My girls and I headed to Iznik for a couple of days. All we really had heard was "there's a lake." Tamam...Let's go! We started to explore the city, popping in and out of the ceramic shops. People watching as usual I notice a little man. He hopped up as he saws us coming but he started heading away from us instead of towards us...huh? We start to pass him when he pops around and yells, "hosgeldiniz" (welcome in Turkish). He directs us into his favorite ceramic shop. Ok thank you???????? As we come out he is waiting for us holding three Erik(green sour plums). He gives one to each of us. Again it is the talking with the hands and eyes. I have become "good" at speaking turkish... I connect words without any verbs. He invites us for cay(tea). We follow him and his little cane to the local corner men's cay place. In turkey there are tons of places with men only sitting inside drinking tea. It is a ltiile intimidating but in we stroll, three bayan yobancis(foriegn girls) and our new friend Mehmet. We all get cay and almost as fast as we get it his is gone. We signal to him in a way, "how do you drink it so fast?" He pulls out his dentures for us. I love it! Anyways he decides to show us his city. We try to go to the museum but it is closed. He tries to talk the guy into opening the door for us since we are yobancis. It was hilarious. Next we follow him to the camii(mosque) in the photo. He points out the stone carving... cok guzel(very beautiful)!! The topping on the cake was when he brought us to the stone wall fortress that surrounds the city. There is a cemetary. He starts signing this beutiful Turkish song and making a sleeping hands gesture. He was singing for the dead. I have a video...I'll show you later! You never who you are going to meet and how they will affect you. Thank you Mehmet!
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