The day of a thousand good-byes!!!

Before I tell about this last day in Kars, I have to tell about our room last night.  The door had an alarm on it that would sound whenever the door wasn’t closed properly.    We kept hearing this alarm and thought that it was coming from another room but then realized that it was coming from OUR door!!!   It would go off and on at random times and we felt much like Phoebe on “Friends” when her smoke alarm kept going off!!! 

This morning was our last in Kars and we started it out with a wonderful breakfast with many of our new friends……

The conversation was wonderful and the food was amazing….

This is Bokek on the left and Pisi on the right.  They were both  types of fried dough and were delicious with cheese and honey.

These were the “condiments for the meal….honey, apricot preserves, butter, olives, cucumbers and tomatoes…..

The all important cheeses…..Beyaz Peynir (the top white cheese and our favorite), Kasar  (yellow cheese) and Cecil (cheese like a rope)……

But my absolute favorite for the morning was Kaymak which was basically clotted  cream (on the left).   Also nice was the whipped yoghurt with strawberry sauce…..

I  greatly appreciated Duygu  who spent most of the morning writing down the names of all of these dishes so that I could get them right here……

After we had all eaten and drunk our fill we laughed about our body-mass-index and also our “balconies”…..that roll of fat that hangs over your stomach!!!  One person called it “Turkish muscles”!!

We exchanged many facebook names, shook many hands, kissed many cheeks and said many good-byes as we parted.  Earlier in the morning, I had complimented the ring that  Eiken’s was wearing.  As we were walking away, she came running over and offered it to me as a gift so that I would always remember her…..dont worry Eiken, I will never forget!!!!

We returned to Buyuk Kale Hotel and checked out.  The hotel had played the same 5 or 6 songs the entire time that we were there and we were glad to say good-bye to “Volare”, “Fly Me to the Moon” and much of  “Lord of the Rings” soundtrack!!!

We had been told that we had to be at the airport several hours early because we still had to pay for change in the ticket.  However when we got there, we were told that there wasn’t an agent at the small airport.   SO, the ever resourceful Muhammet got on his cell phone and was able to take care of the transaction for us.  We were so thankful to have people to help us.

Since there were now several hours before our flight left, they carried us back into Kars and we spent an enjoyable 2 hours at a local Tea Garden.   This was a magical place with tables spread throughout a park area.  Our tea was served in this two tier pot…….

It was so relaxing to sit and watch families gather for picnics or to let their children play on the playground.   A perfect way to end our stay in Kars.

At the airport, we discovered the they board the plane in the same manner as the Chinese do…..the rush the gate when it is opened!!!   We met a very nice man who was in Kars for a business trip and he told us when they announced that the flight was going to be delayed.    He laughingly told us that we were in the “Right Country, but wrong City”!!  After we arrived in Istanbul, he offered to help us find a taxi but we told him that we had a driver organized.  We have continually found people to be very helpful and kind throughout this trip!!!!

As Michael was climbing the steps onto the plane there was a old woman who had a large bag and a large purse and she was obviously struggling to walk up the steps.  Michael reached down and took the bags from her.  She let him carry them all the way to her seat and was very appreciative.

The flight to Istanbul was comfortable and good food was served.  We were met at the exit by a driver who took us to the hotel.  He drove much of the time with his hands pointing at various attractions while he used his knee to steer.  Now, Jenny and I do this all of the time so that didn’t bother me so much.  However, when he kept turning around to talk to us while driving 60 mph, that was another story!!!

As we drove past one of the harbors, we could see hundreds of people having picnics in the park.  The cars were double parked all along the road and families looked like they were having a wonderful time.  There were many small hibachi grills being used and the smoke was everywhere.

We arrived at the Ibriham Pasa Hotel in the Sultanamet area of Istanbul and checked into our room.  

We were given a cinnamon spiced drink that was very refreshing……

The room is beautiful….

but what we really wanted was this magnificent view from the rooftop terrace…..

Sooooo many things to look forward to in the next TEN days!!!