rebecca soble

I’m blank. It’s been a difficult month and I don’t feel like explaining. But I want a new post, so here are some pics from my last trip to Mersin, Aug 20-30 2009.

Breakfast at a little place up in the hills outside Mersin.  Sat Aug 22.  It was a really good typical turkish breakfast.  Total 30tl for two people.

Emrah looking over the scenery.  I forget the name of the place, outside Mersin.  Gözde maybe.

A big cavernous hole in the ground at Cennet Cehennem (Heaven and Hell).  I think this hole was hell.

These pics are a bit out of order.  This is from another cavernous hole in the ground at a place called Kanlidevani, which means something like “bloody crazy”.  Apparently people were sent down into the recesses as punishment.

Emrah eating keci boynuzu (carob bean) which is supposedly an energy/aphrodisiac source.  He’s got a wild look in his eye.

Climbing the ancient stonework over large pits in the ground.  First E,

Then me.  I walked up and down a bit more cautiously than he did.

He likes climbing around old ruins.

And then snacking afterwards.  Kavurma is one of his favorites, and I rather like it too.

Inside the Cennet (Heaven) hole in the ground was an old Christian church.  Behind the church the hole in the ground (green, with trees etc) becomes a real cavern.

We also spent a lot of time at the beach.  This was at a place where we rented a tent and slept overnight.

Between the last post and this one, besides this difficult month, I also spent a lovely six weeks at home with my family.  Hopefully things will look up again soon.

Ona benzeyen bir adam gördüğüm zaman kalbım yerınden fırladı.

Havuza girmeden önce çabuk ve sabunsuz duş aldığım için iki yaşlılar bana söylendiler.
Onlara sinirlendiğim için daha hızlı ve hareketli yüzdüm (ve havuzda dalgaları yaptım).

Eve giderken minibüs şoförü çok öfkeli davranıyordu. Diğer minibüs şoförlerine acı acı bağırdı, freni çok sert kullandı, ve İKİ DEFA bağırmak için minibüsten indi! Ikinci defa, evimini yakin varmadığımız halde, ben de indim çünkü o minibüs güvenli degildi. Keşke plaka numarasını almayı düşünseydim ama alsaydım ne yapacaktım?

Canım seni çok özledim. öptüm.

Mersin’de çok güzel bir tatil yaptık…

Emrah Kız Kalesin önünde. Mayolarımız götürmedik, düşündük ki hava yeter sıcak değildi ama yanlıştık.

Pedal çevırerek Kız Kalesi etrafina gezdik.

Kız Kalesinde.

Merdivende en uygun grafiti.

Kız Kalesinin kapısındayım.

Kız Kalesinin dışardayım. Yüzmeye çok istedim.

Kale içindeyim.

Gezdikten sonra Adana kebab yedik.

Mersin sahilde çok uzun yuruyabilirsin.  O gün çok ruzgarlıydı, dalgalar çok hareketlıydı.

Outside the Mersin Archaeology Museum.

Detail on an ancient column

Playing along with the statues

Lovely palm tree view from the upstairs window of the museum.

Mersin marina, with floating fish restaurants

We had to take our own picture since there were no papparazzi around!

Rowing in the marina, with oars of two different lengths.  a bit tough!

I’m getting the hang of it!

And so is my sweetie.  xo!

Şimdi eminim, Heybeliada en sevdim ada.

Of course, I did go on a partly-cloudy Monday, when there will naturally be many fewer people than on a sunny weekend, but it was glorious.  Back roads, empty of everyone but me, the singing birds, and seemingly zillions of little green lizards.  Found a comfy bench with a terrific view, so sat and did some knitting in nature.  Walked a loop around the island, which I have done before.  But last time I stuck to the low roads and had a much longer walk.  This time I went up to the high roads, had nicer views, a stop at an interesting Greek Orthodox cemetery, and a shorter loop.

Heading out of the main village

Alone with the birds and trees

A lovely spot to sit in the sunshine

And some green friends for company.  This is just two of at least a dozen I saw.

view of the Marmara sea

Pics from my visit to Emrah in Mersin coming soon…

The weekend was mostly grey and cold, not really encouraging me to go outside.  But on the 2nd afternoon at 3pm the sun appeared and I scampered out.  I stayed in my neighborhood but walked on a new route, on Eski Bağdat Caddesi, just above the train tracks.

I turned a corner and my heart leaped with green pleasure when I saw this little path.  Probably a dangerous place at night, but in the sunlight it felt like the closest thing to a stroll in the woods I would find in Istanbul.  My joy was muted when I realized it was just a one-block-long dead end, but it was still a nice find.

Next to the fence by the train track, a tree was blooming.

And a lovely overgrown garden filled with little purple wildflowers.

And something that looks like forsythia except it has pink flowers.  Maybe it’s quince?  It looks just like something in my mom’s yard, but I can’t remember what it is.

I’m really enjoying the warm spring weather (despite the almost nonstop rain) and new plants I see peeking out everywhere.  During the winter I reaaaallllly missed the smell of green, and didn’t even get the smell of white to make up for it.