A Walk with Cuddle
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It's a typical Saturday morning at our house. It's actually my parent's 54th wedding anniversary today but we're half around the globe and will celebrate by being together as we always try to be. Our day starts at 6 something as it's Saturday and not a workday.
Today we have set aside to give "Cuddle" our houseguest from PA a tour of our city in southeast Turkey. We're currently living on a Turkish Air Force Tanker Base very near Adana and not to far from the Mediterranean Sea. Our climate is wet this time of year as it's winter; no snow though, thank you. Spring will be very green and some warmer than now. Summers are extremely warm with some days far in excess of comfortable at 100 to 115 degrees and humidity. Fall is wet like winter.
OK, were up and have everything we're taking so out the door we go. It's nearing 7:30 now and we will get into the car and drive the couple minutes it takes to get to the parking lot near the base gate. We do not drive to the city, as there is NO where to park once you get there.
We park the car and collect our things and head out the gate. We'll be getting into a "dolmus" out here and taking it into the city. A dolmus is a 15 to 20 passenger mini bus basically. The ride is about twenty minutes and cost the both of us 75 cents. The dolmus is very specific in its route and we are going to get off on the main street and walk to our destinations. The city is probably 3 million and is millenniums old.
OK, the dolmus has let us out near the Seyhan Hotel where we begin our walk.
It's 8 or 10 blocks to our first stop of the morning. We're at Victoria Pastane
basically a sweet shop café where we have Turkish tea and a morning pastry.
After our meal we explain to our host that today we have a special guest with
us and we wish to have a picture with them and Cuddle. They are delighted with
the idea we're showing Cuddle the city and think enough of their shop to visit
it today with our friend.
After breakfast we are on our way a short distance up the street to our hairdresser, as today is our appointment for getting our hair done. Again we have tea, as that is a tradition in this great country. We tell everyone in the shop about our plans for the day and again get very positive comments about Cuddle and the fact we're in their shop on this visit. It's already after 9 and we will be in the shop for well over an hour.
Upon leaving the hairdresser we go down the block with Cuddle to the neighborhood elementary school for a picture. Classes are NOT in session (kids are on holiday due to feast of sacrifice, an Islamic tradition) and the building is being painted but we get a picture anyway and move on. A short way across and up the street on the other side is a bread bakery. Again we introduce Cuddle and explain our day and the workers are very pleased to be a part of the visit.
Now, we back track a little and go to Children's Park. Every Saturday there are multitudes of vendors here selling all matter of crafts. We stop at one table full of Barbie dolls in fancy dresses and we get Cuddle a crocheted hanging decoration.
The last several hours have been in the newer part of the city; we will now
get a cab and go to the older part of the city. This city actually dates from
6,000 BC in one form or another. So the newer city is actually mostly 1930 and
forward while the old city is several thousand years old. The cab drops us near
the Mosque (Islamic Church) called the new Mosque built in 1728. It's the new
one because not far from it is another Mosque built in 1513.
We're going to be walking some pretty narrow streets now in this part of the city. In the new city the streets are wide two lane or even divided four. The old city has some alleyways and a little wider two lanes. There are many people on these streets like us walking from shop to shop hunting for this or that very much the same as you would do where you live. We're looking for yarn, as the lady of the house needs it to crochet. There are many yarn shops in this area and the yarn is the best! When we settle on the shop where the colors are we need the deal is done.
Before leaving we explain our guest Cuddle to the shopkeeper and again get photos so Cuddle can document the visit here to the yarn shop in the old city. We leave the shop and walk through the streets 5 or 6 blocks over and in behind the new Mosque. We've come this way because I'm looking for a restaurant for lunch; I've been told about this little place that is so good and since one of our Turkish friends recommended it, I want to try it. We happen on this one I believe has the correct name and we go in. We ascend a short alley way ramp and several steps to enter. It has a courtyard with grapevines crawling across metal piping; it's winter so they are not with green leaves, making the blue sky fully visible. The sun is making an attempt to flood the area but has not risen quite high enough yet and we choose to sit and enjoy the beautiful day.
Very quickly a gentleman is at our table to offer the Turkish hospitality we have become accustomed to a reality. He wants our drink order and makes several recommendations for our meal. For the drink we're having Ayran, a thinned yogurt much like milk. It's a national drink, and very good as long as it is made well and it's very COLD. We've chosen two simple garden fresh salads; one is primarily finely diced tomatoes in olive oil and lemon juice with a sprinkling of fresh parsley, the other a shredded romaine lettuce with a hint of tomatoes and cucumbers again with olive oil and lemon juice. Before our salads are brought we are given fresh parsley and peeled sliced large radishes with lemon on the side. Olive oil and lemon are a staple with meals and it's simply great! Our main course is Adana Kabob lying across flat pita bread; this is a tradition in this city, hence the name is the very same as the city. It's much like a spicy meat loaf that has been formed around a skewer and grilled. I hope this is the right place because it's good food.
We decide after this great lunch to walk some more. It's only 6 or 8 blocks
to the river and we want to be sure we get Cuddle to the largest Mosque in the
country (completed just six years go) and to see the Hilton Hotel and Roman
Bridge still very much in use over the Seyhan River. Once we've made these sites
we get back on a dolmus headed back home.
There are a couple more places Cuddle needs to visit before the day is out so we get back to base but do not go in; there is a village near and we take the time to go to a carpet shop and a silver/gold shop. This is NOT wall to wall carpet, these are highly prized Irani, Afghani, Pakistani and Turkish handmade carpets. The silver and gold is also hand made on the premises (mostly).
With that we've had a very full day and figure Cuddle has too. I mean we've
made a very quick trip through a vast area of Adana's sights and didn't really
see much. The true adventure must be taken over many months, as we have begun
to do these past eight months living here.