Before the Storm

Right now I am laying under the sun like a lazy and sleepy lizard and soaking all the heat..However couple days ago the weather wasnt like that..Here are couple photos I took at the beach right before the storm..

 and hubby cleaning the woods we have picked from the beach..Old and weathered ones kept for some up coming projects, and rest went to the fireplace..

Winter Roses

Picking up fresh roses from my garden on a cold ,rainy and windy January day after a long walk at the beach.....Priceless and ordinary on a Mediterranean winter day..

PS: As I have a VERY slow internet connection right now, I am not able to visit all my favorite blogs..I miss you all but soon I will be with you..

Mediterranean New Year...

Happy New Year dear friends... Yes, we are at our beach house and welcomed the new year here. This year we have a rather winter proof beach house thanks to our new fire place...Cheers..

For the new years' dinner we were at our neighbours place and we had turkey.. I really dont know how it became a tradition but at new year's dinner table, there has to be a turkey in Turkey :))

Our days are filled with lots of reading and writing as well as long walks at the beach..Hera is enjoying her leash free days here and rarely stops at home for some food and sleep..

 Its sunny but cold which I call a perfect winter day..

WISH YOU A GREAT YEAR....

Forgotten Christians...

Well, first Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends..Hope you will have a great holiday season..So on Christmas day I want to take you to a lovely church that is located in the southeastern Turkey. It is one of the two active churches in the city of Diyarbakır..It is the Chaldean Catholic Church of Mar Petyun..

I always find God in the most simple places. I have visited many grand temples around the world, old and new, which said to be built in order to glorify the God. However, I never felt God in any one of them but the ego of the one who paid for it..

Couple years ago I have visited this small Chaldean Church. At that time there were only 10 families in the city that were attending this church. They were having the mass once a month because they did not have their own priest but a priest from the Syrian Orthodox Church was helping them to organize one. It was a wonderful, warm and cozy place just like a home. Its naive paintings and plastic flowers were telling me that this place was built and sustained with love not ego, and I felt God.

This Chaldean Church is serving its belivers since the 17th century.I just hope that it will stay open many more years....

Love of Rumi

This past Friday, Dec17th was the anniversary of Rumi's death, or his wedding night as he likes to see his departure from this world as a reunion with his beloved...

Starting from my late 20s, I started to learn a great deal about my religion (Islam) as well as others. I was searching for something...and as Rumi said '' the seeker will eventually find what she has been looking for whether he goes fast or slow '' it was a long walk for me and at the end I became a rather spiritual person but not a religious one.

Among so many great teachers and prophets two of them really resonated with me. Rumi with his love and Buddha with his wisdom. They are the ones who lay the stones of my path..

The year 2007 was the 800th birthday of Rumi, and for the occasion there was a special train journey from İstanbul to Konya where his tomb is. I was one of the lucky passangers of this special train. We slept one night at the train and there were lots of discussions and poetry readings thruout the night. Very special..

Below are some photos from that journey..Starting with the tomb of Rumi..

Whirling dervhishes. It is a real treat to see a good show. They are meditating while dancing, you are meditating while watching..

 Their hats symbolizes their tomb stones..

As it is not possible to take photos inside the tomb I took the photo from here. It is very elaborate and peaceful.

One of the highlights of the trip was a speech given by Mrs Esin Çelebi; his 23rd generation granddaughter..

In the meantime Rumi's spiritual mentor and friend Shams said to be buried in a nearby place which is also used as a mosque right now.. Very simple place compare to Rumi's. The 3,5 years Rumi and Shams spent together in Konya is the most crucial time in Rumi's life as Shams friendship and teachings created the Rumi that we have known today.. As Shams death is a great mystery, actually nobody really  documented about his burial place. So this place is most probably not his real resting place..

Rainy Days

 Since rain and cold weather hit İstanbul, not much going on here.Weather is gray and life goes on mostly at home with lots of books and movies and couple quick trips to shopping malls for necessities..I was waiting these kind of days to start writing my novel, but it looks like my muses doesnt like rainy days either..In the meantime, hubby started to write a book out of nowhere and so far he is doing great..

Also we are in the process of packing again to go to our beach house. We are planning to welcome the new year there..
Sorry for this rather uninteresting post but even the light is too bad that it does not inspire me to take photos. I promise to dig into my archives to bring you more sunny and bright photos and stories soon..

Safranbolu - Saffron City

Finally the much expected winter hit İstanbul. We started to see snow flakes with lots of rain.. Our last week's short trip to Black Sea region and the wonderful weather are now looking like a distant memory..

So here are some photos from Safranbolu. A typical Ottoman city that has survived to the present day.. According to the information given there are more than 1000 registered historical artifacts in the city. Some of them dated from the early 14th century..

 It is possible to rent a golf cart and a guide for an easy tour of the city. It is so much fun, even Hera liked it a lot..

 From the 13th century on, it was an important caravan station on the main East - West trade route. It was also a trading place and a centre for growing the much priced saffron..Today saffron is still available in the city and you could buy and taste products such as: saffron tea, saffron cologna, Turkish delight with saffron...

 It is definitely a great place to see the well preserved Ottoman era houses and architecture, but it is also a living city...Life goes on smoothly despite the heavy tourist attacks..

 Once neglected houses are now a gold mine. If you cant afford a real one, why not buy a small one..

 Local artisans and the shops are serving the needs of the locals as well as th tourists. A blacksmith who is producing the traditional locks..

After lots of walking why not stop at a local restaurant and taste some specialities..My choice was the traditional Turkish soup: tarhana.. It is actually a dough prepared in summer with lots of vegetables, and yogurt and then dried for use in winter soups..A big favorite of mine since childhood...

I wish you a great weekend and bowls of hot soup if you happen to be on this side of the world.. We are freezing....