Monday was a full day for Michael as he taught a two hour class in the morning and then visited possible field sites in the afternoon.  I enjoyed tagging along as he and Muhammet became more and more animated and excited about the potential for future collaborative research……

In the morning, I took a stroll in the area surrounding the guest house and ended up on the Veterinary school property.  I enjoyed watching a “cowboy” as he tended to his young calves….

I stopped numerous times to take photos of the wonderful wildflowers that were growing along the road.  Muhammet explained that, rather than spend a lot of money on landscaping, the University had decided to allow the natural growth to take over.  The result is slightly rustic but pleasing…..

 

As I wandered in the other direction I passed a private school and walked into a residential area which had a number of apartment complexes.  It was fun to see the small children playing on the sidewalks and to hear the children playing in the school yard.

Speaking of the school, this morning early we heard the murmurs  of  children and realized that this school was adjacent to the guest house.  The students lined up and did a series of things, including chanting, singing and listening to someone talk.

As I walked, I passed this interesting tree which Michael has now told me is a Paper Birch……

I loved the texture of the trunk, especially as layers peeled off….

….but what really caught my eye (pun intended) were the EYES that formed when the tree branches were cut off from the trunk…….

It was so cool but I am sure that all of the neighbors wondered about this crazy woman taking close-up photos of the tree.

 

Muhammet and Hulya picked us up for lunch and took us to a Government run restaurant that is available for government workers in the area.  The menu is set each day and you are immediately given your food.  

We started with a Chicken soup, followed by several appetizers and ending with a main course of meat with tomatoes and vegetables served over Bulghar….. The white mixture is yoghurt with herbs and cucumbers in it. It was creamy and very tasty.

After lunch we went to a cafe for dessert and drinks.  Muhammet ordered an array of deserts all of which were delicious…..

We enjoyed a rice pudding that was very creamy and covered with chopped pistachios (as was everything).  The “U” shaped pastries were a type of baklava and the others were fried bread that had been soaked in a sugar solution.

The last stop was to a bank.  As we entered, Muhammet punched a button and got a number.  We then sat in chairs and waited our turn……

The electronic sign told which number was being serviced, which teller window to go to and which floor the window was on.   It was very efficient and although there were 20 people ahead of us we only waited for a short time.

We had been having some issues with the guest house concerning hot water) so at 9:00pm Muhammet suggested that we move to a hotel that was in Kars.  So, we packed up our suitcases and moved!!

There was a band playing on the top floor of the hotel so we went to sleep to the strains of Turkish pop music and were awakened at 3:30am with another call to prayer.  We have now discovered that we are just a few blocks from the group of Mosque’s where I did the video so that is why we can hear it so clearly…especially with the open windows!!

By the way, Muslims pray 5 times each day….just before sunrise (hence the 3:30 awakening), at Noon, around 4:00, at sunset  and then around 9:30.

Muhammet picked us around 6:00pm and drove us to his family’s apartment, just outside of the University gates.   We were greeted there by his wife Hulya and sons Mirsa and Bera.  Hulya is a world class cook who, for many years, has written a blog about Turkish cooking.   When she was in the US it was entirely in English but since returning to Turkey she has written it in both Turkish and English….quite an accomplishment.  You can check it out here….

As we expected, we were greeted with a beautiful table full of wonderful surprises….

We enjoyed Feta Cheese rolls, Eggplant salad, Stuffed Grape leaves, freshly made Humus, a wonderful noodle soup and a Braised beef and pepper dish served over rice……see why I am NOT getting on a bathroom scale!!!

As she started to make Turkish coffee, we both ran into the kitchen and asked if we could watch.  She graciously agreed so we got to see the entire process…

The coffee is made in a special pot called an Ibrik.  First step is to add finely ground coffee to the pot. 

Next you add just enough water to fill the cups that you will be using…..  Followed by a copious amount of sugar.

Then gently stir the mixture over medium heat….

….until the foam is rich and creamy…..

….pour into cups…..

…..and enjoy a delicious, beautiful cup of coffee…..

…perhaps with a slice or two (or three) of Baklava…..

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of conversation and then Muhammet told us that he had been invited to the graduation party for the Biology students and that we were to come as well!!  SO, at 9:00pm we headed out to party!!!  

In case I haven’t said this previously, Muhammet is an Assistant Professor in Biology!!

We drove up to a darkened clothing store and Muhammet told us that the party was in a cafe that was located on the third floor of this building.  However, there was no outside entrance so we had to walk thru the closed store to get there.  This particular store has some wonderful dresses so I am planning another trip to visit when I can actually buy something!!

As soon as we arrived, Muhammet was mobbed by students who came over to shake his hand and welcome him.  We were swallowed up in the greetings as well and shook hands with many, many smiling students. 

They set up a special place at one of the tables for us and were surrounded by the paparazzi of the Biology department…..soooo many photos being taken….

I was once again impressed by the variety of clothing worn.  As you can see in the picture above, the more devout Muslim women wore much more modest attire but thoroughly enjoyed joining into all of the festivities.

There was, of course, a dance floor and the young people were having a marvelous time!!  The music was either recorded music or music played by these two……

I thought that I had gotten a picture of his instrument and didn’t realize that the music stand was in the way, but it is called a Baglama.

The dances can be fairly frenetic with lots of arms and hand gestures.  The dancing groups are very fluid, with small groups of men or women breaking off into certain steps.  Often, there will be a circle of people with one or two persons dancing in the middle.  These featured dancers are often guys who are obviously trying to out-do one another!!

 

When there are couples dancing together, the guy will often go down on one knee and clap while his partner dances for him.

It was obvious that many of the girls knew how to Belly Dance as many of their moves were reminiscent of that genre.

Here are two more short videos.  This first one was when one of the professors went out to dance with the younger guys.  It really shows how the dance changes as it goes on……

This morning Michael and I both woke up, looked at the streaming sun and thought that we had slept really late.  Then we looked at the clock and realized that it was just after 5:00am!!  We have now found out that the sun goes down around 7:30pm and comes up at 4:30am.   It makes for a fairly long day!!

We went downstairs for breakfast and were greeted with a table filled with bread, butter, cheese, peppers, olives, cake, honey and preserves……

Now, this is REAL string cheese….not like the stuff we get at home….

We served ourselves Turkish tea from this gorgeous brass urn…..

 

As soon as we finished eating, we headed out for a walk thru the campus.  The buildings are built in small clusters with large open areas in between.   This area was a “Glacial Refugia” which means that when the glaciers covered the land, this area was not touched.  Consequently, plants and animals survived here when they couldn’t survive elsewhere.  This has lead to a richness of species not seen in other areas.

It was amazing the number of species of flowers, grasses and birds that we saw while we walked.

Michael, ever the scientist kept stopping to examine unknown leaves and flowers…

Muhammet was proctoring an exam earlier in the morning and called us as soon as he was finished.  We told him where we were and he drove over and picked us up.  He told us that the plan for the morning was to explore the City of Kars.

The first stop was to a small cafe so that we could get something to drink.  Michael was ecstatic to be able to buy Turkish coffee and I enjoyed a Fanta Orange drink which are very popular here.

I made a stop at the WC (Water Closet) before we left.  As I approached I saw that one door was marked “Bay” and the other was “Bayan”.  Fortunately I had noticed in the airport that the “Womens” was “Bayan”.!!!

As we left the cafe, the waiter dribbled a small dab of sanitizing liquid on our hands.  It smelled nice and was very refreshing.

We then just walked thru the city while Muhammet pointed out various important buildings and other items of interest.   The city was inhabited by Russians for many years and much of the older architecture looks very stark sitting next to the more modern, brighter construction….. As we walked past one gate opening I heard a small voice say “Hello!!” and we both responded “Hello” back.  Muhammet looked surprised until we described the same interactions in China….the kids often know one English word…Hello…..and they use it every chance that they get!!!

There was a gorgeous park located around the Kars River and people were starting to arrive for the day’s leisure….

We had asked some questions about cheese so Muhammet took us into a small cheese shop.  The smell was very pungent but the cheese tasted wonderful.  There were many different types of cheese, from String cheese, to “Old” cheese to aged Mozzarella cheese.   One type was being aged in a Sheep’s bladder….

I loved seeing the blocks of cheese that are being aged before selling…..

There were jars of honey and honeycombs available as well…..

Then we saw this display of various sweets, being particularly interested in the long branch looking pieces….. 

Muhammet told us that the outside of these are made from an apricot or mulberry “leather”…. purees of fruit, poured out and dried in sheets.  This is stuffed with chopped walnuts.  We were dying to try it so we bought one and the proprietor chopped it into 1 inch slices for us.  It has a very light, sweet flavor and we have enjoyed several slices of it throughout the day.

We passed several street vendors, including this man selling corn on the cob…..

The cutest one was a little boy, holding out a bathroom scale and offering to weigh us for a small amount of money.  My thought was “Are you kidding me….I dont use scales on vacation and I am sure not going to let you weigh me on the street!!!”

Just before Noon we found ourselves in an area where there were a series of Mosques…..

   One was an old Armenian church that had been built in 932 AD and then converted to a Mosque, back to a Church, then a museum and now a Mosque again…..

It was open and Muhammet said that although it was almost time for prayers,  that it would be alright for us to enter….without shoes and me with a scarf over my head.   While we were inside inspecting the architecture it came the time for the Call to Prayer.    From all over the area, including the church that we were in, men began the chanting that signifies that it is time to pray.  These were done with microphones and played on speakers through out the area…..just listen….

Today was another travel day, this time heading to far, far Eastern Turkey to the city of Kars (pronounced Karse).  It is not a city that is renowned for its tourist trade as evidenced by the hotel worker’s query…..when we said that we were going to Kars, he immediately asked“WHY?”…..

Our flight was easy and almost on time.  We have seen how angry Chinese women get when planes are delayed and today we got to see some angry Turkish men!!!  There was a lot of yelling, the time on the board was changed to show a 45 minute delay and then almost immediately the gate opened and they started boarding the bus!! 

I had one sweet interaction with an older woman when I motioned for her to come and take my chair.  She smiled and touched my arm as we passed.

Flying into Kars showed a rough looking country with snow still being seen on the distant mountains.  We were met at the airport by Muhammet and his son Mirsa.  He told us that security was tighter today because the Turkish Secretary of Education was in town and was about to come to the airport.  Sure enough, we saw his convoy entering the airport as we were leaving.

We drove thru Kars and to  Kafkas University where Michael will be teaching and setting up some research.  We are staying at the Guest House which is a 6 or 7 story building with an atrium lobby in the center.  Muhammet signed us in and bought us Turkish tea while we waited for the room to be prepared.

I say room, but it is actually a suite with a balcony that looks out over the University and surrounding mountains.

Muhammet told us that the normal main dining room was being used for a graduation party tonight so we were eating in the second dining room.    However, the food wasn’t quite ready so we stood outside while Michael and Muhammet talked science and  Mirsa scavenged for plants…..

He even found one of the wild Alfalfa plants that Michael and Muhammet are hoping to do research on….

As they talked science, I watched the arrival of the Graduation Party guests, many in taxis.  I was very much reminded of Senior Prom night as many of the girls wore gorgeous dresses, with stiletto heeled shoes and perfectly coiffed hair.  I giggled as I watched them tugging and pulling at their dresses to keep themselves decent!!

The arrival of this gentleman made me wonder how our sleep would be…..

We were told that our dinner was ready so we headed to the dining room.  The first course was a combination of four items……a towering plate of bread, a bowl of spicy chicken and rice soup, stuffed grape leaves and a magnificent salad of cucumber, tomato, parsley and onion……

I had the same experience of still eating on the appetizer when the main course arrives…..the bottom line, is that you are through…..even if you are not!!!

I needn’t have worried though, there was plenty of food to fill me up!!!  The main course was a platter of vegetables with spicy meatballs…..

We both ate our fill and then ordered Turkish coffee to finish off the evening….

I love the monogrammed “K” on the cup and saucer.

As we were leaving we were met by a waiter who had glasses and extra water that we could take up to our room…..they think of everything!!!

Before Muhammet left, he told us that he had received permission for us to go into the Graduation party to take photos.   We were hesitant about entering the closed room, but our waiter opened the door for us and ushered us inside.  He even walked me right up to the dancers so that I could take photos…..

    Many of their dances were simply Turkish “Line-Dances”!!!

At this point, the live band wasn’t playing but they had a DJ set up.

I did take a short video which is fairly dark, but I think that you can get the idea of the energy of the evening……

Without doubt, this has been one of the easiest overseas trips that we have EVER  made.

We started out at the brand new Atlanta International Terminal (opened about 2 weeks ago).  It was fast to check in, security took about 5 minutes and the food court had lots of enticing options.

We had bulkhead/emergency exit seats which meant that we could stretch out our legs and sit comfortably.  The 8 hour trip went by amazingly fast.  Michael spent a fair amount of time working while I watched shows, napped and played games on the DS.

We arrived in Amsterdam airport at 8:30am local time (2:30am by our body time).  The airport is easy to navigate although not particularly efficient in operation.  I did have a very nice “sub” sandwich with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil!!

After a 3 hour layover, we boarded our KLM flight to Istanbul and I was asleep before loading finished…..do not even remember take off!!!  We ended up with no one sitting next to us but had to deal with a little boy behind who kept kicking the seats.  His Dad wouldn’t do anything about it so finally Michael turned around and told him to stop.  It obviously scared him because he didn’t touch it after that!!

We arrived in Istanbul, purchased our visa, went thru passport control, picked up our bags, found an ATM for cash, purchased SIM cards for our phones, went back to the ATM for MORE cash and hailed a taxi.   Everyone was extremely helpful, especially at the cell phone kiosk where the woman spoke little English. 

One interesting thing that we saw was a woman going thru passport control and wearing a Burka.   The security person made her lift the veil so that he could see her face.

The taxi ride was normal for us….jumping curbs, driving in  the oncoming lane, barely missing opened doors, merging aggressively and animatedly talking and pointing out sights as he was speeding along (60 mph on a small road).  

We commented on how pretty  the Minarets and Mosques were.  He looked at us in amazement and told us that those were just “normal” ones.  Now I cant wait to see the ones that he considers to be really nice!!

One of the sights that he pointed out was a huge new mall that had just opened.  The architectural design was interesting as were the list of tenants…..

As in many large cities, the roads leading from the airport were clean and well landscaped.  There were beautiful flower plantings all along the route.

We had booked a room at the Airport Holiday Inn and were pleasantly surprised when we arrived.  After checking in and catching up on emails, we went downstairs to eat dinner.

There were two restaurants, one was a buffet and the other served Ottoman style Turkish food.  As we entered, the waiter questioned us to make sure that we were really wanting Turkish food, and once satisfied, he started making suggestions for our feast.

The first thing on the table was tough, crispy bread that had a simple, but magnificent flavor.  There were two types of butter with one being our normal stuff and the other a Pecorino (sheep) butter that had a pungent, tangy flavor.  It was more like a cheese than a butter!!

We began with a sampler platter of appetizers….

Going clockwise, we had tomato, cucumber, cheese, beef & rice mix, lemon, spicy rice, humus and yoghurt.   We were supposed to have eaten the lettuce as well, but, in the past our stomachs have not appreciated freshly washed lettuce, so we abstained.

As soon as I took the above photo, the waiter grabbed our camera and insisted that he take a photo of us so we posed and smiled….

We happily munched along and out came the main course, a spicy lamb kabob.  The plates were brought to the table with metal covers  and opened with a flourish…..

   I had not yet finished with the first course, but the waiter stood there until I had finished and took the dirty plate away.

The meal consisted of chunks of spicy meat, more spicy rice mixture, a chunk of bread similar to pizza dough and two  flat breads.  The breads were thin and had a coating of oil and spices from where the meat had been pressed against them.  The pepper was mild and was actually the “cooling” part of the meal. 

After eating until we couldn’t move, we ordered Turkish coffee and our waiter gave us a tutorial about it.  He suggested that we get it with a “medium” amount of sugar and he also warned us against drinking the entire cup as the dregs are left in the bottom of the cup.

I am not a huge coffee drinker, but this was wonderful.  It was very strong, but had a chocolate after-taste.  It was the perfect ending….

Outside the elevator, we found this HUGE couch and couldn’t resist….

Tomorrow afternoon we travel eastward to Kars where we will be met by Michael’s colleague and our friends!!