It’s “Hey Rene J” Today!

This is my new writing style.

When my husband and I meet reluctantly at 3:30 am for coffee and early morning reading, we don our new chapeaux and get to work. Half the time I find myself closing my eyes and drifting off. I was hoping the hat would inspire, but alas, my thoughts and heart are with the people of Turkey and Syria. Perhaps this tragedy will remind them of their commonalities and brotherhood, forged so long ago.

I’m wearing my hat in honor of them and to keep me warm before the thermostat kicks in at a later time. Just relishing the transition and holding on to the memories.

Where is my morning selection of olives, dried fruits and nuts, peeled and sliced oranges, pastries and desserts? Fresh squeezed pomegranate juice? My chauffeur? My ultra-clean vehicle attended to every time we stopped for a break?

It’s always a woozy feeling returning to the time change as you sort your clothing and glance at the clock every ten minutes, wondering when you can finally go to sleep. Laundry will be a lengthier process as my husband’s luggage stayed an extra two days in Germany on a sightseeing adventure of its own. It’s a good thing he bought those air tags so he could track the bags on their journey. Gave him something to do as he counted the hours to an early bed time.

We have a phrase here for when we return to the way it was. “All of Me,” with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin?

We are “back in the bowl.”

Yesterday we drove through a Turkish blizzard (teeny compared to ours) and were diverted from the main highway twice due to accidents. (Snowplows could have been helpful?) We stopped at a lovely roadside “driver reviver” (My Aussie accent is kicking in) and ate lunch by a crackling fire before heading into the city.

While there we did a loop in the attached grocery before boarding our chariot. I was waving to my mate to let him know I was heading out to brave the flakes in case he couldn’t find me. He was oblivious. Fortunately the shopkeeper paid attention to me and informed him, “Your werf,” with finger pointing.

The werf is heading out and waving farewell to Turkey. Now that I am perfectly synced with this time zone and have my daily prayers in line with the muezzin-in-the-minaret, I will boldly face the readjustment period to MST. Güle güle.

Oh, so many things! Sign language is still alive and well and interpretations are always creative.

It’s near the end of the tour and I find myself looking at many things differently. This local display was fun. I want to confirm that my children will not be receiving this item and neither will other friends and family. As amazing as this product sounds, it will be safe with the residents of Turkey.

Though it has only been two weeks I can finally say “good morning” and “thank you” in Turkish. That’s one word a week! Happily my sign language skills have improved. And what doesn’t get translated properly gets a good laugh from both parties.

Farewell. Adios. Adieu. Arrivederci. Wiedersehen. Güle güle. Three words! Enjoy your Friday. It’s looking fabulous!

It occurred to me as I typed it, this phrase is irrelevant these days. Plugged in? It doesn’t seem to matter where we go – cell phones are entertainment for all.

Bored shopkeepers or waiters will be on the phone – gaming, I assume. Friends on the bus will be on the phone – editing photos. We aren’t really “getting away from it all” as we can send and receive texts, FaceTime, and of course, communicate by email. This gentleman was having his morning tea fully absorbed with his device. (Isn’t this guy great? I bought a hat like his, but of course, it’s pink!)

Even the fabulous rock house we visited has Wi-Fi and a lovely television. This home from the third or fourth century is fully modernized electronically, and the inhabitants shared their story of life in this fairy chimney abode. I could stand erect in the “family and dining room,” but my husband could not. We won’t be considering this real estate market.

The blending of old and new, recycling at its best, and friendly fellow passengers in time. Travel tribute.

Dining is always an interesting event as we continue to try new foods and customs. Being surrounded with lamb dishes is not high on my list of culinary choices so I’m always opting for the chicken.

Yesterday our stop took us to a restaurant with a “detailed menu.” Although tempting, we did not order the last choice under “meats.” One can only wonder — what in the world are “the others?” I can tell you one thing, we shall never know – unlike how to deal with our current weather. That we know!

This is our view on Wednesday morning – we shall be navigating the snow and a bit of ice. Our Australian friends were delighted with the precipitation, but not the ice. The Canadiens and Coloradans just sigh. Reminds us of home.

Off to visit some of these wondrous sights – this one a cave dwelling outside our stone hotel. Perhaps the sun will join us?

Notice the license plates? The left is Ukraine, the right Russia.

I suppose like many wars it’s politics, not people at stake. At this historic site it was merely human beings studying the ruins and visiting history. Just an interesting observation in this part of the world. If you look at a map of Turkey you can see the challenges this young republic faces in terms of its neighbors.

If politicians could travel incognito to foreign countries they would understand so much more about the culture. Of course, those foreign leaders should do likewise. We have more in common being on this planet than we do in our differences.

We head out to the more conservative, highly religious part of Turkey tomorrow. I’ll keep searching for the commonality!

If I could rewrite history I’d have this as my wedding dress!

The bridal shops have the most ornate and glamorous wedding dresses – nothing simple or unadorned. This was my favorite display. And if you weren’t my bridesmaid, you wouldn’t have to wear this gem I would choose.

It’s a bit of a tiki hut look but enchanting nonetheless. Other than bridal brilliance, the regular clothing stores are as unexciting as ours.

I don’t think my bag will be holding any tremendous fashion finds, but it will be returning a shade lighter. Tomorrow we bid farewell to another shirt!

We are neither, but every morning that is what my ears hear from the wonderful Turkish guide we have. “Ladies and Gentlemen.”

We are in the “Concept Hotel” this evening. That is code for, “We converted a big 20-story concrete block of apartments into a funky hotel with crazy paint and lots of room for your stuff.” It’s quite beautiful as it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The weather is stellar. It has rained, snowed, been foggy, and brilliantly sunny all today. Currently we have windows open to cool our rooms, though we started bundled up in our winter attire. Reminds us of a Colorado day!

Thanks to Google Translate and my spouse, we made it through our “Be My Guest” experience. Lunch was in a little farm house, cooked on a pot-bellied stove, and served by the inhabitants who spoke no English. Five of the guests are Aussie, and sometimes we need to translate their speech! The seven of us were working to make conversation when my husband whipped out his phone and we translated our questions. It was a saving grace in that it saved me from having to sing to entertain the crowd. Another story.

For now, I bid you a Turkish farewell, Lazy and Yemen.

Walking through the “old town” section of Izmir we noticed many people eating little donuts. They were five to a paper bowl and looked delicious. I assumed the Turkish people enjoyed Dunkin’ as much as we do so I thought nothing of it. As we were strolling through the donut-eating crowd we heard my husband’s name being called.

Our tour guide, who had earlier left us to our own devices, was standing on a corner waving us over. Free Lokma was being handed out to everyone lining up. Why? In “our tradition” as Orhan would say, many people honor the death of their loved one in this manner. 40 days after their departure from this life the family will hire a Lokma cart to go out in public, frying and delivering donuts to the chosen number of people the family intends to serve. (1,000 or more is a good number.) The men will continue working until all of their dough is gone. This is a big business.

The depth of explanation here is lacking, but the thought is lovely. We enjoyed celebrating what we hoped was the deceased’s passing to eternal life with hot hand-made donuts.

I’m thinking an ice cream cart serving cones of coconut ice cream upon my departure. Nothing screams, “outta this world,” like coconut ice cream. Truly heavenly.