Hello Everyone,
We have headed further south to Antalya. We started at 7:00 this morning for a full day road trip through the mountains. The scenary was beautiful driving along the mountain side and ovelooking the see. By the way we are overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We stopped at ruins in Santos, where Helen of Troy‘s story spends some time. This is an often overlooked sight in Turkey, yet it holds significant history. It is definitely evident that this sight lacks funding. The excavation looks to be haulted and it concerns me that it does not appear to be very secure from theft and pilferage
We went up the mountain to visit the lovely Berzirgan Village in Kalkan to have lunch. Lunch was with a family for a home cooked lunch. They grow their own vegetables and I must say that it has been the best Turkish meals I’ve had in Turkey. For the first time I had Yayla Gobasi, a yogurt soup, surprisingly delicious. I’ve also learned adding yogurt to vegetables is a wonderful way to prepare a dish. Yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and some olive oil to cooked vegetables. I’m going to incorporate that into my cooking. Upon arriving women were in a room with an open fire place preparing a bread dish called Gozleme. The bread is rolled out and fire roasted, then spread with olive oil, garlic, parsely, tomato, and then rolled and sliced. I think I ate an entire roll to myself, although Ling and her husband ate as much as I did. Of course, we finished with desert or Hosmerim as they call it. It‘s made with semolina, sugar and milk, it‘s mixed into a paste and shaped with a teaspoon. It tastes a bit like a sweet peanut butter with a graining texture. No, Turkish meal would be complete without the tradional Tea served in the house sitting on the floor in small glasses.
After lunch we did a little walking through the village. Some of us went to the right and others went to the left. Those who went to the left (Terri, Sandy, Marc) encountered a farmer who beckoned them to take a picture with him and his goat. Those of us who went to the right (Blake, Michael, Nancy & Bich–Lien & I) encountered a sweet & lovely older Turkish woman walking towards us who greeted us. First she approached Nancy and wanted to shake he hand, smiling and speaking Turkish all the while. I motioned asking to take her picture and so she struck a pose, still speaking Turkish with a smile. She then approached me with what I think was asking for money, but all I had was 50L and I did not want to pay 50L for a photo. She proceeded to speak Turkish to me, smiling and all of a sudden I heard Bulls&!@t as she waived her hand and turned to walk away. I had to laugh and so did she as we looked back at each other. Such a sweet lady
I’m loving Turkey and driving the country. Beautiful landscape and so much history.
Tomorrow will be in Antayla and I’ll share my experience with you once again.
“Remember the world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page” St. Augustine
Ja’Vonne