This and That

Remember that fire hydrant picture that I posted in Ecuador?  The one of the fire hydrant that was half buried in the cement of the sidewalk, and there was no way that it could be used?  Well, here is one for Turkey!  Have to wonder how the fire department would ever find this one if needed. But, at least it is probably still useable.  Also, I would hate to be the customer sitting at this table!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.  Those things we get in Juneau at Costco in the plastic containers are not tomatoes!  They have the real thing here and they are delicious.  They are on every breakfast buffet in big bowls – sometimes sliced and sometimes quartered, or sometimes a bowl of each.  They are often grilled and included on the plate when you get a shish kabob for lunch or dinner. At the very least they are on most plates as a garnishment. And then they make salads and more salads with them.  And then they are served grilled in olive oil with peppers and eggplant.  And then they are made into salchas (like a salsa) and pastes and sauces AND, the best part is that they are delicious in all these forms.  They are ripe and full of flavor and a beautiful red.  Love them!  I’ve eaten more tomatoes in the past few weeks than in my whole lifetime! (I can even eat a few cucumbers if there are enough tomatoes with them!)  I've posted a ton of food pics on Facebook, so no new one here!

Cats Everywhere!  The people of Turkey love cats.  They are obviously not spayed or neutered and they just live on the streets with everyone feeding them, holding them, and caring for them.  I’ve seen this at each of the cities and villages we have been in, as well as at the archeological sites. These cats are actually pretty small, but seem to be long-legged in comparison to their bodies.  They are lazing around on the street, rooftops and on monuments.  I often see people at tables leaning down with some little tidbit in their fingers, feeding a cat.  When dining at an outdoor restaurant, or even an indoor one that has open areas, at least one cat is sure to be under the table and around your ankles --- and sometimes they try to get up on your lap.  Maybe this is ok with others, but not for me….yuk!   In Istanbul I remember seeing a bigger cat sitting outside the laundry where I took my clothes.  That was a larger cat and he was pretty dirty and looked pretty beat up.  But most I have seen are smaller and cleaner. Since I am not a big cat lover, I don't seem to have any pics of cats, except this one...glad it turned away so I didn't capture it's creepy eyes!!

Toilets!  Did you really think I could write about “this and that” without writing about the toilets! (At least I didn’t make this the paragraph before or after the one on tomatoes!) First, you must ask for the “toilet” not the “bathroom” or “restroom” or “washroom”. They’ve got both the western style sit-upons that we are used to, and the more Asian squat type that I saw in a few places in Italy.  The squats are not just in old places, but also in many of the larger bathrooms in public places or roadside restaurants where there will be some of both types.  Whichever you use, toilet paper cannot go down them, so there is always a trash can located next to the toilet.  This was the same in Ecuador and Peru – their sewage system – or rather their pipes, just can not handle the paper.   At some of the roadside restaurants we stopped at along the tour, we saw some of the cleanest and nicest toilet facilities ever.  I have advanced a bit, and have not taken any photos of the toilets themselves --- but here is the ceiling and grape trellis up one wall and over the roof.(I'll tell you about the "evil eye" - the thing that is hanging there, in another post.)

On the tour, we drove through many agricultural areas, seeing fruit orchards, greenhouses with tomatoes, almond trees, olive trees, corn fields, cotton, etc., etc.  And as we approached the cities we would see a different type of crop: highrises!  (I can’t claim that quip – Ayşegül is the one who called them their biggest crop.)     Some of the buildings reminded me of the Soviet Era ones I used to see across Eastern Europe, but in a little better condition.  Most have balconies, as being able to grill their kebabs is a fact of life here.  People are moving into the cities from villages and in tourism areas they are built as hotels.