This is a custom made frame. It is approximately 20 inches by 15 inches. It is not a real wooden frame. Wood is much more expensive and harder to find. But it looks like real wood and the frame is about 2.5 inches wide.
Why do I like it so much? It cost only 25 Turkish lira. That’s about $11 for a custom made frame! Not the $150 it would have cost in the States for the same.
Go Turkey!
Posted in Art, How to . . ., Shopping, Turkey
Are you wondering how to make a lovely breakfast this New Year’s morning, but as an expat, don’t know how to make pancakes without a box mix from Aunt Jemima or Bisquick? Well, do I have news for you! Here is an easy recipe and all of the ingredients are readily available in Turkey!
Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Pancake Mix
Whisk in a large bowl:
1.5 cups flour (375ml un)
3 Tablespoons sugar (3 çorba kaşığı şeker)
1.5 teaspoons baking powder (1.5 çay kaşığı kabartma tozu)
0.5 teaspoon salt (0.5 çay kaşığı tuz)
Whisk in another bowl:
1.5 cups milk (375ml süt)
3 Tablespoons melted butter (3 çorba kaşığı eritilmiş tereyağı)
2 large eggs (2 büyük yumurta)
0.5 teaspoon vanilla – OPTIONAL (biraz vanilya tozu – isteğe bağlı)
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Gently whisk together until combined. Heat a griddle or flat pan with a little vegetable oil. Turn the heat down to medium. Pour batter by the spoonful onto heated pan. When it bubbles, flip it over. Cook until golden brown.
Options:
- slice bananas (or your favorite fruit) and add to each pancake before flipping to the other side.
- make buttermilk pancakes by adding a little lemon to the milk and letting it sit for 10-15 minutes. Add 0.5 teaspoons of baking soda (karbonat) to the dry ingredients.
Pancake Syrup
In Ankara, pancake syrup and real maple syrup can be found at Metro or Real. You can sometimes find it at Carrefour. There are also stores that carry a strange mix of American products in Kent Park, in a Pasaj on Tunali, at 365 AVM, and other locations. Expect to pay at least 30TL for pancake syrup. You can also give Turkish Pekmez a try. The basic pekmez is made from grapes (üzüm pekmezi).
Üzüm Pekmezi
Afiyet olsun!
Yet another holiday recently gave us the opportunity for a long weekend trip. We decided to visit Bursa and the region of Çanakkale.
We drove from Ankara, and the first stop was İnegöl. We only stopped briefly for lunch as it is known for its İnegöl Köfte. I got a real kick out of the newspaper on top of the table, shoved under glass, and right at my place. It mentioned Chantilly, Virginia, just minutes from where my husband used to work.
İnegöl köfte
Back on the road, we finally made it to Bursa, about a 4 hour drive from Ankara. Bursa is known for several things. Among them are silk and fabrics, mosques, Iskender Kebap, and the legend of Karagöz and Hacivat that you can read about by clicking here.
We visited several mosques including Ulu Cami (The Grand Mosque of Bursa) which was built in 1396–1400.
We also visited ancient buildings known as “Han” for shopping. There were many different styles, but I preferred the square shaped buildings with alcoves of small shops and a courtyard in the middle – a stop for tea! I scored a silk scarf and a woolen wrap.
We did quite a bit of walking while taking in the scenery, the people, the scents of the pazars, and the Ottoman style homes. Bursa does a much better job of “restoring” Ottoman homes. In Ankara, the term restoration really means “renovation.”
At the end of the night, we headed over to Yeşil Cami, the “Green Mosque.” which is part of a larger complex (akülliye) that hosts the mosque, türbe, madrasah, a kitchen, and a Turkish bath. While Ulu Cami certainly was grand, this Yeşil Cami was the most beautiful building in Bursa.
Please Note: I would normally, out of respect, not take a photo of someone praying. The man in the photo below was actually spending a substantial amount of time posing for photos when I shot this.
If you visit Bursa, please be respectful when entering mosques. Don’t act like a “stupid tourist.” Don’t enter during the main prayer times. Remove your shoes. And ladies, some will require you to cover your head. Others will not, but it is appreciated if you do. Shorts, short skirts, plunging necklines and such are also frowned upon. When traveling Turkey, I always carry a scarf in my bag or a wrap around my shoulders. You never know when they will come in handy and you don’t want to miss out on the beauty.
Recently, one of my faithful readers told me she is planning a trip to Pennsylvania and wants to know what she should see. So I am planning on responding with a few blog posts, starting with Philadelphia. Click on the links for more information. I hope you will all join me by adding to the lists with your comments!
Philadelphia Museum of Art, courtesy of christopherwink.com
My Favorites:
The Italian Market, courtesy of Getty Images, Washington Post
Other Popular Things to Do:
Boathouse Row – courtesy of my dear friend Hughe at PhillyChitChat.com. If you are heading to Philly, you must read this blog! He is top notch Paparazzi!
Philadelphia is famous for so many things, it’s just impossible to compile a great list! Ben Franklin, signing of the Declaration of Independence, Jazz music, Patti Labelle, Rocky, the Walk of Fame, the Six Sense of tons of great films, the cheesesteak sandwich (and I refuse to recommend Pat’s or Geno’s – but they are a must-try experience!) The orchestra, Fairmount Park, Dad Vail Regatta, fireworks, art, funk, music, food, Food, FOOD! I just can’t do it justice.
And don’t forget to sign up for funsavers at the Philly Fun Guide. half-priced tickets for lot of events!
Please, I beg you all to add your favorites and your experiences in the comments. Wouldn’t it be great to have one awesome list?!
Where to eat? I will let you know soon!
Posted in Food, History, Holidays, Home, Music, Philadelphia, Photography, Shopping, Tourism, U.S.
This post is the first in a series about our weekend adventure in Kaş. The series will include this post on the town of Kaş, three posts on sea kayaking, paragliding, and hiking along the Lycian Way. It will end with a post on how to get to Kaş, and information about the company that hosted our weekend, Bougainville Travel, who provides these adventures and others such as sea diving, snorkeling, mountain biking, canyoning, boat tours and more. BT also owns and operates two hotels in Kaş, the Oreo Hotel and the Arpia Hotel, which will make your visit even more convenient!
Kaş is a small coastal town west of Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea. With a population of about 7,000, surrounded by water and snow-covered mountains, Kaş is truly a hidden gem. It is a tourist town where the visitors are warmly greeted by the locals – a mix of both Turks and foreigners who have made Kaş their home.
After a long bus ride from Ankara (more on that later), we arrived in Kaş around noon on Saturday. A very short walking distance from the otogar (bus stop) sat the Oreo Hotel up on the hilltop. (Note, the folks at the hotel are happy to pick you up and deliver you to the hotel).
The Oreo Hotel
My first impressions were of pure amazement. The hotel was whitewashed and draped with a deep pink flowers – the only building in Kaş, to be covered so. We were warmly greeted by the hotel manager, Ayten. Ayten holds a degree in hotel management and has managed the Oreo Hotel since 2008. She speaks English as well as Turkish, which made it easy for us to communicate as she strove to meet our every need.
Deep Pink Bougainvillea
The rooms of the Oreo Hotel are plain, clean, and simple. If you are looking for luxury, this is not the place for you. The Oreo was perfect for us however! Our room overlooked the property which included a large swimming pool.
Oreo’s Swimming Pool
The pool, however, was not the most dramatic feature. The view from our balcony was simply awe-inspiring! As we gazed out, our mouths gaping, there she was! Akdeniz. The Mediterranean Sea, just meters away!
The View from Our Balcony
With a view like this, who would need a television in the room? No phone, no fridge, no telephone. None of these were missed.
Reservations at the Oreo include a simple and traditional Turkish breakfast. The Oreo provides a spacious indoor dining area.
Traditional Turkish Breakfast Buffet
Oreo’s Indoor Dining Area
However, we preferred the outdoor tables, nestled under lemon trees and Yeni Dünya trees – a small yellow Turkish fruit. I don’t know if there is an English word for it, but Yeni Dünya translates to “New World.” I like that.
Oreo’s Outdoor Dining Area
The Lemon Trees!
After a short nap, we explored the town. Unless you are staying on the peninsula, everything in the main part of town is walking distance. Of course, we didn’t ask for directions and walked the less “touristy” route at first. This turned out to be quite lucky as we stumbled upon a pide restaurant along Atatürk Blvd. I have eaten in many pide places over the years, and this was simply the best I ever had!
A newer non-touristy street
An Older Kas Home
Next, we found our way down to the harbour and back-tracked towards the cobble-stoned streets. There we found a host of traditional Turkish shops, boutiques restaurants, colorful store fronts, archaeological finds and so much more!
The Mosque
Lycian Sarcophagus
Another Sarcophagus
Whether shopping for trinkets or fine jewelry, a little souvenir to remember or a hand-woven rug, Kaş has it all!
Echo Bar Jazz Club – boasts a 3rd-century-BC basement cistern
A Carpet Shop
We selected a fish restaurant for a late afternoon tea and sweets. The restaurant sat high on a hill overlooking the harbour. The view was tremendous!
Seaside Restaurant
The Harbour View
I am told that the Oreo Hotel also serves a memorable dinner during the high season. We were a little too early for that. But we didn’t miss it.
On our first evening, we were treated to dinner by one of the owners of Bougainville Travel, Phil Buckley, at the Sultan Garden Restaurant with another gorgeous view of the harbour. We were joined by his wife, Alison, and two of their friends, Caroline and Gerry, who were also visiting. It was an incredible night – Brits, a Scot, an American and a Turk, enjoying a delicious meal, joking as if we were all old friends, and sharing stories of Adventures! Both Alison and Caroline were experienced adventure guides – so there were plenty of stories to tell! But we had to call it a night early – as we were all scheduled for a sea kayaking adventure the next morning. Check back soon for Day 2 of our adventure – kayaking!
Another Harbour View
For more information about Kaş, the hotels mentioned, and the seaside adventures, please visit Bouganville Travel’s website by clicking here.
It’s an interesting thing that in this land of great history, there is little room for “junking.” Junking is a term I recently picked up from my niece. That’s her way of describing her love of antiques, or anything else that can be picked up at a flea market or yard sale. I honestly can’t remember the term I used for such activities. And I used to be a lover of it too!
Living in Chester County, I was a big fan of the Downingtown Farmer’s Market and the Antique Mall in Chadds Ford. I suppose the D’town market originally started as a place to sell fruits and veggies, and possibly some great pork products! It eventually became a spot to buy anything, old or new. I loved spending my weekends there, searching for great finds, and enjoying one of Chris’ roast beef sandwiches. I even helped my sister to run a store there where she sold pickled veggies and I sold decorated wreaths.
Antiquing in Chadds Ford - Photo courtesy of ilovecollecting10.blogspot.com
When I moved to Philadelphia, I became more a fan of the “sidewalk sale” which is the city version of a garage sale or yard sale. Folks would pile their used junk on the sidewalk in front of their homes and hundreds would flock to pick through their used baby clothes, old books, lamps that didn’t work, and wooden furniture.
Philadelphia also had a traveling flea market in the summer. It was huge and just fabulous! Every weekend it moved to a different neighborhood. Hundreds of vendors selling everything from perfume bottles to old tools to sausage sandwiches.
It was there that I picked up the glorious Victorian dresser that I recently told you about.
Antique Victorian Chest of Drawers
Philadelphia and West Chester both hosted excellent antique stores. But one “stuff” makes it to the antique store, it usually becomes much more expensive. For example, Mom and Dad had two sparkly glass chandeliers hanging in the house for years. (Man, it was my job to clean them, piece by piece, twice a year.) Eventually Mom grew weary of them and replaced them with modern ceiling fans. The chandeliers went out to the trash, where they were immediately picked up by a passer by. These types of chandeliers now appear in numerous antique stores for $1000 or more!
Then there’s the house sales in preparation of a big move. That’s exactly what I did before my move to Ankara. I held sales every week for months, both on my sidewalk and in my living room and dining room. I sold kitchen items, books, bookshelves, tons of tools, furniture, and all kinds of great stuff. What I didn’t sell ended up on my sidewalk before trash day. By the time the trash truck came, most had been picked up and given a new home.
Preparing for the Move
Following those sales, I had to do more shopping, so that my house would be ready for sale. This is called “staging.” My house was more beautiful than it ever had been. Check out the antique dining room set I bought on Craigslist:
Antique Dining Set
Then, when the house was under contract for sale, I had to sell all of my stuff again! The table went quickly.
Even before selling the house, for DIY projects, we bought lots of used stuff. Ladders, tools, flagstone, you name it! We one bought a used wet saw to cut tile, then sold it immediately after the floor was finished – for the same price!
Very difficult cut - even with the wet saw
Laying the Flagstone
Enjoying the backyard, used flagtone, used bricks, used everything!
Living in Turkey is soooo different. There’s little to no “junking” going on. There are a handful of antique stores which are a big crock. Everything is overpriced. I happened into one when a friend was shopping for a tiffany-style lamp for her daughter. We found one. I convinced her it was not an antique, but simply a new reproduction that had been brought in by some expat. It looked just like the one I had bought on the streets of Manhattan.
She didn’t buy it. And on my next visit to the States, I ordered one from Overstock.com at 1/4 of the price she would have paid for the alleged “antique”. It fit easily in my suitcase and her daughter loves it.
Photo courtesy of Overstock.com
My neighborhood, Aşağı Ayrancı, is also known for it’s quality antique flea market. (It might technically be Yukari Ayranci – I do have to walk up a hill to get there.) It’s known throughout Turkey. The antique market is held on the first Sunday of every month. Dealers come from around the country. It’s still good fun, but it’s just not the same as the Philly flea market. With only approximately 120 vendors, it’s just not that big. You can find old cameras, jewelry, some antique tools, and such. The big deal for me is flipping through the vinyl. I find a lot of old American music there mixed between a lot of really bad pop music!
One never sees sidewalk sales, house sales, or garage sales anywhere, unless it is by an expat. As expats come and go, usually for business, they leave stuff behind. This is the best way to buy real wooden furniture. Wood is so expensive here, that most affordable furniture is just crap. If you want a wooden sleigh bed, you buy it from an expat. In this way, Ankara is great because we have a strong expat community that is linked through a google email group. In fact, just yesterday I bought a great bookshelf that I didn’t really need and certainly, did not fit in my little home!
Junking is just not the same as it is back in the States. But at least we have some opportunity. Perhaps it should be put on my list of potential business ventures! I should invite my niece to come spend a couple of weeks touring Turkey and looking for good junk! That’s what her momma used to do with me when I was a kid – tour the country roads of North Carolina and Tennessee – looking for good junk. It’s in the blood.
Money. The root of all evil. It separates the haves from the have nots.
It’s never been either of those things to me.
I was born and raised without money. My parents had nothing. And with that nothing, they purchased their first and only home in the early 70′s. Having already raised most of their children and sent them on their way, the house was still full.
What my parents did have was respect for money. When you have nothing, every little bit counts. And that they instilled in me – somewhat.
Having nothing myself, I savored what I had. I kept my clothes clean and in good shape. I played with the same Baby Tenderlove for many years. These things meant something to me. When I started college, I had saved enough for a very special sweater. It was navy blue with little flecks, a big manly and very preppy wool sweater. It was over $40 back in the early 80′s. I kept that sweater until I moved to Turkey in 2010. It meant something to me.
People are always saying times are different, but I don’t believe it. Most things stay the same. But money, that’s a different story. There have always been those that respect it, and those that don’t.
Kids are especially vulnerable to money. There are kids who are angry that their parents don’t have money. And then there are the kids to learn to respect it because they didn’t have it. Same thing goes for the “haves”. Some of those kids learn to squirrel it away. They learn banking and finance at an early age. But sadly, I think most of them don’t anymore. They learn to shop instead.
I can’t say I’m truly a saver. But I did learn respect. There was a time when I earned a very good living. No, I didn’t go out and buy a Porsche. I drove reasonable, safe and reliable vehicles. I didn’t spend my money on Coach bags and clothes. Although I did buy a big house and I could spend a lot of money on a really good meal. The thing is, I could afford to and still save some money.
It really bothers me that some of our younger folk are so concerned with showing what they have, when in fact, they have little. Of course, there are older folks like that too, those that can’t pay their electric bills but throw huge parties and drive fancy cars. I fear the respect of the green is going by the wayside.
There are hundreds of books out there on how to become a millionare. There are seminars, videos, and CDs. But there is really only one secret to becoming a millionare – work hard and stop spending!
Living in Turkey has become quite an obstacle for me in this regards. First, there are my fellow expats who are constantly sending out invites to balls, dinners, happy hours, coffee gatherings, etc. I would say a mjority of the Ankara expats (or at least a big number of them) are here temporarily, working for their own governments or corporations from their native lands. This means they are not being paid in Turkish Lira at Turkish rates. So they have a little more money to spend. I don’t. So please don’t be offended when I constantly turn down your invitations. A dinner out at Butcha means my husband has to work an extra week. And there are no extra weeks in the year. (Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t go for special occasions – like little Stevie’s birthday! I love Butcha!)
An even bigger problem here for me is the constant giving of gifts. At home, if I were invited to someone’s home for dinner, I would probably pick up a bottle of wine for the dinner. I may even bring a small house gift for a party. But I would not constantly give gifts to the same people I see over and over again.
In Turkey, you bring a gift. End of story. When invited to a meal, you may bring flowers too. (If it’s a Turk who has lived overseas – wine may still work!) When visiting family, you bring gifts. Sure, they bring gifts to you too. But it becomes a huge hassle. First of all, with limited space, I don’t have room for most gifts. Secondly, my tastes seem to differ greatly from the tastes of those gift-givers. Thirdly, I just can’t get over the fact that people are giving me clothes and shoes. It’s just weird. Stop it!
Finally, I can’t seem to be able to save a penny because of this gift-giving tradition. I would like to buy a house here someday. But mortgages do not operate the same way they do in the States. I’m not looking to buy anything nearly as big and full of character as what we had in Philly. I just want something that won’t fall apart in 5 years, is a little bigger than what we are renting, and is in a good neighborhood.
It’s not going to happen anytime soon. I have to buy gifts instead. I cut back on our groceries – never buying lamb, rarely buying beef. We shop around for the cheapest prices. I no longer have a list of “must have” name brands. I buy the cheapest Turkish cigarettes – which is about to change with the new tax breaks. I drive to the Metro Markt for wine – and only buy bottles under 8 TL. And I only drink them when I have expat friends visiting. I order food only when a family member gives us Sodexo coupons.
And still, we can’t save.
I don’t mean to sound like I am miserable here. I happily made the decisions to live here. And I enjoy it. I’m fine not having the lifestyle that I had in the States – for the most part. But I would like to be more in control of my finances. So please — stop giving me gifts so I can stop giving them to you. You visit me and bring a gift. Two weeks later I visit you and bring a gift. Don’t you see? We are just spending each other’s money!
I would much prefer to spend my money on things I want — like visiting my Mom.
Happy Birthday Mom!
Posted in Economy, Family Life, Friends, Shopping, Transportation
Musings of a Philadelphia lawyer who quit her day job and moved to Turkey. Life brings a new adventure each day; exploring Turkey with photography and wit, learning and sharing the cuisine, and providing useful information to expats and visitors.
Chester County News from DailyLocal.com
