Cappadocia

Well this travel experience just keeps continuing to enrich our lives. After an all night bus ride from Istanbul we now find ourselves in Cappadocia. We initially wanted to come by train but unlike mainland Europe, the trains here stop in every station along the way and the time commitment would have been too huge. The bus turned out to be fine, but I must admit I (Ronato) personally find it hard to sleep on a bus. The kids were fine though and slept for most of the journey.

The time in the journey when it was not dark revealed some stunning landscapes and we were left with the feeling that we could be here for a much longer stretch of time. In the short time we had on the bus, the countryside boasted vast expanses of open land with beautiful rolling grasslands, large lakes, snowy mountains and amazing looking arid zones. Given the size of the country we can only imagine how much more varied Turkey must be. Then we arrived in this lovely place. It is very much like we would have expected the Middle East to look -- ancient buildings set in a stunning badlands type of landscape; a place where people have been living off the land for thousands of years. Kai and Pippin were initially quite dumbstruck by the wild homes cut into the sandstone mountains, especially because many of them are still inhabited by the local population. Even better to them was that our own accommodations are set in one of these crazy sandstone rocks. Here is Skye and Ian in our room when we first arrived, some what blurry-eyed after a long night on the bus.
This next image shows the view down into the town of Goreme where we are staying. The outlook is from our hotel. Notice all the clothes - it was actually very cool on first arrival. Not what we expected of Turkey at all. The cool weather has not in the least damped our spirits though - it is just too beautiful to not be loving this place. The other great thing is that the living quarters all have fire places and water radiators making them very cozy inside.
This is our breakfast nook overlooking the valley. A very respectable way to start the day soaking in the rays of sunshine.
There are very much two generations represented in this town and valley. There is the older "traditional" farming generation and then there is the newer bohemian set that have come here (or grown up here) and opened cool hotels, restaurants and businesses to cater to the tourists. All the development has been very much in keeping with the style of old Goreme and it is hard to distinguish the old housing from the new thanks to the use of the same building materials. There are many stunning characterful people doing their day to day chores, but I have to be very subtle in my photo taking. This women is cleaning pumpkin/squash seeds after they have been dried.
Here is one of the local women sweeping the walkways between the rooms at our accommodations. I love the organic ways in which the walls are integrated with the landscape.
This morning we went on a lovely walk through the valley to take in some of the views. Here is his highness, Ian soaking up the sun with a little kitty on his back.
Being springtime, the whole landscape is filled with gorgeous scented wild flowers. It is so nice to be here at this time of year. The fall would also be amazing with all the food being harvested!
Many of the local houses and accomodations have these amazing verandahs looking over the town. This one really struck our fancy, so we snuck in to take a closer look.
Despite every attempt to buy nothing and be frugal, Ian insisted that we look at some more of the local ware. We came a way with a beautiful camel bag of Kurdish origin that will make a beautiful pillow. I am sure when we are home it will make for a lovely memory. Pippin was here sitting while we looked at all the different bags from different areas in the Middle East.
The next image shows one of the typical homes here with the sunny terrace and the lovely arched areas below that were once most likely stables for animals. We could keep showing you tonnes of photographs because of all the beauty but will end off here soon. Time to go kick back with my book and take in the late afternoon views of the valley.
We will leave you with some more spring flowers to enjoy.
Until next time

Skye, Ronato, Kai and Pippin

Food for Thought

We were all chatting today and saying that one of the best reasons to come to Turkey (and the Middle East in general) is the food. The whole Mediterranean food experience is like one has died and gone to heaven. We would all like to have months to experience it in all its glory, but for now we have to get as much (food) in as we can in these 2 weeks! The cheeses, the olives, the breads, the various "meze" type foods, the kebabs, the sweets all just feel so basically healthy, and they taste so fantastic! We have been indulging over long slow meals and keep discovering new and different things. We have all really been appreciating the various eggplant dishes, and have vowed to learn to make some when we get home.
Here is a picture of a plate of Meze that we regularly inhale at the various eating establishments with good fresh Lavashe (a hot pita-like bread with sesame seeds on top).

The Turkish people also seem to have a particular love for their sweets. Everywhere one walks, one is confronted with stunning displays in windows of all their treats. So you will find in the following photographs a little bit of a bias towards the sweet end of things. Of course, if I am honest I (Ronato) should admit that I do love my sweets, too, and so I may have taken just a few pictures to show how much I admire their handiworks.
Check out all the stunning varieties of Halva. Sooo yummy! Entire shops are devoted to all the variety they offer in terms of sweets.
Then there is all the Baklava. Ian purchased a whole box with about six different varieties for us to try out. Very sweet, but we all enjoyed them tremendously.
We are not sure what this is but it looks rather enticing, we think it is another form of Turkish Delight.
Skye and Kai have been eating a lot of these Lamb Kebabs on fresh pita pockets. They both claim they are very delicious. In fact, they have been eating them almost daily.
We stumbled on this dried fruit and nut store yesterday, and we almost lost ourselves in it. Why don't we have this type of store in Canada? Much of the dried fruit is sun dried and not sulphered, which makes it taste so much better than the stuff we typically can get in Canada -- one can really taste the actual flavour of the fruit, including the tangyness. Someone could make a killing if they opened a shop like this in Victoria.
The spice bazaar! The picture speaks for itself. This place was really a feast for the senses -- we'll be back before we leave.

Just so you know we did two blog entries today. . .

Ronato, Skye, Kai & Pippin

Istanbul Continued...

Our subsequent days in Istanbul have been very full with lots of walking around the city. We have been very impressed with how well Kai and Pippin have done with the long days hitting the streets. Of course, Istanbul does have lots to look at and to keep us all entertained. Having Ian along is also a fabulous distraction for us all after months of travelling just as a family unit. We have also been doing a lot of great visiting throughout the day and in the evenings. Ian has been reading Anne Frank's Diary to us all whenever we have had down times and that has also been a great collective experience (especially after visiting the museum in Amsterdam not too long ago.) Ian is very dramatic (as many of you know) and so the kids enjoy his theatrical readings.
Of course we have spent some good stints of time in the Grand Bazaar, for which Istanbul has been famous over the last many centuries. Here is a picture of Ian taking us to his favourite carpet dealer and all of us going through the long detailed process of watching him buying a traditional Kalim. He absolutely loves the shopping experience, and it has been fun teasing him about his addiction. Istanbul is very much like South East Asia, in that one could go a little shopping crazy. I (Ronato) feel quite cured of that after all our time in other Asian markets. (Note from Skye: I, on the otherhand, could continue to go a little crazy, but have been extremely restrained -- I am aware of our budget and kind of had my day in Asia!)
A picture of the old ceiling throughout the Grand Bazaar. It is a truly stunning old structure -- so much of Istanbul is just so incredibly old. We have all said that we could easily spend much more time here exploring all the age of the city and the country at large. It is, in fact, an enormous country, and hopefully we can return sometime in the future to see more of it.

Here is one of our many pictures showing all the shopping fun we are having with Ian. He seems to have a particular fetish for bathroom accessories . . . soaps, plush towels, nice smelling things, etc . . . Luckily Skye, Kai and Pippin are happy to oblige the long drawn out shopping experiences with him. I often just land up outside on the side walk taking photographs and watching people. (Another note from Skye: please note the teasing tone here, Ronato is truly in his element here -- not only does he have amazingly old and beautiful subject matter for his photos, he also has endless hours for his teasing and banter with Ian, who is always a willing player.)
If I were just a little braver, I could take lots of interesting pictures of people here but I tend not to want to be invasive, so I often have to wait until they have walked past before taking a picture.
Istanbul is a lovely blend of the more traditional Muslim culture and a very European experience. There seems to be a thriving art scene here which one can take in by looking at art galleries, listening to music, Turkish cinema, street acts or the many different traditional museums. This is some graffiti we stumbled upon which we all thought was very visually pleasing.
This street act was fabulous! It seemed to be some kind of traditional Turkish fusion with a very interesting tabla-style drummer. As always the people watching is great everywhere.
We will leave you with this wonderful picture of a Roman aqua duct that runs right through the city. It was built to transport water to the palace and other bigger buildings way back when, somthing like 2000 years ago. All this age is such a treat coming from Victoria.
Next we are going to do a quick food blog just because there is so much food to be seen in Istanbul.

Until our next post . . .

Ronato, Skye, Kai & Pippin

Wow! We are in Istanbul

It is hard to believe but here we are in Turkey with our lovely friend Ian. What an amazingly stunning place! Our first day was magical. The air was fresh, the skies were blue, and the buildings were -- and have continued to be -- wonderul to take in.

It turned out to be a very full day of travel to get here. When one includes the trains to get from Holland to Germany, then the flight from Dusseldorf to Istanbul, and finally the long taxi ride from the airport into the old quarter, it is a long day.

We arrived to an amazing furnished apartment with stunning views on the 5th floor of a building on a quiet street -- thanks to Ian's amazing travel agent talents and taste for European-style luxury. In the first picture, you can see the view from the balcony. Luxury aside, it is fabulous to have such a lovely place to relax and refuel in between outings. We can count minarets from at least 5 mosques from our balcony. We are seranaded by the call to prayer that occurs around 5 times a day -- it is a haunting and beautiful sounding song that stirs the soul, for sure. This is a good thing, otherwise I (Skye) would be very cranky about the first one that is sung at 5am every morning, but luckily its melody just lulls us back to sleep!
Our apartment is in the Sultanahmet section of the city -- this is the old part of the city -- and we are just minutes by foot away from the Blue Mosque, Haya Sophia, and the Grand Bazaar. We have spent the better part of two days already rambling around the area, taking in the ancient and beautiful sights and attractions, window shopping, nibbling on the famous sweet Turkish Delight, and of course enjoying the oh-so-delicious cuisine. Kai and Pippin have been absolute troopers, trudging along up the steep hills and twisting cobbled streets, looking at the magnificence of this place, fueled on by little stops to sample the various culinary delights. When they are fed, they are happy!
Above is a picture of the Blue Mosque -- it truly is spectacular both inside and out.

Here we are inside the Blue Mosque. One is required to remove one's shoes before entering, and women are supposed to cover their heads/hair with a scarf -- interestingly a number of the women coming in (all tourists) didn't cover their heads. We found ourselves wondering about this -- whether it was rebellion, or whether they didn't know (hard to believe because there are signs everywhere), or maybe they didn't feel they needed to since they were just visiting?! The kids were both rather insensed by this -- they kept questioning it and saying they thought it was a bit disrespectful. At the end of the day, we could only be responsible for ourselves.
Of course one of the things people want to do when they come here is to buy a carpet. Carpet sellers abound -- there are at least 2 shops/block, and it has reminded us a bit of the abundance of tailor shops in Hoi An in Vietnam! Today we had the pleasure of going through the process at a very nice little shop in the Grand Bazaar. Our friend Ian was looking in earnest while we were kind of looking, but knowing we probably wouldn't be buying this time. In the shops, they offer you coffee or apple tea (this is really yummy, and I keep thinking of you Emilie and Carey!) while they throw carpet after carpet down. We waffled a bit, but when the price sheet came out, we realized we just couldn't do it at this time (it turns out we have rather expensive tastes.) Ian on the other hand ended up walking away with an absolutely stunning carpet and an embroidered camel bag which he can turn into a very large cushion. The whole process was a lot of fun.
Another very cool handicraft here is felt. There are numerous items made of felt -- hats in particular. They are fun and would be fun to have more as a novelty item, but again they are a little on the pricey side for something you might not really wear all that much. We sure had fun trying them on though!
Ahhhh . . . the delicious and refreshing apple tea served hot, in lovely little glasses, with a lump of sugar already added and another on the side, just in case you don't already think it is sweet enough (and it is VERY sweet already.)
Istanbul is a city filled with the whole gamut in terms of the very traditional to the completely secular. One sees women with long coats and colourful scarves tied around their heads, to women wearing full gowns with only their eyes showing, to women with pinky-blond hair in black, high heeled, patent leather knee-high boots and the most stylish attire you can imagine. Men for the most part are dressed more formally -- either in a stylish suit, or at least dress pants and shoes and a long sleeve top. There are a few women who work in the shops, but this is predominantly a man's arena here, it seems, and many of them are real movers and shakers. When we are all together, they just do the sales pitch and will even walk a ways with us to try to get us to come into their shop, but when alone, I (Skye) have been propositioned in a more suggestive way more than once -- even saying I have a husband doesn't always dissuade them! I take it all in stride, though, and bow myself out with a laugh and a wave. It is never completely rude, just suggestive -- and, hey, I can always take it as a compliment! Funnily enough, these seemingly pushy sales tactics are nothing when compared to the pushiness we experienced in Vietnam. Again, we have said how glad we went there first with the kids, now they can handle anything! Even they have said as much.
Sweet shops also abound. The above-mentioned and ever famous Turkish Delight comes in all shapes and sizes. This gelatinous sweet comes in many different colours and with all kinds of different nut-filled options.
In little carts throughout the city, one can purchase these sesame encrusted bagel-like breads. They are absolutely delicious, especially with the local cream cheese.
Ronato thought that he was getting a little scruffy, so he hopped into one of the local barber shops for a clean up. He didn't get the shave with a straight blade, but he did go for a haircut and looks quite dapper as a result.
Down by the Bosphorus are all kinds of food sellers -- everything from Donar, to fried fish sandwiches, to roasted corn, to stuffed mussels (apparently one must avoid these, unless one wants to toy with the possibility of a bad case of the 'sultan's revenge'!) The lamb Doner is now one of Kai's favourite snacks.
Here is a view across the Bosphorus from the Sultanahmet side to the other side (can't remember the neighborhood's name.) To the left is the Galata Bridge where hundreds of people stand while they fish over the side. It looked like they were catching herring, or some other small tasty fish.
Fresh fruit and fresh juice stalls can also provide one with a quick pick-me-up. We have yet to actually do this, and here Ian is actually asking for directions.
We thought our trip to Turkey wouldn't be complete without seeing the Whirling Dervishes. We had been told that on certain nights, we could see them at this particular restaurant near the Blue Mosque, so we thought we would go check it out and have a meal. We rushed there for the 8pm start-up and got seated in this enclosed area, only to discover that not only was it a restaurant with a Whirling Dervish, but also a hookah bar -- you know where you can smoke apple-flavoured tobacco from a hubbly-bubbly (click on word to get definition). Well, the place became absolutely smoke-filled (something we are absolutely no longer used to in Canada) and we found we had to eat as quickly as we could, see at least 2 dervish dances, and then dash. There really seems to be no awareness about creating non-smoking places here and obviously no real desire to do so, since almost everyone smokes! We found we were similarly driven from the Grand Bazaar after awhile because it was too smoky.
We still have a few more days in this beautiful and interesting city before we head into the southern interior to Cappadocia. Who knows what other amazing sights and treasures we shall find, but we will keep you posted.
Until next time . . .

Skye, Ronato, Kai & Pippin

Amsterdam and Utrecht in Spring

Another gorgeous few spring days have passed over here since we last wrote. You can see by the photographs that the weather just could not have been better - even if we asked for it. It has been cool and crisp during the day but it felt very satisfying during all our long walks through Amsterdam and Utrecht. To be in these very historical settings with the trees and flowers bursting against a beautiful blue sky is a real treat.

We have all been loving our time outside, wandering along the canals, watching the locals out on their porches clearly taking advantage of the changes in weather after the long winter. People are everywhere sitting along the canals, enjoying a few drinks with their friends and many people in Amsterdam and Utrecht have been out in their quaint little boats. In the evening it is fun to watch the boats as they pass along the canals with groups of Dutch people seated around little tables drinking wine and eating snacks. It all looks so very sophisticated and European. We have been joining in (in our own way) by going to the local supermarket and buying delicious local food and then sitting by the canals eating and watching the world pass by. We are so lucky to be having this time!
Here is Skye in Amsterdam showing off one of our favourite daily foods: the amazing local organic yogurt sold in litre cartons. It is smooth, creamy and delicious . . . not to mention very cheap compared to the equivalent in Canada. It costs one Euro for a full litre of organic yogurt (in Canada the equivalent would cost at least 4 dollars). We have actually been finding that when one buys food here in supermarkets the cost tends to be quite a bit cheaper for many products when compared to Canada. Given the exchange rate we are happy about this. Of course, any form of "eating out" is prohibitive.
Amsterdam has been offering all kinds of sights for us and the kids. There have been many rich conversations about subjects like decriminalizing drugs and legalized prostitution. Once again this trip is providing opportunities for the kids to expand their ideas about the world and how things work differently in different places around the world.

One really interesting thing that both Skye and I have found, after not having been in Amsterdam for almost 20 years, is that the city has changed in unexpected ways. When we were here before, the city was much grittier and unpolished compared to now. The whole squatter movement was at its height back then and the locals had a real edge to them. Many of the buildings back then were still quite run down and the people living here often seemed to have this uber-cool feel about them. Having spoken about it in the last few days, we think that the whole real estate boom probably hit Amsterdam (like everywhere else in the world) and the city slowly became gentrified, pushing those struggling artsy characters out of the city because they could no longer afford to live here. Either that, or all those uber-cool characters from the past are now the 40 something affluent crowd that seems to be all over the city speaking on their cell phones, decked out in expensive clothing. It is amazing how places change just like people do over time. We were able to witness similar comparisons going back to Asia after all these years.
One of the "must do's" in Amsterdam is of course going to the Anne Frank Huis. We had actually started reading the Diary of Anne Frank with the kids just before we went and it really caught their imagination. The writing really makes her story so real and so it turned out to be (we think) one of the best museum experiences to date with our kids. They were really into it and quite saddened by the whole Jewish experience during the Second World War. The whole exhibit was put together really well. We are continuing to read the book as a family when we are on train journeys or at other down times. It is good to have that kind of collective family experience and it supplies endless opportunities for meaningful discussion.
Just for some visual treats we will add in some window shopping shots from Amsterdam. This is for you Chloe! Like Kai said to us yesterday (and we fully agree with him), "my favourite part about Europe so far is definitely the food!" It is just going to get better and better as we go further South . . .
The stroopwafels here are like nothing else in the world. They melt in your mouth!
This picture was taken for you Cam. Skye reminded me that you have a thing for this designer and to have his name on a bike, well . . .
Today we went to the Van Gogh Museum and once again it was superb. We have discovered that many of the museums provide audio headsets for the kids (often for free) which keeps them that much more engaged for long periods of time during the exhibits. Plus, in this case, it tells them about the artist, his life and the inspiration behind the paintings. Pippin, in particular, only has so much lasting power and when one has spent good money to get into these museums, one wants to make the best of the time and not leave too soon. Kai especially enjoyed this exhibit and was very impressed by Starry Night. We would have been happy to walk home with a number of Van Gogh's paintings.
Kai made the following comments about the Van Gogh Museum in his journal:

"Yesterday we went to the Van Gogh Museum. It was full of all his old art. As you can see in his self-portrait (shown in his journal), he used to paint with a lot of colours. He has red and blue in his eyebrows and orange and red in his beard. The sad part is, he never sold one painting in his life. Nobody liked the extravagant colours, his big blobs of paint, his thick brush strokes. He only was recognized after he died. Now he is one of the most celebrated painters in the world. He went crazy, too. He chopped off his ear with a knife that he threatened another painter with. They say it was because he moistened his brush on his lips and the lead in the paint made him like that. I saw his most famous painting: Starry Night. It's one of my favourite paintings".

After the museum we caught a glimpse of the flower market and it was fun to take in the colour. Holland really has quite the flower culture. Emilie you would go crazy here.
Of course the bike scene here is a dream for all nations. The parking lots throughout the cities are brimming with bikes and cars are far less prevalent. Even the air quality seems quite good despite the European congestion.
This afternoon we took ourselves out for a rare treat and had drinks by the canal with Ian.
Oh my God! There are, we are not kidding you, at least four shoe stores per block of walking in every direction. It is completely out of control. Added to that, Pippin seems to be a budding Imelda Marcos and wants to drag us into every shoe shop she sees. I (Ronato) honestly do not know how soooo many shoe stores can survive. Then again when I see Skye, Pippin and Ian ooohing and aaahing over them all, I start to get the picture. Skye here: it must be commented upon that Ronato let it be known today that he doesn't even notice people's shoes -- we were quite shocked! I have noticed since we've been here that the Dutch LOVE their shoes and quite obviously seem to have quite the large collections. If I lived here, I'd have quite a problem!
The fashion appreciation seems to be infectious because Ian has been able to have our children hit the runway with him at the drop of a hat.
I am not so sure about this man's influence . . .
Until next time (from Turkey) . . .

Skye, Ronato, Kai and Pippin