COME-GO...STAY-LEAVE...

Some of my friends were joking before I came to Turkey, "Don't fall in love." But I did fall...Hard! What do WE do now? Change our everything...life, country, culture, language, goals, ideas for the future and what we thought our lives should be like...Or do we forget it ever happened and know we will always have a friend in a far away place? Many tears will be shed...many, many smiles too...

Still can't get used to it...

Turkish Toilet














My painting praising toilet paper...














Close up of the beloved paper...

So I have been here for almost six months and it just doesn't get easier for me. Someone tried to tell me Turkish toilets are more sanitary...I guess because not everyone sits on the same seat. How about seat covers? Also when you are peeing it splashes up onto your feet...gross!! Another thing that I am still not used to is having to carry toilet paper around in my purse because a MAJORITY of places do not offer it. I guess I am spoiled by the public toilets in America. There is usually never any soap either, but they do have lemon flavored alcohol cologne that everyone is always squirting all over their hands before or after they eat. Turks also seem to love the smell...blah lemon flavored rubbing alcohol. I do like how normally you get these hand wipes after eating (even though they are normally lemon flavored alcohol ones). It seems a little better you are actually wiping germs off instead of just rubbing them around on your hand. I have learned to horde these little wippy treasures in my purse for situations like above when I am faced without toilet paper or soap. The painting above just makes me laugh. I really do praise the little packets of Kleenex they sell around here. Also at restaurants my friends and I are always sticking napkins in our purses just in case. And to clean the toilets they just hose them down with water...OK easy but..then there are gross muddy foot prints everywhere???????And people don't flush them so some omit horrid odors!!! Ohhh Sweet Turkey I really do love you though...

Complete Inspiration

Sagrada Familia


















Sagrada Familia inside

This is one of Antoni Gaudi's many masterpieces throughout Barcelona. This Church was started in 1882 and Gaudi worked on it for over forty years until his death. The project continues and is only 50 percent complete. They anticipate 25 more years of work. The reason I am so inspired by Gaudi is his respect and love for nature. His muse is nature as is mine. Really please go tto Barcelona so you can fully appreciate it.

With the flower pots, surrounded by vines and olives, cheered by the clucking of the hens, the twittering of the birds and the buzzing of insects, and with the mountains of Prades in the background, I captured the purest and most pleasing images of nature, who is ever my mistress. -Antoni Gaudi-

Big eggs and ham...things I miss...

Beautiful fruit variety...


















Avocados...yes please!


















Prosciutto hanging everywhere...


















Little piggies in Spain...


















Actually, no I don't miss ostrich eggs because I have never had them...but thought this was a cool photo. I recently headed over to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain. These photos are from the open air market in the middle of Barcelona. You can find so much variety but for a pretty steep price. Since Turkey is a predominately Muslim country there isn't much demand for pork so it was a good treat. Also here in Turkey they have great beautiful fresh veggies but nothing tropical, no avocados, no limes, etc. I will be going back to America soon...to all it's choices????? Huh????

Gözleme

We headed down the coast from Didim to Ölüdeniz. Our first gözleme stop was a small roadside restaurant. It was run by this woman and I assume her son. They served only the Turkish pastry and Aryan(yogurt and water drink that Turks love!) The rooftop of the garden was dripping with grape vines and crickets were loudly chirping around us.














Gözleme is a Turkish pancake or crepe. The women start with a small ball of dough. They start to flatten it by working it back and forth on a big stick. Gradually making a large flat 'pancake.' They heat it on a hot convex metal dome. This gives the pancake a beautiful texture, a little chewy and a little crunchy. The traditional fillings are white cheese and a green mixture of spinach and other herbs. In Ölüdeniz they were making sweet as well as savory treats; chocolate and banana, lemon and sugar, etc. Even my Turkish boyfriend was surprised by this luscious twist.

We decided to go on a boat cruise when we got to Ölüdeniz(dead sea). The sea has the most amazing variety of blue hues. It is so,so,so clear you can see to the bottom for many meters and/or yards(depending on what scale you use). Our boat was a double deck 28 meter wooden boat. There were lots of other big tour boats there to soak up all the English tourists(There are so many English people it was a bit strange). The boats did a nice job of spreading out though so you don't feel to overcrowded. As we floated from beautiful location to the next I noticed these fun looking little row boats with thier striped canopies...huh? Hey everybody wants to make their money. These people follow around the tour boats selling gözleme. Great idea! What do you think San Diego??? My boyfriend was joking that he should come to the U.S. and start a gözleme boat for all the surfers sitting out there waiting to catch their waves. So funny...or did you have to be there?

Magic Carpet Ride...

So it was 50 degree C outside (around 120 degrees F). We were so freaking hot! Our jeep safari from Oludeniz stopped at a local carpet maker's guild. I ran to the air conditioner.

We were in a warehouse type setting surrounded by huge floor looms. We were told that an average wool carpet(4 by 6 meters) takes one woman 3 months; working an average of 6 hours a day(I think only 5 days a week). The Turkish carpets are also special because they use a double knotting system as opposed to only single knots used in other countries. These women are so so so fast. They whip their fingers in and around the base strings and then slice the end with their knife. Before you know it they have a whole row of knots done.

Our group was escorted into a viewing room. They gave us fresh apple juice(thank goodness...remember the heat!) and started the show. As we sat one man told us about the types of carpets; silk, wool, cotton, different weaves, etc. There were three other men unrolling the carpets for your visual pleasure. It reminded me of a circus, definitely a performance. They danced around the room popping these beautiful colors in front of your eyes. The floor was covered with a gorgeous array of colors and styles.

The Turks are good salesmen for sure. Did it work on me? Yes, I love supporting hand made goods. It was so inexpensive if you really consider the time it took to make these amazing creations. I need to save up for the silk ones. It was interesting because only women seemed to make the carpets and only men seemed to sell them?? We hopped back into our jeep and rode of into the heat; searching for our next possibe way to cool off????? Lot's of fun ahead.