sense of humor or her mischief.  I know we can all remember a time when we weren’t entirely sure she was following the conversation, or even paying attention, and then she’d turn to you and give you some snappy remark.  If you ever had the pleasure of escorting her to Bingo, you surely heard this reply when asking her where she’d like to sit, “On my bottom of course!”  Speaking of Sunnyview, none of the single employees were safe when Barb was around.  Some of us grandchildren were very well aware of Grandma’s matchmaking attempts, others perhaps not so much.   The grandsons were easy targets as most of the employees are female, but she was an equal opportunity matchmaker. On more than one occasion she embarrassed me by asking me to push her down the hall so she could find someone, and low and behold, she was trying to introduce me to another one of her physical therapists! The worst was when the poor guy had to kindly explain that a match just wasn’t possible as he was already engaged.  These sorts of incidents never perturbed her…  Another one of the therapists moved away before I got a chance to meet him in person and I’m not sure she ever forgave me for not making more of an effort. 

Grandma was a gem and will surely be missed.  She always told me that “home is where you go when there’s no place else to go” and now she’s truly home.  She was ready to go, and we were never going to be ready...

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Winner, Winner, Tuna Dinner!

A few years ago, I stumbled upon the idea (from the Toad& Co. blog/newsletter) of a Grilled Cheese Competition.  About that time my church was planning a missions trip to Guatemala and I suggested it as a fundraiser.  One of my comrades latched onto the idea, and although we never did use it, she kept it in the back of her mind.  Each year our church does SummerFest and this year they decided to change the format a bit and do dinners after the special speakers.  The aforementioned comrade saw her opportunity and pounced!  It didn’t take too much for us to convince the fun & fearless kitchen leader to make it part of the schedule.  And so it was that the “GLC Meltdown” was born. 

Originally scheduled for early June, a flood and subsequent building damage pushed the date for the “Meltdown” to the middle of July, on what just happened to be one of the hottest days of the year.  As I overheard someone say that evening, “We’re having a meltdown either way you look at it!”  The rules were quite simple: a name for your entry was required, make 2 sandwiches for judging, each entry was judged based on “creativity, presentation, and taste”.  Since I appropriated the idea, one might assume I had a submission just waiting for the go-ahead.  And even with the date being pushed, I was still down to the wire on figuring out what I would make.  I googled ideas, searched my local Aldi for cheeses (they have tons of great options), and still didn’t have anything that was striking my fancy.  With not much time I turned to my travels for inspiration.

While living DownUnder, I stumbled upon the delightful world of flavored tuna.  Spicy Chili, Mexican Style, Zesty Vinaigrette, Indian Curry, Teriyaki, Tomato & Basil, etc.  They were delicious, straight out of the can – just grab some crackers and scoop! 

Upon my return to the Southern Hemisphere I revisited this tasty past-time.  Those who are long-time readers might remember how my Taranaki house sit involved leftover foods.  Some of the items they left in their fridge were cheeses and one was goat cheese.  My last known experience with goat cheese was in France when I was about 17 and it left a bad taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively.  However, I didn't want to waste perfectly good food (if it was indeed perfectly good), so I decided to give it a try before I threw it away.  Some hearty, whole-wheat bread, a small smear of goat cheese, and a hearty topping of Tomato Basil flavored tuna - pop it in the toaster oven... Surprise!  I rather enjoyed it.

This memory is what spawned my submission.  My only problem was that there is no Tomato Basil Tuna in the U.S.  Thanks to the world wide web I was able to find the ingredient list to a can from Australia, but without amounts of each ingredient my result would be quite unpredictable.  I decided to try Pinterest to see if someone else had already beaten me to it, but alas, I was on my own.  The closest I found was a recipe for Tuna and Tomato Pasta.  I took the additional ingredients and decided I would just wing it.  As my younger brother likes to remind me, I rarely follow a recipe exactly anyway.  Saturday night dinner was my test run, but I didn't write down how much I added of everything, so it was a one-of-a-kind dish (I made sure to save enough of the tuna for the competition the next day).  I tested four variations (amounts of goat cheese, the addition of mozzarella and provolone, and home made wheat bread) on my family and based on their votes I had my finalized entry.  The name of my entry, "Tasman Tuna Toastie" was finalized before the sandwich - yes, I enjoy alliteration. The Tasman sea separates Australia and New Zealand, and in both countries a sandwich that is grilled or melted is called a "toastie", so the name fit like a glove.

For me the competition was rather uneventful, I didn't truly feel as if I was competing - I just made a sandwich because I felt like I should.  I'm not very competitive as it is, so winning wasn't really on my radar (to be honest I thought I might be disqualified for a lack of cheese in my submission).  Once my sandwich had been delivered to the judges I took my extra sandwiches and gave them to those sitting at my table to taste.  Without telling them the name no one could figure out my ingredients.  Tuna and goat cheese weren't on their radar at all.  I then took a taste over to my comrade (although, at this point, she was not viewing me as a comrade but a foe).  She made several wrong guesses as well and then finally said "seafood" to which I replied, "tuna".  She rather enjoyed it, but I still assumed I was still out of the running.  I was shocked, and a bit incredulous, when they declared my sandwich the winner of the Golden Spatula Award.  I still feel bad that someone who really wanted to win didn't win, but I guess there's always next year...

Life's been busy, but I finally found time to recreate the recipe for the tuna - ENJOY!

Tomato Basil Tuna

2 cans (5oz/142g) tuna (I used 1 in water and 1 in oil)
3.5 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Basil
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Tbsp minced onion (I used dried)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
splash of white wine
~ In a small skillet, combine all ingredients and heat through. 

To make my entry, I buttered and toasted two pieces of Mack's Flax Bread™ by Silver Hills Bakery (but any hearty bread with a bit of crunch will do).  Next I topped one piece with a nice spread of goat cheese and a thick layer of tomato basil tuna.  Sprinkle on a bit of mozzarella for some extra creaminess and then top with the second piece of bread and melt everything in a skillet or on a griddle.  **At home I normally make these open-faced (no top piece of bread), so I put it in the toaster oven to melt everything.  The leftover tuna is even better the second day as all the flavors have time to marinate.


Thursday, March 21, 2019

Istanbul

We had an early morning start to the day with our drive back to Istanbul, passing through Bolu (in the Black Sea region), and then crossing the bridge back into Europe.  The drive took our entire morning but we spend the rest of the afternoon walking to make up for all the sitting.  A tour of Topkapi  Palace Museum (specifically the Summer Palace and the Harem Apartments).  The complex is very large and includes at least three courtyards, with each courtyard having its own ornate gate.  Although Turkish coffee is something for which the country is known, the beverage was not part of their culture until the Ottomans invaded Ethiopia and were introduced to the drink.  The lasting memory of the palace was all the stunning tiles - I couldn't stop taking pictures of them!  They were absolutely magnificent!

The Harem Apartments include over 400 rooms as the sultan was allowed up to four wives.  The word harem, despite the connotations of the word when used today, actually means "forbidden".  My understanding is the there was no limit on the number of concubines the sultan could have and I think the concubines were slaves.  If they were lucky they might become a wife, but seeing as the number of wives was limited, the chances were not good.  The mother of the first born son had the highest status and therefore had the largest rooms in the palace.  The eunuchs were the bodyguards for the harem and had their own section inside the harem.  Oddly enough, Turkey has the world's 3rd largest collection of Chinese Porcelain (China and Germany hold 1st and 2nd place).


From the palace we walked to the Basilica Cistern, the largest of the hundreds that lie beneath the city.  Built about 500ft from the Hagia Sofia by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (also known as Justinian the Great).  It is estimated to hold 100,000 tons of water sourced from the Belgrad Forest, about 19km (12 miles) from the city.  This cistern has 2 Medusa heads and many beautiful Roman columns.  I found it so odd that they bothered making such beautiful columns inside something never meant to be seen, let alone visited by tourists!  Later research enlightened me: many of the columns were recycled from the ruins of other buildings. The most famous thing about this particular cistern (apart from its size) is the aforementioned Medusa heads.  The Atlas Obscura entry sums it up quite nicely, "The two giant Gorgon-head pillar bases at the far end of the cistern are an intriguing mystery. It is suspected that they may have been pulled out of an older pagan temple, where motifs of the famous Gorgon Medusa were used as a protective emblem. It is possible that the placement of these two faces — upside down and sideways, at the base of pillars — may have been a deliberate display of the power of the new Christian Empire. Or it’s possible that the stones were just the right size."
Hard to take photos down there...

Our final stop of the day was to the famous Grand Bazaar.  Oh my goodness, what a maze!  I honestly don't know how the shop keepers ever find their stores - there are over 4,000 shops!  It is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world.  As Rick Steve explains, "Sprawling over a huge area in the city center, Kapali Çarsi ("Covered Market") was the first shopping mall ever built. During Byzantine times, this was the site of a bustling market; when the Ottomans arrived, it grew bigger and more diverse. The prime location attracted guilds, manufacturers, and traders, and it grew quickly — its separate chunks were eventually connected and roofed to form a single market hall. Before long, the Grand Bazaar became the center for trade in the entire Ottoman Empire. At its prime, the market was locked down and guarded by more than a hundred soldiers every night, like a fortified castle."

Fittingly, we entered (and therefore needed to exit once finished) through Gate 1 (which is the name of our tour company).  Serdar assured us that if we simply asked for directions back to the Main Street (once once found themselves completely lost) and once there simply walk in the direction of the descending numbers and we'd find ourselves back where we started.  These days there are apps and special maps to find your way around, but even someone as directionally-challenged as myself was able to manage with those instructions as my guide.  I wandered around the Grand Bazaar by myself the whole time and although the reputation of the aggressive shop keepers is true (and the vast majority are male) I never felt threatened or uncomfortable.  To be fair, I'm told I give off a no-nonsense vibe, so that might have tipped the scale in my favor.


You're supposed to haggle with the shop keepers, but I'm incapable.  It's just not in my blood.  With a recent sermon on consumerism on my mind, I didn't end up buying any souvenirs.  I looked at a lot of beautiful pottery and scarves, but at the end of the day my suitcase was already full and I had absolutely no need for more items.  Couple that with my inability to haggle and the only thing I purchased was some Turkish Delight for my family and coworkers to try when I got home (and yes, I paid full price).  On our bus ride this morning Serdar mentioned that Turkey is quite popular with Medical Tourism.  Based on the number of men I saw at the Grand Bazaar with bandages and scabs on their heads it would seem that hair transplants are quite popular.

We returned to our hotel (where I think I might have been upgraded to a suite or something - the room was amazing) and then enjoyed a lovely farewell dinner with my tour-mates.  A fantastic trip and a nice way to end our tour together.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Ankara & Atatürk

We departed for Ankara this morning, a four hour drive, with our first top of the morning featuring ice cream!  You certainly can't go wrong there.  We tried Mado brand "dondurma", a Turkish mastic ice cream - it's a bit gummy because they add salep (a flour made from the tubers of orchids) and mastic (gum or resin from a specific type of tree) to the other "usual" ice cream ingredients.  On our drive we passed Tuz Gölü (literally meaning Salt Lake), the second largest lake in the country (the largest being Van Lake).  It is also one of the world’s largest hypersaline lakes: fed by two streams it has no outlet. Oddly, it is extremely shallow with a maximum depth of 5 feet!

Also en-route, Serdar treated us all to a honey soaked chestnut, kestane şekeri.  Since one of our main stops for the day was at the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, he spent part of the drive providing us with some history and background of the country's favorite son.

“Commander-In-Chief in Ilgen” with Atatürk on the left
Ankara is the capital and second largest city in Turkey and Atatürk is the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic.  Not only was he excellent in his various military roles, he also was the one credited for campaigning for independence and then fighting to expel the Greeks in 1919.  I find the last part slightly ironic as he himself was born in Greece.  The last Ottoman Sultan (Mehmed VI) left the country with the British Navy and in 1922 Turkey became a new country.  As the first president (he served from 1923 until his death in 1938), Atatürk completely reformed and westernized Turkey.  He changed the alphabet, the clothing styles, capitol city, education system, type of government, calendar system, he gave women the right to vote, and even introduced surnames -- it is astounding how much his people allowed him to change about their country!  

To read more about the architecture and building of the
museum itself, check out this site.
Our visit to Anitkabir (the beautiful mausoleum built for him) was good, albeit far too short for me. 
"The mausoleum complex is mammoth, with a grand staircase known as the Path of Honor, flanked by reclining Hittite lions, leading up to the Court of Honor where the mausoleum itself and a museum dedicated to Atatürk's life both sit".  I did not have enough time to soak up all the information available about such a fascinating historical figure. The museums many sub-sections were extensive and I simply had to skip many of them to ensure my group didn't leave me behind.  A quick perusal of his library was insightful and I loved looking at the beautiful old books.  I’m not sure how many languages he spoke, but he had many books in various languages.  We were able to see a changing of the guards before we left, but sadly it seemed marred by how many people were rude in their attempts to film the whole thing (thereby ruining it for countless others).  The security forces overseeing the entire affair were certainly used to dealing with the rudeness and were quite brusque in their directions and scoldings of the crowd.

Our last stop of the day was the Museum of Anatolian Civilization, but I just couldn't get interested in all of the 1200 B.C. Assyrian, Hittite, and Phyrigian artifacts - I'd have much rather spend more time at Anitkabir, but alas, that's the price you pay by not traveling on your own.
Statue of King Mutallu - a local king dependent to Sargon II
(king of Assyria) - sent to govern Aslantepe; circa 1000 B.C.


Back at our hotel for the evening, I got a call from Jonathan and Oak asking of I'd like to join them, Marcia, and Frank for a walk over to the mall for some dinner.  With nothing else to do than journal, upload photos, and repack, I decided to join them.  I always enjoy a wander through a grocery story (in this case MM Migros) while visiting new places, and it was interesting to see the food court at the shopping mall as well.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Nevşehir Province Part II


Lunch, on this beautiful Tuesday, was in Avanos at a local, built-to-look-original caravanserai restaurant called Hanedan. I tried a local pastry of pastrami and cheese (called Paçanga Böreği, I think) and washed it down with some cherry nectar.  The building was very impressive, however I was more taken with their beautiful pottery (a little taste of what was to come later in the day)!


Our next stop was the Zelve Valley (Zelve Open Air Museum) with it's mushroom-looking rock formations.  Known as Hoodoos (or Fairy Chimneys here in Turkey), they "once housed one of the largest communities in the region in an amazing cave town, honeycombed with dwellings, religious and secular chambers."  Even their police station is in a rock!
Unfortunately, the police officer standing in the doorway
went back inside seconds before I snapped the picture...
He must have been camera shy.
We soon moved on to the historic site of Özkonak Yeraltı Şehri, an underground village probably built by the Byzantines.  In 1972 a local farmer discovered an underground room (he couldn't figure out what kept happening to his excess crop water) and further excavation revealed an entire village.  Özkonak had a ventilation system,  water wells, a winery, along with many other living rooms.  It also had many moving stone doors to block off areas in case of attack.
 We walked through quite a bit of what is excavated, albeit rarely walking upright; I believe there are 10 levels, but you can only visit 4 of them.  They claim it could hold almost 50,000 people for three months.  It was very extensive and quite impressive; but I definitely wouldn't want to be in hiding for very long.

Our final stop of the day was at Ömürlü Seramik, where they have been making pottery since 1807 (or so their sign claims).  Oh my word, the carpets were amazing, but the pottery was even more spectacular, in my opinion anyway.  The history of pottery in this region dates back to the Hittites.  According to their website: "Avanos has now become a place where the Turkish art of ceramic tile making, inherited from the Seljuks, and improving with the Ottomans, continued to be kept alive, in this city along the banks of the longest river of Turkey, Kızılırmak."  The river is known for its red clay, which has been used by many generations of potters.  This ceramics company has about 45 Master Artists and we had a demonstration of pottery made on the ancient kick-wheel and then proceeded to their spectacular showroom.

The potter was making a Hittite Wine Jug, it was rather fascinating to watch how it is formed.

Sadly for me, even their small pieces were over $500 (US); not that I needed any pottery, but their works were captivating and I found nearly every piece to be stunning.

Since I was not shopping I decided to treat the show room as an art museum, and it certainly did not disappoint.  They have samples of historic, contemporary, geometric, phosphorescent, and floral designs.  A nice young man chatted with me about the various pieces and designs as I wandered around (knowing full well I was not going to buy anything most of the other salesmen had moved on).  A few people bought pieces and with that the day was spectacularly book-ended and we returned to our hotel.

Nevşehir Province Part I

I hate when I have to wake up super early so my brain decides to skip the wake-up part and simply never lets me sleep.  The balloons have been unable to fly for the last five days, so although hopeful our fate would be different, we were very uncertain.  We were picked up at the hotel shortly before 5:30am and transported to the Royal Balloon Headquarters.  We enjoyed a buffet breakfast while waiting for the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority to give (or deny) permission to fly.  Once we got the OK we hopped in our van and headed to the take-off site.  The dusk was just beginning to fade as our balloon was inflated and we all climbed inside.

Our Gate1 group had the balloon to ourselves and our pilot Abdullah kept us laughing as we drifted up and over the valleys and in between the rock formations.  The balloons climb about 1000 feet and since they're moved where the wind takes you, no two flights are the same.  The views were marvelous and even my photos just don't do the experience justice.  The temperature on the ground was near freezing, but thankfully once up in the balloon we were quite warm.

The sun rose quickly and was shining brilliantly over the magnificent rock faces as nearly 100 balloons filled the sky.  It was an incredibly serene experience and one I'll not soon forget.

"There was that rare thing, novelty, about it; it was a fresh, new, exhilarating sensation...and worth a hundred worn and threadbare home pleasures."  The Innocents Abroad

Abdullah worked hard to get the balloon to land on the trailer; the truck driver had to keep moving as the wind has more control over where the balloon will land than the pilot does.  True to the Royal name we celebrated our journey with champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a medal around our necks.  I found out later that celebratory champagne after a flight is a nearly 250-year old ballooning tradition (way before social media and instagram).  Variations exist, but it seems that the first hot air balloon flights were started in the 1780s in France.  "As legend has it, pilots began landing in farmland with Champagne in hand. They brought bottles to area farmers in hopes of convincing them that they were human beings, not monsters. The bubbles served as a peace offering."


After returning to the hotel we joined the rest of our group and were off on a full-day tour of the region.  Our first stop was the Göreme Open Air Museum, a Unesco World Heritage site containing some of the earliest churches in history.  From what I remember of Serdar's introduction (before we wandered on our own), when the Arabs started the holy war the Christian people of the region carved hideaways and homes into the rocks.  This area was a fully functioning community of monks and Christian believers who were persecuted for their beliefs.  Sadly, because Islam considers pictures to be idols, the eyes, and sometimes faces, of all the frescoes were scratched out long ago.  In 1923, when the Cappadocian Greeks were expelled from Turkey, or exchanged if you prefer that term, the churches were abandoned.  The area has been under protection since 1950 and they're now trying to repair the frescoes.

We visited Aziz Basil Şapeli (Chapel of St. Basil - born in Kayseri he is one of Cappadocia's most important saints), and the 11th-century Azize Barbara Şapeli, carved by Byzantine soldiers.  Unfortunately, you are still not allowed to take videos or photos of the interior frescoes in any of the chapels (even though most modern cameras can avoid use of a flash that over time would damage the frescoes).

Our next stop was at the fortress and village of Uçhisar.  The region has a fascinating history (if Wikipedia can be trusted): First mentioned in the 14th century, the area was certainly occupied previously.  "The Hittites, who may have used the natural structures of the cliffs as refuges and strongholds against possible attacks. In the 5th century AD, the Byzantines created a 'buffer zone' in the area against Islamic expansion....After their conquest of the region, the Muslims also made use of the defensive possibilities of the area, creating small centers with caravanserais in the region."  Uçhisar Castle makes for a great photo and I believe it would have been fascinating to visit, but alas, we only had time for a photo stop.

Monday, March 18, 2019

Konya to Kapadokya

We were able to spend less time on the bus today, so that was a nice perk.  Our first stop, as we traveled along the route of the ancient Silk Road, was at Caravanserai Sultanhani. The name "serai" means "inn", so it was once a hotel for the caravans transporting goods along the Silk Road.  Touted as the best caravanserai of the seljuks, it was built in 1229, and after a fire they restored and enlarged it in 1278, making it the largest in Turkey.  It was under renovation during our visit and not incredibly awe-inspiring, but then again, hotels at that time weren't a luxury.  Despite that the carvings and designs in the rock walls were very impressive for such a simple structure.

At our rest stop I finally found a book (in English) on Nasreddin Hodja!  It contains humorous stories of his purported antics, and certainly helps pass some of my time on the bus.

Our next stop was the town of Güzelyurt for a home-cooked meal made by a local woman.  We ate in her home, there were 10 of us in one room and the food was simple, but very tasty and quite filling as well.

Lentil soup, salad, cooked chickpeas with cracked wheat in a sauce, fresh yogurt, and a special cake soaked in honey, topped with a bit of coconut.  Güzelyurt means "beautiful land", and it is known for its underground cities.  Serdar told us that Christians from the 1st Century fled from Caesarea to this region because of persecution under Emperor Domitian. In the interest of truth, there is debate on whether Domitian was actually a great persecutor of Christians.  Anyway, the fact remains that homes were built into the rocks in Cappadocia.
 By the 6th Century the people needed to hide themselves from wandering armies so they dug their cities underground. I've also found out that a historically large native-Cappadocian Greek population existed in the area until the 1924 population exchange when they were replaced with the Turks from Thessaloniki and Kavala.

After lunch we drove about an hour to the Matis Carpet Weaving Village.  The carpet weaving they do here is quite interesting.  The women use a chart, similar to a cross-stitch pattern, to create the rug's design and each of the carpet's threads, whether wool, silk, or cotton, and the dyes used to color them come from Turkey.  They say one of their carpets is in the Guinness Book of World Records (I think for being the most expensive sold at auction or something).

 The carpets can often take 1-2 years to create and they have over 700 knots per square inch!  They explained that you can tell if a carpet is hand-woven by turning it over.  If you can still see the pattern from the back side and you can easily fold it, then the carpet is hand-made.  We also learned that the geometric designs are from the early nomadic days of Turkey's history and the more flowery designs are from the Ottoman period.  The array of carpets was spectacular.  The colors, the patterns, the feel of them under your toes - it was a delight to the senses.  With even the smaller 2ft x 1ft wall hanging carpets costing over $200 I had no intention of making a purchase.  With such time-consuming effort and high quality you had to view them as works of art, hence the hefty price-tag.


My final event of the day was the Whirling Dervishes ceremony.  Performed inside the Saruhan Carevanserai, I found the entire thing a tad odd.  I have so many questions about the whole thing and how it is tied to Sufism ad Islam, etc..  Serdar said it is not a religion, or a sect, but is a philosophy.  The whirling is a kind of meditation, but the enter thing felt very ceremonial to me and I couldn't help but notice that the Caravanserai where they do this "practice" (Semâ) had the same Islamic prophet names on the walls as the ones you see in all the mosques.  According to the pamphlet, "the Semâ ceremony represents an entire mystical journey, a spiritual ascent through love, in which the dervish deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives as 'The Perfect'".  One of Mevlanâ Rumî's metaphors about wind and the love of God (as paraphrased by Serdar) was quite good: "a soul without the love of GOd is purposeless."
After the meditation ritual we headed outside where they served us hot cherry juice with cinnamon and cloves (almost like a mulled wine) and then projected an animation of the history and culture of Turkey onto the stone walls of the caravanserai.  We eagerly headed back to the warm bus for the short jaunt back to the hotel where we had a quick dinner and rushed off to bed.  We have to be in the lobby at 5:15am tomorrow in hopes that the winds are weaker tomorrow and and our hot air balloon ride isn't cancelled.

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Visiting the Seljuks


I slept with my door open last night (the hotel rooms are very warm and there are no sheets, just a duvet), and because we are right next to a mosque I was awakened quite early with the call to prayer.  After our incredible breakfast buffet we boarded the bus and set off for Konya.  The overwhelming majority of the day was then spent driving, as it takes about 5 hours from Pamukkale.  Our first rest-stop was in the town of Dinar, where I tried a special yogurt dish called Balli (I found out later it is often made from goat's milk, not sure about the one I tried).  The yogurt is strained so that it is very think, like Greek yogurt, and then they top it with honey and opium (poppy) seeds.
Although the seeds were brown, not black as I'm used to seeing them, it was a delicious treat.  You can find honey, and honeycomb, for sale in all sorts of varieties in most of the roadside stops we made.  On our drive we passed quite a few wind turbines and even a large solar panel farm.  We had some lovely snow-capped mountains to our right as we drove through a bunch of farming villages in the large valley.  You could sometimes see rows of women bent over, planting their spring crops in the fields.

For lunch we stopped in the town of Akşehir, known for the burial place of Nasreddin Hodja.  I had seen cartoon caricatures of Hodja on books in many of the shops (he's usually riding a donkey backwards), but none of the books were ever in English so I couldn't figure out the significance of this person.  It seems he was an imam and he became part of Turkish folklore because of his odd ways, funny stories, and witty sayings.

No, I still don't know why it's called "The City of Hearts"
After arriving in Konya we visited the Mevlâna Museum: the mausoleum of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic, and also the home to the former lodge of the Whirling Dervishes.  Rumi is known to the Turks as Mevlana (the Sainted One), hence the name ofthe Museum.  I really didn't understand what we were seeing, or why, but I looked around anyway.

A stunning copy of the Quran done in 1544 by Rumi's daughter Fatima


Saturday, March 16, 2019

The White Marvel


Our destination for the day, Pamukkale, was about a 3 hours drive from Kuşadasi.  Located in the textile capital of the country, Denizli (pronounced Den-iz-lay), is also home to the ancient city of Laodicia.  The region is well known for its pomegranates too, so at our rest stop we were served a mixture of fresh orange and pomegranate juice.  Also quite tasty were the samples of Turkish Delight, chocolate covered hazelnuts, and chocolate covered figs.  The boxes of those treats seemed a bit pricey, so I settled for trying once of their candy bars.  I didn't really look at the picture, the name sounded like coconut (at least the way I was pronouncing it), but I was delightfully surprised when it was similar to a hazelnut Little Debbie Nutty Bar!


Around 1pm we reached the hot springs, ironically, the glacial looking formations are flowing with hot water!  I couldn't say it any better myself, "the surreal, brilliant white travertine terraces and warm, limpid pools of Pamukkale hang, like the petrified cascade of a mighty waterfall, from the rim of a steep valley side in Turkey’s picturesque southwest. Truly spectacular in its own right, the geological phenomenon that is Pamukkale, literally "Cotton Castle" in Turkish, is also the site of the remarkably well-preserved ruins of the Greek-Roman city of Hierapolis. With such a unique combination of natural and man-made wonders it’s little wonder that Pamukkale-Hierapolis has been made a Unesco World Heritage site."  

I didn't quite understand how it was created, but it seems that, "when the water, supersaturated with calcium carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide de-gasses from it, and calcium carbonate is deposited. Calcium carbonate is deposited by the water as a soft gel which eventually crystallizes into travertine."  All the hotels in the area use water from the hot springs so that the tourists have thermal spas, but this means there isn't quite enough water for the Cotton Castle anymore.  Serdar relayed that during the dry months they change the direction of the water so that it keeps everything wet, which in turn keeps everything white.  

After wading around in the pools I headed into the thermal spa and food court to get some lunch.  A woman there makes a local dish called "Village Bread" and it was simple, but tasty.  It's a thin, crepe-like crust filled with potatoes, some spinach, and some cheese.
The thermal spa still has the original Roman columns, now lying prostrate in the pool. Since we still had some time before we were to meet up and begin our walk through the Necropolis, I decided to make the trek up the hill to see the remains of the theater.  From the bottom of the hill, viewing the back-side it did not look that impressive, but man was that view misleading! 

 Much like the facade of the library in Ephesus, the view of the valley behind the stage made the effect quite breathtaking (yes, that may have partially been due to the hike up the hill).  You were not allowed down on the ground level, you could only walk part-way down the stadium, but it was incredible.  Although I couldn't see it up close, "the theatre, which dates from the time of Severus, is decorated with an admirable frieze depicting a ritual procession and a sacrifice to the Ephesian Artemis."

At 3pm we started our walk through the ruins, and eventually through the Necropolis, back to the bus.  "Necropolis" is Greek for "city of dead", the site is the cemetery of the city of Hierapolis.  Hierapolis was established by the the kings of Pergamon at the end of the 2nd century B.C.  The cemetery extends a little over a mile, and I think Serdar told us it is the largest one in Asia Minor.

It was cold and windy, but thanks to the brilliant sunshine bestowing its beams on us all day the wind was much more bearable.  The sepulchers and tombs were quite interesting (according to the UNESCO website the necropolis "affords a vast panorama of the funerary practices of the Greco-Roman era"), but the fresh, green grass, dotted with bright red poppies and little yellow flowers, all around the pale stone remains made the area very picturesque.  We saw four different types of graves from various time periods, including Tumulus, Sarcophagus, Public, and Family.

Our hotel for the evening was the Doga Thermal Health Spa, so we all enjoyed the thermal spas and swimming pools before dinner.  

The dessert displays at every hotel are jaw-dropping, and no matter where we stay the food is so good (not that I'm incredibly picky, mind you).  This evening they had a special dessert called Tulumba.  It's a fried dough dipped in a sweet (probably honey-based since they seem to make anything into a dessert by soaking it in honey) sauce.  I would describe it as a cross between a donut and a churro (minus the cinnamon).  I learned later that they are sometimes referred to as Turkish Churros.  While they were tasty, I much preferred the baclava assortment.

Friday, March 15, 2019

A Wonder of the Ancient World

Happy Friday!  After another huge breakfast buffet most of us were back on the bus for the optional "Ephesus & House of the Virgin Mary" day tour.  The land in this area is very fertile because the sea has receded about 2 miles since ancient time, so they now grow lots of peaches, cherries, and pomegranates.  It started raining as we left Kuşadasi and then rained the whole time we were at the House of the Virgin Mary (or Meryem Ana Evi in Turkish).  It's located atop 'Bulbul' mountain and some believe she came and lived there because John lived in Ephesus while spreading the Gospel.  To be clear, there is no decisive historical evidence to support the theory that Mary spent the last years of her life in Ephesus.  I did find it curious that Serdar tells these "stories" of Mary as if they are facts.  I don't know if he does so because the Catholic and Orthodox churches teach them as fact, but it was interesting.

 For instance, one of the "proofs" for the location was because of a blind German nun having a vision that described the location.  They also point to the evidence of "the documented presence of St. John in Ephesus...In Selçuk, we can even see the tomb of St. John and his basilica. The second premise is the existence in Ephesus of the Church of St. Mary. It was the first temple devoted to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Additional arguments brought during the debate over the authenticity of the House of the Virgin Mary are the choice of Ephesus on the venue of the Council of Ephesus. It was convened in 431 to resolve the dispute concerning the determination of the unification of human and divine nature in Jesus Christ and the title of Mary as the Mother of God. Additionally, the Greek inhabitants of the nearby village of Şirince had the custom of pilgrimages to a place called Panaya Kapulu to celebrate the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary."  All that to say, I'm thankful we didn't stay long - it was raining and there wasn't much to see anyway.


Modern day Ephesus is known as Selçuk, and by the time we made our way there the rain had reduced to a sprinkle and eventually the sun was out in full force - we were even starting to shed our layers!  I'm told that Ephesus changed locations five times and that we were visiting the third location (I would surmise that Selçuk is the 5th?).  Regardless, I enjoyed our tour immensely - the remains were quite spectacular, back-dropped against the bright blue sky.  The Temple of Artemis once stood in Ephesus and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  We walked along the 2,000 year old marble streets and through the Gate of Heracles, saw the Odeion, toured ancient bath houses (the ancient world afforded little privacy), climbed to the top of the Great Theater, ogled the Temple of Hadrian, and stood in awe of the amazing Library of Celsus (book-free, but stunning none-the-less).
Library of Celsus
Serdar even told us the story of St. Paul being expelled from the city (found at the end of Acts 19).  Demetrius made shrines to Artemis (also known as Diana) and started a riot because so many people were becoming followers of The Way and no longer needed his particular trade.
Artemis (Greek deity) or Diana (Roman equivalent)

Bizim Ev Hanimeli restaurant was our next stop - a delightful buffet of homemade Turkish food!  The owner told us the names of all the dishes they had prepared; the veggie fritters were delicious, as was everything else.

With full bellies we headed to our final stop of the day, the Basilica of St. John.  Some believe he was zapped by lightning and disappeared at the age of 106, and yet others believe the church stands over his burial site.  Constructed by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, thousands made pilgrimages here in the middle ages because of the tomb of St. John.  "But with the decline in importance of Ephesus, and after Arab raids, the basilica fell into ruins until the Seljuk Aydinoglu clan converted it into a mosque in 1330. The building was then completely destroyed in 1402 by Tamerlane's Mongol army. The ruined church was thereafter pillaged for building materials, but recent restoration enables visitors to understand its size and visualize its former splendor."


Upon exiting the Basilica a coin hawker called out to me, "Medusa, would you like to buy a coin?  It has your picture on it!" I gave a chuckle and said "No, thank you."  Earlier in the day, when Serdar pointed out Medusa on the Temple of Hadrian and gave her origins in Greek mythology, Frank had remarked about how they might have to start calling me that because my hair looked so similar.

Back at our lovely hotel, with time to kill before dinner, I wandered down along the cliff-side paths to explore.  I can imagine how lovely it would be here in the summer (despite the crowds) - jumping into the bright blue Aegean Sea would be so refreshing.