Fred's Weekend Away
|
|
by Fred Moore - July 2008
It's
3 July and the Cilician Plain is approaching its peak summer heat; it's 34
degrees Celsius at
The
drive is about 140 kilometers and primarily autobahn. Our trip is uneventful
and we make the motel in just a couple hours. You've been here with us before;
a room includes dinner and breakfast for 120 Lira per night.
We
get assistance with our bags and we're housed in one of the second level
buildings. Our room includes one double and one twin bed. The motel is situated
on the mountain side so the buildings associated with it are on several levels
of terraced hill. They're currently preparing a new building on this level that
will give the complex five buildings. There's a little breeze blowing through our
open window and it must be 10 degrees cooler here than on the plain below. We
open our balcony door and the breeze becomes far more brisk through our open
window.
This
is simply a weekend away, no phone, no computer, no objectives, no associates,
no demands on our time and most of all, no stress! We've planned nothing except
a two day get away alone. We made a short drive through the
Once
we've unpacked and put things away in our room, we take our books to the main
building's covered terrace to enjoy our day in the cool breeze of this lovely
mountain valley. There's a pretty strong breeze from the north flooding the
terrace with fresh clean air. The pages of my book want to turn just a little
faster than I can consume them. We sit out here for several hours reading
totally oblivious to the world around us. We're asked somewhere in this time if
we'd care for refreshments. It's a great idea and we accept; Carol enjoys a cup
of tea and I have a soda (mineral water).
Around
We're
not twenty minutes into our drive now and we come to Camardi, one of the larger
villages along this road. We turn off today into the village; we've never
stopped here before and figure there must be a place for us to have lunch. We
drive around the village square and sure enough, here's Lezzet Lokantasi, a
small café. We pull in and park directly in front of the lokanta (that's one
name for a small restaurant in Turkish); the window advertises doner (this is shaved
lamb or chicken on a vertical spit) and that always makes a very nice lunch. We
have to climb a half dozen steps to enter and as we ascend the steps, we're
greeted cordially by a gentleman who welcomes us. He says, hosgeldinez
(welcome) and we respond with hosbulduk (it is good to be here) and we get
seated in the small dining room. There are six tables all facing the glass
front of the dining room. We have a view of the square and some shops doing
business around it.
Carol
opts for a baked veggie tava (a kind of stew), mostly eggplant and I get the
chicken doner over rice. We each get a salad and we drink ayran (water-thinned
yogurt). Ayran is better thick (like a milk shake) and to be really really
good, it must be stone cold. Our greeter puts a large plate of bread down
between us and it's soft, fresh and GREAT! We savor every bite of our lunch and
talk about our drive and what we do with our day. After we clean each plate set
before us, we're pleasantly stuffed. We've made a fine choice of both
restaurant and food selections. We pay our bill and thank the man for his great
food and superb hospitality.
Once
outside, we walk along above the parking area and pass by several other shops.
There are two gold shops we noted on the way into the restaurant and we stop to
window shop at the first one. We see some gold coins and decide to go in and
ask about the prices; the door's locked, it's closed. Oh well, we move on to
the next shop (the door stands open) and look in the window; we want to check
on a gold coin for a Turkish friend who is to be married in a few days. This is
Sadettin Emiroglu's shop and the coin we're looking for is 63 lira (just over
$50) so we buy it. We explain it's for a wedding and he wraps it in one of his shop
boxes. Gold coins are a traditional wedding (all occasion) gift; they come in
three basic sizes. These are not your standard commerce type (circulating) coin;
they are thinner than normal coins and have a small loop that a ribbon can be
tied through; then a pin is added so the coin can be pinned to a jacket or
sash.
We
return to our car and begin driving slowly back to the motel, enjoying the
lovely panorama spread out before us; it's just a beautiful day. We don't drive
far and we come to a roadside produce stand. Carol asks me to pull over, she wants
to buy some cherries – big black ones – she discovers a kilo (2.5 lbs) is only
2 Lira ($1.65) and gets a kilo. We continue our drive down the valley. While we
consume the beauty of the countryside, we encounter the occasional tractor and
wagon, a car now and then but little else. We see a number of people working out
in the orchards of apples and other fields but we're back at the motel in no
time.
Carol
goes back to her reading on the terrace and I retreat to our room for a nap. I
sleep about 40 minutes and then I'm awakened by a most annoying bird flying
against the window and pecking at the glass. I assume he can see himself in the
glass and thinks he can confront the bird he sees for dominance of the
windowsill. I'm annoyed but tickled at the same time; I get up and return to
the lower terrace where Carol is still reading. The breeze is still washing
across the terrace and the afternoon temperature is still cool and pleasant.
I
inquire of the staff about the time for dinner and they tell me we can eat when
we like so I suggest 6 p.m. inside. We don't wish to compete with nature (insects
– bees mostly) for dinner. This valley is laced with bee hives this time of
year. We must have seen 4 or 5 clusters of them on our drive; one location even
advertised honey for sale. I decide to just relax and watch the traffic on the
road while Carol finishes her book. A couple different families stop by and
have refreshments at tables around us and we exchange greetings as they arrive
and then leave. Three gentlemen stop by to inquire about room availability and
then they're here only a minute.
The
afternoon turns to early evening and we're told dinner is our choice: fish,
chicken, or meat. I order for both of us; chicken shish with bulgar (cracked
wheat), chips (fries), corba (soup), ekmek (bread), and a wonderful fresh garden
salad. After dinner, we're offered fresh fruit but we couldn't even get fully
through our chicken shish so we politely pass.
After
dinner, we walk around the grounds. The motel staff have put a hose over the
edge of their pool (they are filling it for the season); seems late to me but
then I guess it's probably too cool up here before now. I'm didn't reach down
to the water but I have to bet it was extremely cold; it was probably coming
directly from one of the mountain springs. We also walk around inside the
newest addition to the motel; there's a TV (wall mounted plasma large screen) room,
a room with a pool table and Ping-Pong table and there's a fitness center with
numerous pieces of equipment. They also have a sauna and hamam that are not yet
open. Additionally, they have two soccer fields that are very well cared for;
one above the hotel and one below.
It's
I
sit here and watch as the clouds evolve from white to gray and then black,
except where the setting sun casts the west side of them a soft salmon color.
There's still plenty of light, but darkness is slowly engulfing us as we enjoy
the wonderful views within the embrace of these mountains. The largest
collection of clouds over the conical mountains have taken on the slightest
pink color at their center – just a wisp of color in a sea of solid black.
The
sun is now well below our western horizon as we slowly begin to be enveloped in
darkness. The countryside is beginning to retire – daytime nature sounds have
begun to recede while the nocturnal sounds rise up from around us. Animal and
bird conversations fade – the wind in the trees does likewise – I can hear the
water in the stream below us now along with the occasional truck, tractor or
combine on the road just beyond the stream. Our building, as I mentioned
earlier, is on a level above the main building and the sounds from stream and
road below are somewhat muted because of it.
This
is truly our escape from the life we lead on the plain below, not to mention
the heat; we also get virtually no nature sounds at home. One by one, the stars
begin to penetrate the blackened sky. Though we have some ‘light pollution'
from motel floodlights, we can still see many, many stars; among them, the Big
Dipper and the North Star. It's a wondrous sky above and we sit and take it all
in for a few hours before we retire to bed.
The
morning light floods our room and I rise to meet our new day; I reach for my
watch and find it's
While
enjoying breakfast and our usual conversation about the day ahead, we decide
the solitude is a bit more than we really want so we agree to move on. I phone
to be sure there's a room available, we don't simply want to show up. We return
to our room and pack, I take the bags to the car and Carol meets me in the
reception area. I collect our bill and make payment; we thank our hosts and get
on the road. It's a lovely day for a drive and we enjoy it.
It's
early morning and we see many farmers out again preparing their orchards (spraying
trees) and fields for planting. We meet and pass a number of women riding
donkeys making their way to the fields or wherever they may be working (or
travelling for a visit). Here are two ladies, one walking beside the donkey
while the other rides. There's a gentleman coming out of this side road on a
donkey at the intersection, his animal isn't sure he wants to stop but the guy
has a firm grip on the rein and holds him back. Oh, now here's a mess, road
workers are putting down tar and covering it with crushed stone. I slow down
hoping to prevent a stone from hitting my windshield. Fortunately, there's
little traffic on this road so other cars aren't going to be throwing stones at
me.
We're
at the intersection of the main road now; turn left to Nigde or right for
As
we drive on and get closer to Nevsehir, Carol points out a road sign to
Uchisar. We've never noticed or never paid any attention to this sign before
but it seems to indicate a short cut to our destination so we turn to discover
where it might lead us. Shortly into the turn, we enter Cardak Koyu and once in
the village we are directed by more signs to turn left for Uchisar. Carol and I
discuss where we think we will come out and continue the drive; this road takes
us past a prison compound and then a Kolej (college). In just a few minutes
we're at the main road we thought we'd come out on but we are NOT at the
intersection I anticipated we would come out at. It seems funny, we've been
here how many times and we're just now learning this route cuts 20 or more
kilometers off our travels. We've been driving through Nevsehir for the past
five years and now find out we never had to do that at all.
Now
we drive around Uchisar and on to Goreme. We pull into the parking area at the
Ottoman House and go inside. We're only nicely in the door and Ali welcomes us
warmly and grabs a key from the pigeon holes behind the counter. We're at our
home away from home, now, Suite 223. Ali helps us with our bags and we get
comfortable in our suite. We're sitting on the balcony now enjoying a cup of
tea and the wonderful breeze. It's cool here as well, but not as cool as on the
mountain.
After
a bit of rest and relaxation we opt for a walk. Just down from the Ottoman
House, we have a chance meeting with Omer Tosun, owner of the Indigo Carpet
Shop. This is a shop open to carpet buyers by appointment only. Omer is
standing out front of his shop admiring a very lovely 150-year-old Konya runner
spread out on the street. He's looking at the piece out under the sun to appreciate
its rich history and to fully assess its character and age. Under the sun is
the ONLY way to fully recognize the value of a masterpiece of this quality.
As
we discuss the attributes of his new acquisition, he understands us to be
connoisseurs much like himself; he invites us in to see other beautiful and
rich old ‘favorites' from has vast collection. We are wholly captivated by his
most beautiful and historic pieces. We see many pieces over the next hour but
as always – so many carpets, so little time. We leave him most reluctantly and
continue our walk to visit with friends.
We
next stop by Moulin Rouge; Carol wants a different purse and decides to get one
here from Zafer. Zafer and I sit and visit while Carol looks through the shop.
Carol finds her purse; we pay and continue our walk. We window shop a little as
we walk on toward Tribal Collections. As we approach the carpet shop, we notice
two ladies with our friends Ruth and Faruk. We learn as we join the group that Ruth's
sister Katie is visiting from
We
sit and visit over tea. Ruth suggests that we come around in the morning so she
can show us some of the work being done by the Goreme Charity Restoration Fund;
Carol and I are contributors. A few minutes into our visit, Faruk is off on a
mission to talk with contractors about house plans and then Ruth is pulled away
to tend to the carpet business with clients in the shop. After another few minutes,
Susan excuses herself and we're left to have a delightful visit with Katie. Katie
is visiting for a time – no set period has been established – she's not been in
We
wander back to the hotel now and get the car. We want to drive up to Uchisar to
visit with our friend Taner at Ala Turca. While visiting Taner, we meet Sirpil,
his lovely young lady friend. We talk for a time and then as always look
through a few stacks of carpets and kilims. The afternoon fast escapes and we must
return to the Ottoman House.
We
didn't take time for lunch today and now we walk to our favorite place for a
meal –
It's
a lovely afternoon and we make our way back toward the hotel again stopping
here and there to speak to friends and browse other shops. Once back at the
hotel we settle on our balcony and enjoy the descending evening. We sit and
wait for the stars to appear and find the identical set of three stars we
noticed the night before while sitting out on our balcony in the mountains. Obviously,
the Ottoman House and the Sezer Motel sit with similar structural orientations
– that is to say, based on the stars we are obviously looking at a very similar
piece of the sky. There's a lot more light in Goreme so the stars are far
harder to see. The evening is cool though and we enjoy every minute out here on
the balcony. Finally, we must turn in for the night and reluctantly retire to
bed.
We're
awakened bright and early by the sounds of balloons – flames being blasted into
the balloon canopies by gas jets to heat the air. As we pull the curtain back,
we see several balloons right outside our room; I don't believe we've ever seen
them quite so close to the Ottoman House. We freshen up and go up stairs for
breakfast. We obviously start our day far too early; we're the only ones in the
dining room. We enjoy a leisurely meal and then retreat to our balcony for the
morning as we wait for the hour to meet Ruth.
Time
slips away and before we know it, we must be getting on to Tribal Collections
for our tour. Ruth drives us around to see all the projects being accomplished
by the Goreme Charity Restoration Fund. They are currently ‘fixing' the outside
appearance of many street-side walls, returning them to their original façade. The
idea is to integrate the 21st century structures with the
architecture of the ancient past. The work is done only for those who cannot
afford to do it for themselves. There appears to be some reluctance on the part
of some property owners to restore their facades; I find that quite unfortunate
but maybe with time even those who do not wish to support the effort will see
its immense benefits. It's never too soon to restore what one can because when
it's gone you can't get it back!
Back
at Ruth's shop now, we thank her so much for the tour and get on with our day.
We've made plans to join Taner for lunch at his shop in Uchisar. We drive up
and drive around the back of Taner's shop so Carol can visit the Caveman shop;
this is one of Taner's friends. Carol wants to look at Soganli folk dolls; she
buys three quite different ones – one for a gift for a grand niece who has a
new baby brother. While in the shop I see an onyx clock, it's carved stone and
is designed to look like a book, I buy it.
We
leave with our treasures and walk around to Taner's carpet shop. We climb to
the terrace above the shop and enjoy the
Taner's
friend Tefek has also joined us for lunch now. We eat and visit for well over
an hour; this is the life! We talk of new hotels in town – one, with Jacuzzi
baths with huge windows looking out over the entire valley – cost for the cheapest
room we're told is 250E!
After
lunch, Taner takes us on a tour of his Uchisar – to see the old village and
some of the restoration being done by a consortium of
Before
we end our afternoon, Taner takes us by Kaya Pension & Restaurant for
refreshments. Kaya has a wonderful view of the landscape and we enjoy a few
minutes of light conversation before returning to Taner's shop. Our tour takes
us an hour and is great fun, we thank Taner so much for his time, and we reluctantly
leave for
Also See:
Would you like to add your comment about this article? Click here!
Editor's Picks
Antalya Antalya, one of the most breath-taking places of Turkey, because of its spectacular location... more...
Traveling by Bus Every corner of Turkey can be reached from the bus station, or Otogar as it is called here. more...
Best of windsurf spots Recently the number of beaches providing windsurfing facilities has increased and shores are embellished with colorful surf.. more...
Anatolian Civilizations Museum The museum is located southeast of Ankara Citadel and is composed of two Ottoman Buildings. more...
Trattoria da Rosario Trattoria da Rosario is a small but special Italian restaurant hidden amongst the trees in Koşuyolu, Kadıköy. more...
Hamams in Ankara Would you like to take a bath in Karacabey Hamam of 15th century or Şengül Hamam of 18th century? more...
 |
Latest Articles |
The Guide Istanbul May/June
Akbank Sanat Guitar Days
Flying Broom Festival
Istanbul Jazz Festival
Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival
Goya: Witness of His Time
Izmir Film Festival
Istanbul Theater Festival
Salvador Dali Exhibition
