Tea Time

Three small glasses of black tea at the breakfast and 5-6 cups of green tea during the day is my daily routine. Considering the fact that I hated drinking tea up to the age of 18, I think its a big improvement. In Turkey black tea for breakfast is a must, and we brew it differently and drink it with small glasses, but let me show them in another post.

Today while I am having my morning tea, I want to send a big 'HI' to the ladies who collected the tea leaves. I traveled to Sri Lanka two years ago and one of the highlights of my trip was to spent some time in the city of Nuwara Eliya.

Nicknamed as little England, Nuwara Eliya is located in the central highlands of the island and it is one of the most important areas for tea production.It was such a fun and rewarding experience to meet with some of the ladies who were collecting the leaves on an early morning. Although we do not have a common language to communicate, their big and warm smiles was such a nice welcome.I have learned that most of the tea plantation workers are the descendants of the Indian Tamils, brought over to Sri Lanka by the British in the 19th century.The last photo was the hotel I stayed there which was built in the 19th century as a tea factory by the British..

So next time while you are having your tea, why not check the producer.... If it is from Sri Lanka, some of these ladies could very well be responsible for the rich taste.

Bozcaada...

It came to my attention that in the November 2009 issue of Conde Nast Traveler, Bozcaada received an award from its readers. It's a small island I love so much and its the place where we spent some part of our honeymoon last year...

Bozcaada and the Turkish Aegean Islands selected as 2nd in the top islands category of Europe. First place went to Mykonos and the Cyclades..Very well chosen...Both are lovely islands with beautiful beaches. However if you want a good night life, choose Mykonos and for a rather relax and quieter atmosphere Bozcaada should be the destination



Bozcaada is about 3 miles away from the mainland it requires a 45 minute car ferry crossing to reach. It was last September when we were there and the weather was usually rainy. But you dont care rainy weathers on your honeymoon right??

It was such a joy to walk in the narrow streets of the island, stop for a rest in small cafehouses. At night I remember indulging ourselves with lots of sea food and wine. Bozcaada is famous with its vineyards so plenty of wine to taste...

Autumn Picnic..

I have been away for some time.. First the pc was not feeling good then it was me.. Now pc is OK and I am recovering.. In the meantime cold, rainy and gray winter days suddenly invaded our lives... Snowy scenes from the eastern part of the country are on TV news..

Well, I was still enjoying the autumn and definitely not ready for winter. However, heavy coats we started the wear, and accumulated gas bill are telling a different story...Even Hera, who is going to experience her first winter started to protest the indoor life.

So our last picnic just a week ago seems like a distant memory...

and the beautiful colors of the fall....

İstanbul by night

Its been a long time that I did not meet with my friends from my banking days. So we went to a fish restaurant last night. There were lots of catching up to do, many gossip, delicious fish and mezzes, plenty of raki and wine...As we were not able to go out for some time, because of hubby's knee, it was such a welcoming relief to us.

The restaurant we went called, Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı is located in Istanbul’s Perşembe Pazarı district; a shady area near the Golden Horn filled with small shops that sell plastic pipes and bathroom fixtures. Definitely not a place you could expect to find a nice restaurant. However when you reach to the top floor of an old building, you are finding a very nice place and a magnificent view of the Golden Horn Bridge, Egyptian Bazaar, several of the mosques and the façade of Topkapi Palace. Sometimes I feel like İstanbul is like a gift box. You dont know what to expect until you open it.

I ate the speciality of the place, sea bass wrapped and cooked in parchment paper. It was a wonderful Saturday night filled with nice weather that you cant expect in October, friendship, lots of laughter and an amazing view for our soul...

Traditional Turkish Coffeehouses..

On my previous post there was a lovely photo of two men playing backgammon from Oytun Orgul. The photograph was taken in the Tahmis Coffeehouse in Gaziantep , a city in the south-eastern part of Turkey.

I have visited the very same coffeehouse couple years ago as most of the visitors of Gaziantep. Tahmis is a famous place as it was operated as a coffeehouse since 1903 by the members of the same family. During the Ottoman period, the building was known to built to supply income to the nearby lodge used by Mevlevi dervishes.

The first coffeehouses started to open in İstanbul in the 15th century. Along way to Starbucks... And since then they have played an important role in the Turkish culture. With the effect of the Islam while women entertain themselves inside the houses, men usually meet at a coffeehouse for recreation and communication. Traditionally it is a male dominated place.

A traditional coffeehouse is very much look like Tahmis, very basic furniture and a small kitchen for tea or coffee. While customers mostly chat, it is also very common to play backgammon and other card games.

While the modern coffee shops and chains invaded the big streets of the cities, you could still find tradional coffeehouses everywhere. In big cities just look at the side streets or lower and middle income neighbourhoods. In rural areas, they are usually at the center of the town. Although it is a male dominated place, there is no law against women to enter other than the cultural values.

I usually like to spend some time at a coffeehouse, when we are visiting small villages. It is an excellent way to meet with the locals and learn all the gossip. Why coffeehouses are still very popular? Maybe you could find the answer in an old Turkish proverb; '' one cup of coffee is worth 40 years of friendship''

Thru the lenses of Oytun Orgul

Today I want to introduce you another Turkish photographer, Oytun Orgul. Well, he is not actually a photographer but a lighting cameraman and he is in the family. He is my husband's cousin... He loves to travel, mountaineer and document his adventures.

Rize -Ayder Plateau

Kars - Ani ruins

Batman - Hasankeyf

Nigde - Aladag Mountains

Rize - Kackar Mountains

Gaziantep Tahmis Coffee House

Oytun is also highly experienced in documentaries and TV programs and shoot some documentaries in some underdeveloped countries like Cambodia & Tajikistan. Above I gave you some examples from his photos from Turkey, for countries like Tajikistan, Cambodia, Malaysia and Kyrgyztan please visit his site at http://www.oytunorgul.com/ and while you are there dont forget to check his magnificent aerial films, especially the one about İshakpasa Palace, a jewel in the eastern part of the country...
and last but not the least,thank you very much Oytun to let Turquoise Diaries to post some of your work..

Sile for B&W Sunday...

Today I have some photos for the Black&White Sunday. I took these pictures last winter when we went to Sile for a late fish lunch. Sile is a nice sea side town close to İstanbul. Very crowded during summer months as expected, but rather silent and sad during winter, perfect for B&W photos!!

And this boat laying on the dock was just crying for B&W shots.

Please visit Anne Marie at NadaFarm for B&W Sunday