Hamam

All the store fronts and businesses around here have a couple guys hanging out, offering to sale whatever goods or services they provide.  The other night when we were out for dinner, the guy next door wanted us to try a new Spa that just opened up.  Instead of paying 100 Euros ($150) for a two hour treatment, he was offering the deal for 20 Euros ($30).  Kory and I had such a wonderful experience the first time we did the whole Turkish Bath thing, we decided we shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to do it again before we leave.  So this morning, at 9am, before anyone else in the house was up, we walked down the street to get another “Hamam” (Turkish Bath.)

The environment in this new spa was pretty high class, since it’s a destination place, rather than just a spa in the basement of a hotel, like the first one we went to.  The reason I wanted to go to this one is because they had a sauna, salt room and steam room, which the other Hamam didn’t offer.  We spent 15 minutes first in the dry sauna, we went into the salt room, which was much cooler and supposedly good for breathing problems.  I was breathing deeply as I’ve been told I have seasonal asthma.  I don’t believe it, but I do wheeze from time to time, so I thought I’d see if breathing in salt had any merits. Huge rocks of salt were anchored to the walls and ceiling and fine grain salt covered the floor.  Because the salt is fairly transparent, lights were set behind the rocks which changed colors every minute or so.  The mood in the room changed as it rotated through the colors of the rainbow.  It was pretty surreal.

I didn’t notice much improvement with my wheezing after deep breathing in that room for 15 minutes, but we then went into the steam room where I really felt a difference with my sinuses, which are often kinda cruddy.  When we first walked in, we couldn’t even see our hands or feet it was so steamy.  We soon discovered there were other people in the room as we tried to find a place to sit down.  That room sure gave us a good sweat.  I don’t think we made it the full 15 minutes in there because we couldn’t see the timer.  We then moved on to the Hamam room, where the attendants were waiting to bathe us like our mothers did when we were young – pouring water over our heads and body parts and scrubbing us down but good.  We were spread out on the altar again and covered in bubbles.  This new place didn’t have the same attentive feel as the first place we tried, so it wasn’t nearly as relaxing, even though it was still quite pleasant. 

After we were bubbled, scrubbed and rinsed, we were sent to a “relaxing” room where we waited for our oil massage.  Kory really liked his massage but I thought the guy that did mine, did it in too big of a hurry and it was more like an application of oil all over my body than any kind of massage.  He still stopped on my problem spots and said, “Problem,” though, then went and got a guy who could speak English.  The guy told me I needed a “medical massage.”  I didn’t want to tell him I already had one scheduled for tomorrow in another spa, so I just told him I didn’t have time, but yes, I knew I had a problem.  He sold me some medical cream, which works kind of like Ben-gay only it’s all natural and brings relief from the pain in my problem spots.  I really like that cream, so it’s nice to have that now, when and if the pain gets bad again.  I guess I never knew how much pain I was living with everyday until I stopped feeling it.

We got home before noon from our Hamam and then went with Kaleb and Tobias up to the local farmer’s market that only comes to this town on Saturdays.  It took a while to walk through all the booths and negotiate some prices, but we ended up with some very nice cotton pants and tops, a beach towel and a few souvenirs.  Kory didn’t approve of my bartering skills (he said I have none), but I was happy with the prices we paid (and I’m a cheap-skate) so I didn’t see any reason to pay less.   He said I was insulting them by not bartering.  Right.

Everyone was lying around the pool when we got back and Bjørn was working on yet another hand railing.  I think he must be like Kory – always needing something to do.  I would have never thought those handrails needed repainting, but he did.  They certainly look better now but I would have told myself they could wait another year. 

Tobias made us tomato soup for lunch and Bjørn went and bought some fresh pita bread and taziki dip to go with it.  Yum.  We ate at home for once, which went much quicker than going to a restaurant.  It was almost like a dinner theatre performance too with the twins acting up (like they often do) during the meal.  Markus couldn’t stop himself from jumping up on his chair and not just shouting HALLELUJAH, but singing it out, with his head tilted back, arms outstretched toward heaven and holding the notes like he was singing an opera.  What a character.  I don’t know where he comes up with this stuff, but he is one funny kid.  His parents don’t appreciate his humor as much as I do, but they were even laughing at him today.  I had to get out the video camera just so I will never forget his precious little voice shouting HALLELUJAH with an occasional PRICE THE LORD thrown in there (I told him what Hallelujah means and he does his best to say it in English but he doesn’t have his words quite right, yet.)  His mother is sure now he will become a priest.  He had to ask what that was.

After lunch we went into downtown Side and walked around the main shopping area for a little while and visited some streets we’d previously missed.  I bought a few more souvenirs and insulted a few more shop owners by not bargaining.  I’m happy with what I got, but now am wondering how we’ll get it all home.  Uff.  The twins kept chanting “Ut paa tur, aldri sur,” which is a Norwegian rhyming phrase that literally means “Out on a walk, never sour,” meaning one’s attitude can change from sour to sweet just by getting some fresh air.  True enough. 

Dinner tonight was Norwegian waffles and a special chocolate caramel cake I bought at a local bakery.  It was a good choice.  Afterwards the hand-held electronics broke out and the evening got pretty quite.  We’ve yet to decide what tomorrow will bring but it’s our last full day here in Turkey.  The time has gone far too quickly.

The Other Side

I was up again at six this morning, enjoying a quiet house before my morning massage.  I could get used to this routine very quickly.  Even though I’m tired later in the day, a cup of coffee fixes that about mid-afternoon.

Kory went for a run while I was getting my massage.  I was so thankful for that since he hasn’t done any exercise at all in months.  When I was talking to God this morning, I asked Him if He wouldn’t tell Kory to get off his butt and exercise, because I know when I tell him, it falls on deaf ears.  I guess he listens to God more than me, which is probably a very good thing.

My massage was again, very healing.  I’m going again.  That Emil, he knows what he’s doing.  I guess that’s why Norway sends their citizens to Turkey for spa and massage therapy if they have a condition that would be helped by it.  Good times.  If I were a Norwegian citizen, I’m sure they would just have me move here.  All my pains are melting away.

After breakfast we headed for the other part of Side we hadn’t yet seen – the beach, which is less than a mile from Bjørn’s house.  The sun was out, the waves were calm and there were plenty of pretty rocks and shells just waiting to be collected.  I don’t know how we’re going to get everything home, but we will.  We’ll also be taking home a little sunburn as that sun was pretty hot today.  The sea felt nice, but I just waded in it looking for rocks.  None of us went swimming as everyone just loved lying by the beach relaxing. I can only do that for so long before I need to get up and go, so Kory, Kaleb, Tobias and I went for an hour long walk along the harbor down to Apollo’s temple and back.  It took 40 minutes down because I stopped so often to take photos, then we had to hustle back to meet up with the rest of the gang for lunch at a restaurant on the beach.  Once again we had good food and the view couldn’t be better. 

In a way, the beach here reminds me of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as hotels and restaurants line the shore, pirate looking ships take people out on sight seeing tours,  para-gliding boats zoom back and forth and the beach is covered with loungers full of tourists lying on the beach.  But in another way, it’s different.  The tourist towns in Turkey are kept very clean and no one is going around peddling to the tourists.  In fact, the local shop owners aren’t even allowed to pester the tourists anymore.  They put some new law into affect once they found out the tourists didn’t like being followed down the street by the shop owners trying to sell them something.  It’s very controlled now and quite comfortable.  The shop owners still expect a barter on their prices, however.

I feel bad for the workers here.  I see them around where Bjørn lives, working before nine in the morning and still there at midnight, every day of the week.  He says its normal to work sixteen hour days for half the year there are tourists in town, then they go back home up in the mountains to their families the rest of the year.  It’s a tough life and there is a lot of poverty in this country, but it’s far enough away from the tourist’s view one would never know.  All I’ve seen in town and at the beach, are the local men though.  They travel in packs with not a woman in sight.  The Muslims do that in Norway too, but I thought it was just there.  Now I know it’s a cultural thing.

Kaleb, Markus and Jonas all wanted to buy a new Nintendo game.  I’m sure all the ones sold here are pirated copies, as Kaleb got some kind of deal that had 300 different games on it for $45.  He was thrilled, as were the twins.  It was pretty quiet the rest of the day as they sat for hours, playing their new games.

After lunch the rest of the gang went back to the house while Kory and I stayed in the city and walked around the ruins taking pictures, went to the Side Museum and did a little shopping.  There are so many ruins around here they just reuse the old walls or columns for practical things like marking off parking lots or building smaller retaining walls.  It’s weird to think these ancient artifacts are not preserved or treasured more, but I guess they have so much of it, it takes on new meaning for the locals.

While shopping we were invited in for “Turkish apple tea” (which tastes a lot like hot apple cider if you ask me), by a carpet salesman.  It was our lucky day because it was our first time in Turkey and he was going to make us a deal we couldn’t resist.  I only accepted his offer to have the tea because I wanted to experience the process people go through to buy a Turkish handmade rug, since that’s the ONE thing I knew Turkey was famous for. I have to say, that rug he wanted us to buy was incredibly gorgeous and was made out of silk and wool and soft as a baby’s butt.  I just couldn’t imagine spending a thousand dollars on something that gets walked on, however.  Someday, maybe, someday. 

We spent way too much time with that guy but it was interesting to hear all his sales pitches.  He even took that rug, which would have fit perfectly in our living room in Norway, and had a guy fold it up so it would fit in a small piece of luggage – which he offered to throw in on the deal so we could get it home.  Good thing Kory was along because I’ve always had it in my mind it would be cool to go to Turkey and buy a Turkish rug, but today apparently, wasn’t that day.

The rain clouds rolled in again this afternoon and we weren’t sure how bad it was going to get, so we took a taxi back to Bjørn’s house just in time as the rain started up again so we all went out to dinner.  More good food, another long meal, and for dessert, we headed back to the salon where Josefine got her hair tinted and cut, Inger got her bangs cut and I got a pedicure!  It’s hard to just pay ten dollars for something that takes an hour, so I gave her a good tip as my feet are now soft as a baby’s butt.  So much for needing that carpet.

One new thing I experienced with that pedicure was how she took the little hairs off the top of my toes (which I didn’t even know were there, by the way.)  Rather than waxing, she twisted up some strong thread and open and closed the loop rather quickly, which acted like scissors.  I’d never seen that done before but Inger said they do it in Norway all the time.  She offered to take the hair off my legs using the same method, but I declined.  I’ve had them for so long, I’m kind of partial to hairy legs at this point.

Kory taught Tobias how to make Kettle Korn so he made a few batches once we got home.  There’s a TV in this house with a connection to cable, but it seems everyone’s electronic devices have replaced the need for it.  Bjørn logged on to the internet to check the weather, both for here and back home and the rest of us turned on our electronics for our own personal entertainment.  Weird dynamics to have so many people in one room, all in their own little world, but it sure made for a quiet house, even with the twins present.

Inger offered us the use of their house here anytime we want it – “Bring friends from America and come stay a few weeks” she said.  I have to say, I would have never considered Turkey as a vacation destination kind of place, but after being here for a few days, I realized I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Singin' in the Rain - NOT

I was awake hours before the rest of the household this morning.  I was so worried I’d sleep in and miss my “medical massage” that I only got about five hours sleep.  It was nice though, to enjoy the house with some peace and quiet.  The twins make a lot of noise, but their noise just makes more noise because of my laugher.  I don’t think I’ve laughed this much in my lifetime.  They are Personality Plus when it comes to their actions, reactions, words and expressions.  I think a reality TV show needs to discover those guys because someone could make a lot of money off them. 

Besides the non-stop HALLELUJAHS, which crack me up every time because of the way they say it, the way they address their dad, Bjørn, never gets old.  A common man’s name in Turkey is Moustafa, so some of the locals have taken to calling Bjørn that.  He kinda fits right in around here so it’s a compliment they’ve adopted him with that “handle.”  But the funny thing is, the twins have modified that name a little and now call him “Mus-ta-far” which is clever for a few reasons.  “Far” is the Norwegian word for “father” so it’s funny just from that standpoint. “Mus” is the Norwegian word for “mouse” and “ta” is the Norwegian word for “take” so they have given him a Norwegian name that sounds like “mouse takes father” but they know it’s a play on his Turkish name.  One of them wanted to get his attention today so he talked like a parent does when using the entire name of the child, only he said, “Bjørn Mustafar Solevåg!”  Just looking at those boys cracks me up.  The other two siblings, Josefine and Tobias, never say a word and it’s easy to forget they are even around, but those twins are real live wires.

I made it to my massage and back before everyone was even awake.  Emil, the massage therapist, did wonders.  He did some kind of acupressure and massage and he hit right on the worst spots in my back, but the pain didn’t last long and I feel incredibly wonderful now.  I had to schedule another appointment for tomorrow since I’m thinking he knows what he’s doing and I probably could use a little help in the area of stress reduction.

After breakfast this morning, Bjørn finished up painting one of the four hand railings that are on his “to do” list this week, while the rest of us relaxed around the pool.  I even took a dip in it to cool off since it was pretty toasty outside.   We all certainly need a little more vitamin D.

We went to lunch at a restaurant attached to the condo management company that Bjørn uses, so I was able to log on to their internet access again and post my blog.  Fortunately/unfortunately, service in restaurants around here is pretty slow, so I was able to post several photos while waiting.  Tobias had his Ipad and his sister had her laptop and we were all at the table getting our internet fix. The twins and Kaleb brought their Nintendos so it was a funny sight having everyone sitting in an outdoor restaurant on a sunny day, glued to their various electronic devices.  What has the world come to?

Bjørn drove us all west from Side to Aspendos, to see the best-preserved coliseum in Turkey.  What an impressive place that is!  It has had minor restorations on it, but still very much intact.  It seats 15,000 people and was just the thing for boys who like to climb up to high places.  The acoustics were incredible as we found out with the non-stop “Hallelujah’s” that Markus was shouting.  I don’t even think Kory got in a single one.

One of the coolest things I saw at the coliseum was a plant growing high up on a ledge on the main front wall (see photo above).  I recognized it right away as a mustard plant and I thought of the verse in the Bible that says, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you.”  It was easy to see how that could be the case.  It was fun to inform the others about that verse and show them what that verse “looks like,” as it was certainly growing in an impossible place.

In the parking lot of the coliseum were two dressed up camels and one baby camel, so we did the tourist thing and let Kaleb have a two minute camel ride for $13.  Total rip-off but when else is he going to get the chance to ride a camel?  He thought it was pretty cool.

After giving the coliseum a thorough once-over, we went further west to the city we arrived in by plane, Antalya.  It’s mentioned in the Bible as one of the areas Paul traveled to.  The old part of the city is really special so we were all looking forward to spending the afternoon and evening there, but just as we were arriving, it started to rain.  And it wasn’t just ordinary rain shower, it was an all out downpour.

We were all dressed in shorts and short-sleeved shirts, so when we got out of the car (thinking it would only last a few minutes) we got wet pretty quickly.  As we stood under the eaves of an old building, a guy in front of a hotel across the street invited us to come into his lobby so we were able to have a “what do we do now” kind of conversation.  We could see all around us that Antik Antalya is a place to be for an entire day, as the streets are very cool and narrow and old stuff is just everywhere, but it would be hard to enjoy the area under the current conditions.  When the rain let up a little we ventured down to the end of the street to see what we could see – the Mediterranean Sea!  But then it started raining hard again so we opted to just head back to the car and maybe try again another day.  At least we drove by Hadrian’s Gate on our way out of town, which is the biggest attraction.  I saw it through a rainy car window, but at least I saw it.

Even though Kory and Bjørn are second cousins, Kory has fallen in love with him – loving how he cooks, cleans and takes care of everything (I guess he doesn’t notice when I do that stuff anymore), but after today, it was my turn to fall in love with Bjørn by the way he keeps a cool head when others (Kory, perhaps?) would be totally stressed out. 

It was a long time in the car with ten people, two of them being seven year old boys.  It was total chaos by the time we got to Antalya.  Tobias and Jonas were poking each other in the back seat and appropriate sounds followed with their mother trying to settle them down.  Markus was sitting in the front seat alternating between shouting HALLELUJAH and pressing every button on the dash he could find.  Bjørn was driving in terrible weather conditions with wiper blades that didn’t work well enough for him to even see the people that were jumping out in front of his car, crossing the flooded streets he was driving on.  Lightening and thunder were all around us and we were in the midst of rush hour traffic. 

Even on a regular day, traffic in Turkey is insane.  The traffic lights are only a “suggestion,” so people run red lights all the time.  The speed limit signs mean nothing.  Even on roads with two lanes going in one direction, there are at least four lanes of traffic, as the shoulder provides an extra lane (which often has cars driving in the opposite direction), and the center line between the two lanes somehow turns into an extra lane.  Cars turn left, from the furthest right lane, and likewise, they will turn right, when their car is furthest left.  How we kept from hitting anyone or being hit is beyond me, but in the midst of it all, Bjørn just calmly navigated his way into a city he’s never been in and didn’t know where he was going.  Somehow we got in there and out of there and no one was hurt.  I see now why he is called Moustafa – he’s adapted well to the culture, but also I see why he’s an air ambulance pilot.  Stress isn’t part of his world, he just stays focused on the task at hand and everyone arrives alive.  It was more than impressive.

We stopped at an indoor mall on the way home so the kids could get out of the car, and as my friend Joni says, “blow the stink off.”  I did a little shopping and Bjørn and Kory had a cup of coffee.  We had to go through metal detectors to get into the mall.  That was a first.  They had a Starbucks in that mall, so that’s where everyone wanted to stop, but I kept going down to the food court and found myself a genuine Turkish coffee house since I’ve yet to have a cup.  I think I’ll choose Starbucks next time.  It was like drinking mud.  But now I know. 

On the long drive back to Side, the lightening and thunder and hard rain continued.  I was sitting with Jonas in the front seat and I told him every time the lightening flashed, it meant that God was taking a picture of him, so he leaned forward in his seat with his face pointing up toward heaven.  He was touting the biggest smile he could muster and he kept it up for the longest time.  It just cracked me up.  Once the lightening flashed, I told him God loved him very much and he’d be putting that photo of him on His refrigerator.  I’m not sure he believed that part.

When we were trying to decide if we should stop somewhere along the way to eat dinner, go back home and eat in a local restaurant, get take out food, or make dinner at home, we all had our own opinions.  Finally, Markus said, “Mustafar besteme” (Dad decides.)  So we went back and had dinner at a little diner near their house where the owners rightly treat Bjørn like a king.  They even brought us a complimentary fruit plate after dinner as I’m sure Bjørn has brought him a lot of business over the years and even now when we show up, feeding ten people is no small deal.

Whatta day. 

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

We’ve been staying in the city of Side, pronounced See-dah, but of course, it looks like the English word “side.”  So today, as we were driving around, we saw a chicken crossing the road.   I couldn’t help myself, so I asked Kaleb, “So why DID the chicken cross the road?” and he responded, “to get to Side.”  I didn’t even see that one coming.

Bjørn is the taskmaster of this circus we are part of here in Turkey. It’s so nice to have someone else in charge.  He’s been taking care of all the arrangements, he bought the tickets, he’s planning out the days.  It’s like a REAL vacation for me where I just show up and don’t have to do anything else.  He even prepares the meals, cleans up afterwards and takes care of the needs of everyone, including the twins.  Whatta guy!  I could get used to this.  Kory even said if he weren't already "taken" he might have to ask him to marry him.

After breakfast today, Bjørn went up to the management company that takes care of his condo here, to ask them about some of the tourist activities in the area.  Bjørn said each complex around here tends to attract people from the same country, so he’s in the Norwegian section, but just across the way is a condo complex with many from England.  It’s like the United Nations in this neighborhood as many countries in Europe are heavily represented in this part of Turkey. 

The management company provides all kinds of services for the homeowners here, not the least of which is travel advice.  They check on their place monthly, pick the residents up from the airport, tell them which is the best spa, where to go to the dentist, what kind of products to buy for particular needs, etc.  They are the ultimate resource for foreigners in a foreign land.  It makes being here so much easier, so I guess that’s why they do it - job security.  And each management company is conveniently owned by someone from their homeland, so today, Bjørn was talking with a woman from Bergan.  She’s married to a guy from Turkey so they have found the perfect niche.   Everyone is very helpful and friendly to the tourists, so it makes one feel quite special.  I was even allowed to access their internet from their office  so I could post my blog.  Sweet.

The kids and Inger laid around the poolside and sunned themselves this morning while Bjørn painted the hand railing off his dining room deck.  It seems his job is never done.  Kory and I went down the street for the ultimate Turkish experience – the Turkish Bath.  I think every block in this city has at least one spa, as that seems to be the big reason people travel to Turkey.  It’s understandable.  Kory and I splurged and spent a whopping $30 each on a 90 minute treatment.  How decadent!  I want to do it again.

We were taken into a round steamy room with benches along the edge.  It was just the two of us.  Every couple of feet were hot water spigots with sinks built right into the marble walls that surrounded the place.  In the center of the room was a large marble slab that looked an awful lot like an altar, but I soon learned it was a heated slab, meant for relaxing.  The only thing sacrificed on that thing was stress, as it melted away while lying there.

Upon entering that room, we were seated next to a sink and warm water was scooped out of the sinks with a bowl and poured over different parts of our bodies.  We were then taken to the altar and told to lie on our backs.  We were wearing our swim suits so it wasn’t too weird, but the body scrub that followed felt very personal.  I think they used some kind of loofa sponge and they didn’t miss a spot.

Our attendants didn’t speak a word of English, except “turn,” which we did when they told us to.  After the scrub, they did the coolest thing ever.  They had some kind of pillowcase type thing that looked like it might have been made out of jersey cotton.  It was soaking in a bucket filled with rose petal bubbly water.  They took the pillowcase out of the bucket and flapped it open to catch air, then sealed it with their hands so it looked like a huge balloon.  As they squeezed it, it created an enormous amount of bubbles, which they plopped up and down our bodies.  It smelled heavenly, as well as feeling pretty cool (actually, it was warm).  They also lightly massaged us with those air filled pillows.  Then we laid there for a long time, kind of like being in a bubble bath, but lying on a slab of marble instead, with a huge heap of bubbles over the top of us.  It was cooler than cool.

We were rinsed off with bowls of warm water and towel dried by the attendants (I had a guy and Kory had a woman.)  We then had to lie down and relax in a recliner for a few minutes in another room before we got an oil massage by other employees. 

I know I have some problem spots in my back, but the minute the guy took a look at my spine, he put his finger right on my worse area and just said, “Problem.”  I told him yes, so he avoided that area, thankfully.  When he got to my shoulders, he made some kind of huff that one makes when they can’t believe what they are seeing.  I told him “stress” and he said, “Yes.”  After I was done, he went and told some other guy something and that guy came and told me, “You need medical massage.  Come back tomorrow.  He will fix your back.  Twenty euros.  Thirty minutes.  Come back tomorrow nine o’clock.”  So, I guess that’s what I’m doing to start my day off tomorrow.  It doesn’t take much convincing to get me to have a massage.

Tobias had lunch waiting for us when we got back home.  Kaleb wasn’t feeling too well, I’m sure it was due to lack of sleep, not enough water, and warm temperatures, so he was a bit whiney all day today.  After lunch Bjørn drove us out to Perga (where all but one photo from today was taken), a very old city mentioned in the Bible from Paul’s travels.  It’s also one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelations.  Kory was fascinated by the verse that says because of their faithfulness, God will the give the inhabitants “a white stone with their name inscribed on it” and only they will know the meaning.

The whole time we were in Perga, Kory was hunting for white stones as we walked among the ruins. I’m sure it wasn’t legal to pick up anything in that place, but he found white rocks, some bone, an old glass shard, and a rusty nail. It’s one of the best preserved ruins in all of Turkey, but maybe not so much after Kory went through there.  Kaleb said, after seeing Pompeii, in Italy, it pales in comparison with that archeological sight, but still, it was incredibly impressive.  Kory even found a white rock in the shape of a heart, just for me, because I love collecting heart shaped rocks.  It was a God thing.

All of us were in agreement that it was a spectacular outing, so I’m glad we got to do it.  Markus kept shouting “HALLELUJAH!” and throwing his hands up in the air as he stood upon toppled columns and pieces of ancient rubble.  It was pretty funny.  Afterwards when we were at dinner, he didn’t stop with the hallelujahs and he even got the local Muslims to join him in a few rounds!  Kory has some stiff competition with that kid.

Bjørn treated us to Irish coffees and baklava for dessert back at the house.  Kaleb fell asleep in my lap before we even got a chance to play cards.  But it was a long day, full of some good memories and we’re all looking forward to what tomorrow will bring. 

This photo is from Bjorn's house and it's of him, jumping in his pool.  Nice place. 

Gobble Gobble

Our flight last night left at 10:30pm, direct to Antalya.  It got in at 4am local time and it took two hours to buy our visa, go through customs, get our luggage and drive to Bjørn’s house.  I didn’t sleep a wink the whole flight.  It was full of what appeared to be some kind of men’s club which could have passed for the classic “drunken sailor” type.  The floor of the plane was littered with empty alcohol bottles as we exited, and the aroma still hung in the air.  This charter flight was very relaxed in their expectations of passengers.  It seemed, the typically “sober” Norweigan façade got lost as soon as they left their motherland.  Interesting.

The sun was already starting to shine, but we all crashed in our beds at Bjørn’s house and we didn’t wake up until 10 this morning.  It put a weird twist on the day, but once we had our standard Norwegian breakfast, we were all in good shape.

I guess I was expecting Turkey to be like Athens, quite gritty with graffiti and litter everywhere but it’s not like that at all.  It’s much nicer than I anticipated.  I have yet to see any graffiti or litter and even though it’s a hot, dry climate, every empty lot is filled with tall green grass.  I guess we came at the right time – after the spring rains.  We are in the seaside community of Side, just east of Antalya.  There are many four story apartment complexes built just outside the ancient city of Side, which have been bought mostly by Norwegians and Germans for vacation homes.  Out of the 18 units in Bjørn’s complex, 12 are owned by Norwegians, so right now, it’s a pretty quiet place as we are here before the summer rush.  All the empty lots around us have two to three cows staked out in them.  Must be the cheapest way to cut the grass.  It looks pretty funny, mixing farm life in with hotels and condos.

We had plenty of sunshine and warm weather today, but I didn’t lie around the pool like Kory and Kaleb did.  They both enjoyed a dip and a little time to relax, but I opted for going for walks in the neighborhood just to see what there was to see, and to take photos, of course.  Lots of beautiful blooming flowers caught my attention, as did the many stray cats.  Greece is full of stray dogs, but here, the only ones I saw were on very short chains, and it broke my heart.

This morning, after taking care of business things like getting a few groceries, going to the bank machine to pull out Turkish lira and buying a mobile broadband internet stick, we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.  Boy was that tasty.  It was pita bread pizza, all fresh and good.  Yum.   Afterward some of us went shopping in the neighborhood while others took naps.  I found out that turkish bath towels are sold by the kilo.  I thought that was funny.  I didn’t buy much, but the prices on some things here are half what they are in America, and insanely cheap for Norwegians.  Many of the name brand clothes are made here in Turkey so there are lots of shops selling them for pennies on the dollar.  It’s hard not to think they were stolen, they are so cheap.  Norwegians are really into name brands, but me, not so much.

The only thing I’ve seen that’s more expensive than in the U.S. is gasoline (it’s about the same as Norway at $12 a gallon right now) and electricity.  All the shops had their lights turned off until we showed up, then they flipped on the switch.

All the shopkeepers expect to barter.  I hate doing that so I’m sure I’m paying more than I should for even the smallest of things, but I always figure they need the money more than I do.  The average income in Turkey is only $10,000 a year.

Tonight, we headed into the old part of the city to visit a hair salon.  The twins wanted a fancy haircut ($6 each), Bjørn wanted a shave and a haircut ($8), Janne wanted a tint and new hair style ($60), Ingrid wanted a pedicure ($12) and both Kaleb and I needed a haircut ($6 & $10).  We were there for hours.  But the employees were so very kind and respectful and they played with the boys to keep them entertained and brought us tea, coffee and pop while we waited. They were very complimentary and they told me they thought I needed just a little dye on the gray streak in my hair, but when I told them I liked it just the way it was and they couldn’t have agreed with me more.  It almost reminds me of Japan.  Even at lunch, the greeter shook hands with everyone and welcomed us in.  He remembered Bjørn from last year and couldn’t have been happier that he had returned.  It may be all for show, but they do a good job of making people feel welcome around here.  It’s impressive, as it’s not too much or too forceful.

We are all talking Norwegian just to be safe as I’m not sure what the temperament is towards Americans right now.  Everyone here speaks a little English so I’m having Ingrid translate for me to the shop keepers because when she speaks English, it definitely sounds like she’s from Norway, but I can’t fake it.  So far, no one has suspected a thing.  It makes me feel a bit safer, but according to Bjørn, there’s not a lot of crime here anyway, so that’s good to know.

Kaleb fell asleep waiting for his haircut so I had to wake him up when it was his turn.  He was a bit sour and cried while the guy cut his hair, claiming it hurt.  The guy was so sweet and got a Kleenex and wiped his tears away. I bought him a Turkish style hat afterwards in the market, so he was pleased with that because it covered up his haircut.  He looked pretty cute either way.

We walked around a little in Antik Side (the really old part) after we were done with the salon. We didn’t buy much tonight, but it was good to check on prices.  We ended up down by the harbor, walking through the ruins of a temple to Apollo and Athena.  It’s hard to believe these structures are not protected but they are just open for kids to climb on and jump from one broken piece to the other.  Kaleb seemed to enjoy that part of the day best, especially since he’s read the Percy Jackson series all about the Greek gods, so it was a bit more alive for him than the rest of us.

Kaleb wanted to buy some Nintendo games and Turkish delight candy.  I bought a few flavors of candy tonight (similar to Aplets and Cotlets) so we tried them out before bedtime.  They are good and fresh and a bit more gummy than what we are used to with the Aplets and Cotlets, but still quite tasty. 

It’s been a long day as it’s now after midnight and we all need to sleep.  Tough life, but someone’s gotta live it.

Headin' to Turkey

It was anything but a routine day, today.  After Kaleb was off to school and I posted my blog, I had to start packing. 

I’m currently on a charter flight heading for Turkey.  The name written on the outside of the plane is DETUR, which in Norwegian means “your trip,” but in English, it gives me pause and makes me pray we make it to our destination.   Antalya, Turkey is one of the cities visited by the Apostle Paul in his wanderings.  We are looking forward to what the week will bring.  I’m just thankful we are traveling with people who know their way around.  Kory’s second cousin Bjørn owns a vacation house in the neighboring city of Side, so we will be staying with them for the week.  There are ten of us total on this trip; the three of us, Bjørn and his “samboer” (living together partner), Ingrid, their 7 year old twins, Markus and Jonas; Ingrid’s son, Tobias and daughter, Josefine, and Ingrid’s niece, Janne (all teenagers).  I think Bjørn rented a bus for when we arrive, there are so many of us, and so much luggage.  But the weather report says sunny warm days are in our future, so we are all looking forward to that.

Kaleb came home right from school today and was crying within minutes of walking through the door.  He had a tough day as he’s been discovered by another bully on the playground.  Apparently his previous nemesis, Morten, hasn’t given him any trouble at all this year, but some new kid named Alexandar lit into him.  He’s yet to own up to anything he does to set these kids off, but I know he’s not an innocent victim in all of it.  He got a couple shin bruises from being kicked, but he was able to thwart the punches to the face by just holding his arms still long enough for the playground teacher to come to his rescue.  Tough day for him.  Good thing we’re leaving town for a while.

I asked Kaleb how any kid could get the better of him, since he’s been working out and is getting stronger by the day.  He said, “Well, Mama, strength is equal to mass times acceleration and my problem is, I don’t have enough mass!”  I guess that’s one way to say he’s a skinny little kid, but the fact he said it that way leans him toward the “nerd” category, which has it’s own tendency toward being picked on.  Poor thing.

Kory wanted to take a nostalgic trip out to his hometown this morning, so I took a break from packing and went with him.  I wanted to see if there were any bargains at the sweater factory outlet store over there.  I think the glory days of buying wool sweaters for $11-20 are over.  The cheapest ones were a hundred dollars.  Even just a wool headband was $20.  It takes all the fun out of shopping when the prices are so high, but I did buy Kaleb the next size up in long underwear, both pants and top.  He wears them under his ski gear and they are pretty toasty warm without being itchy.  Only practical items today.

Kory and I should have gone for our walk in his old hometown today, but I was getting antsy and needed to get to the task at hand – packing.  I also had to clean out the frig and pass on a few things to the Tantes, including the beautiful roses I got last night from Toban’s parents when they came for dinner.  Tante Aslaug said she wasn’t sure she could keep them alive for me all week.  I just laughed and told her I gave them to her so she could watch them die.  They sure are pretty.

Kory was a little crabby today because he spent too much time in our storage unit getting out the luggage and he started mumbling about all that’s in there.  He’s one to talk.  He went dumpster diving a few days ago and got enough stuff to fill the back of our van twice.  To each his own.  It didn’t take me long to find the luggage I needed.  I’m just thankful we have a place to put things, otherwise the condo would be mighty crowded.  Kind of how I feel right now on the plane with the seatback reclined in front of me on a full flight and my backpack lying where my feet want to go.  I can barely type.  But as my daddy used to say, “This too, shall pass.”

Wishin' the Sunshine Were on My Shoulders

The sun just keeps on shining around here, but today I didn’t get to enjoy it like I wanted to.  We went to church this morning, but then had to get back home and clean the house and start making dinner.  Kaleb wanted his friend Toban to come over, along with his family.  He’s hoping they will come for a visit in America, and we don’t know his parents all that well.  So today was the day to get over that hump, as it were.

I made yummy food, but it took way too long, so I missed out on being out in the warm sunshine.  Kory and I didn’t go for a walk, either.  I tried not to be bummed out about it, figuring I was on a little “mission” for God, but the sun is not a regular visitor to this part of the world so it was tough. 

I had my standard Sunday food emergency and usual amount of stress.  I started making chocolate mousse before church so it could chill all day in the frig, but I was surprised to find I was short one egg (Kory has a way of using up just the thing I need).  Our frig is so small we can’t keep a lot of inventory and I knew yesterday I had enough eggs to make the mousse today, but Kory, in all his questionable wisdom, decided to boil one extra egg yesterday, “just in case.”  There it sat, in the frig, boiled, not doing me any good at all when I needed to be separating the yolk from the whites.  I wasn’t too happy, but on the way home from church we stopped and bought a half dozen eggs.  I was glad I didn’t have to buy a dozen because they were a dollar per egg. Ugh.

Besides cleaning house and making dinner, I had a few other things to attend to that had deadlines, so I had to sit at my computer, when I could have been out walking.  Our local paper back in LaConner asked me to suggest three columns I’ve written on Norway they could submit for a newspaper competition.  I had to look through my past work and get those to them today.  I also got a list of applicants for my scholarship at Clatsop Community College in Oregon, so I had to read through those and send in the name of the woman who gets her tuition paid for this year.  Then the woman organizing the Women’s Aglow meeting in a few weeks asked me to send her a little blurb on myself for their advertisements of the event.  And it all had to be done by TODAY.  So, here I sat, longing for some sunshine on my shoulders, but needing to take care of business.  At least next week I should be getting plenty of sunshine when we are in Turkey!

Kaleb spent the entire day with Daniel today and didn’t even go to church with us this morning.  Tina took them down to the beach for a little “grill” so I couldn’t very well ask him to come home and help clean the house, when he as the chance to be outside.  He was looking forward to having Toban over, but I was a little bummed about his behavior once they all got here.  Toban was very bored with Kaleb, as his little brother brought over his Pokemon cards and Kaleb just sat and played the cards with him, leavning Toban with nothing to do.  Obviously Toban has passed the Pokemon card stage, and Kaleb hasn’t.  Hmm. 

It was so cute when Toban’s family showed up.  His little five year old sister, Sofia, was all decked out in something I’d consider an Easter dress, and I shook her hand and told her my name, then asked what hers was, speaking Norwegian, of course.  She hesitated, hesitated, hesitated… then her mom nudged her and told her to tell me her name.  She turned to her mom and said (in Norwegian), “I don’t know how to say it in English.”  Her mom laughed and said, “Sofia.” 

We had a nice chat with the parents and they know a lot of people we know so it was good to connect the dots.  I inquired if there is a chance Kaleb and Toban could be related, which is a dream of Kaleb’s.  Both the parents come from the same valley across the fjord where Kory’s grandfather comes from, so there’s a good chance of it.  (There’s also a good chance they are related to each other.)  It’s hard NOT to be related to people around here.

(I didn’t take a single photo today, so I’m just popping in a few from the last walk we took at sunset.   The one above is of the sky bridge that connects the two malls we are attached to.  The one above that is the sidewalk that separates us from the mall.  The other two were just from the path we walked.)