Dear Friends and Family,
Thursday, the reason we decided to visit Turkey this year - to attend our friends' wedding.
What We Did
We woke up early to drive into Izmir from my friend's house in Urla. We needed to leave the house by 9 o'clock since they had errands to run. We got dropped off at the waterfront in Izmir. And, we spent the first hour or so just napping in the sun on a couple of park benches. From there, we got in a cab to go to see some ancient ruins. The cab driver got a little lost and drove us to the wrong place. And, we got into a little bit of a shouting match with him before deciding it was an honest mistake and paying him the 30 YTL ($24) cab fare to go a net 5 YTL ($4) distance.
Izmir used to be known as Smyrna. The agora was the center of trade in Smyrna. It's located on a hill and contains a wide open square with a row of columns on one side. The row of columns used to support the roof of the first floor (floor of second floor) of shops. And, once you see the computer rendition, it all makes sense, the rows of columns you always see at ruins. They were support structure for the second story. Wow!
From the agora, we took a quick cab ride down to the pier. We took a couple of quick pictures before eating lunch and writing postcards. We picked up a couple of gifts for my friend's parents and sister before walking up to our rendezvous point. We met up with a couple of cousins, aunts, and friends to get our hair done for the wedding. I went for super simple blow drying. It was 100% better than the air dried option I had been sporting all day. We met up with the bride and groom and went to his parent's place to change for the wedding.
I learned on Thursday, that it would be okay with the imam for Mr. mouse and me to attend the ceremony. Not only would we be attending, but we were attending as witnesses for the groom, my friend. He asked us to be witnesses because he and I have a very close friendship and because Mr. mouse and I have a very strong relationship. I was so honored I was speechless. The ceremony itself was a brief set of prayers with the imam, the couple and their witnesses. I feel a sense of accountability to support them and their relationship in the future.
From the ceremony, we went down to join family and friends for the party. An aunt from the UK came over and introduced herself to us and introduced us to a bunch of friends and family. Cocktails were followed by dinner and then by dancing, including a traditional Turkish ring/circle dance. The melody to the ring dance is still stuck in my head.
After the wedding, we headed to his parent's place for a late dinner. His mom gave me the most beautiful gift. It’s an embroidered cloth she made in high school with silver and gold thread and brass cone fringe. It was so beautiful I felt like I couldn’t accept it, but she insisted, so I did. I still can’t believe she shared something so beautiful that she made with her own hands with me.
We drove back to Urla after the late dinner and hung out briefly before turning in for the night.
What We Ate
Breakfast was a hurried affair because we needed to get out of the house. I had a large peach and two cookies that are similar to scones. For lunch we went to Burger King. We were looking for a combination of air conditioning, ice, and a clean bathroom. And, well, Burger King fit the bill. It’s embarrassing, because we rarely have fast food even at home much less when we travel, but we did it. I had a Whopper Junior Chicken Light and a handful of fries. Mr. mouse had a Whopper with the rest of the fries. We hung out at the Burger King writing our post cards.
We had an afternoon snack at our rendezvous point. Our friend’s family owns a string of bakeries in Izmir, so whenever we meet in one, there’s always a sweet at the table. This time, Mr. mouse and I had lemonade and a cake with berries and a light whipped cream and angel food cake baked in a roll. OMG, I would gain back all of my weight and then some if I moved to Izmir.
Dinner was at the wedding. It was served buffet style, so we got to try a little bit of everything. There was a tiny pizza, a chicken kebab, an eggroll like pastry, rice pilaf and grilled lamb. It was yummy. We went back for seconds. Then, we had wedding cake. It was banana flavored. My friend’s father’s bakery made the cake. And, as to be expected, it was excellent.
Back at my friend’s parents’ home, his mom made stuffed grape leaves and pureed eggplants. We noshed and then had some tea. It’s a continual graze fest of love with him and his parents and the bakery. But, it was all so good. And, it would have been totally rude to say no, so we dove right in. And, I’m not regretting an instant of it. We finished off dinner #2 with some fruit.
What I Learned
I always thought of my friend as a close friend. And, I’ve been his mentor at work. But, I never, in a 1000 years, would have guessed that I would be asked to be a witness at his wedding. It made me realize how much our relationship means to him. And, the gifts his mother gave me, made me realize how much she appreciates it. It was humbling.
Cheers!
mouse
Thursday, the reason we decided to visit Turkey this year - to attend our friends' wedding.
What We Did
We woke up early to drive into Izmir from my friend's house in Urla. We needed to leave the house by 9 o'clock since they had errands to run. We got dropped off at the waterfront in Izmir. And, we spent the first hour or so just napping in the sun on a couple of park benches. From there, we got in a cab to go to see some ancient ruins. The cab driver got a little lost and drove us to the wrong place. And, we got into a little bit of a shouting match with him before deciding it was an honest mistake and paying him the 30 YTL ($24) cab fare to go a net 5 YTL ($4) distance.
Izmir used to be known as Smyrna. The agora was the center of trade in Smyrna. It's located on a hill and contains a wide open square with a row of columns on one side. The row of columns used to support the roof of the first floor (floor of second floor) of shops. And, once you see the computer rendition, it all makes sense, the rows of columns you always see at ruins. They were support structure for the second story. Wow!
From the agora, we took a quick cab ride down to the pier. We took a couple of quick pictures before eating lunch and writing postcards. We picked up a couple of gifts for my friend's parents and sister before walking up to our rendezvous point. We met up with a couple of cousins, aunts, and friends to get our hair done for the wedding. I went for super simple blow drying. It was 100% better than the air dried option I had been sporting all day. We met up with the bride and groom and went to his parent's place to change for the wedding.
I learned on Thursday, that it would be okay with the imam for Mr. mouse and me to attend the ceremony. Not only would we be attending, but we were attending as witnesses for the groom, my friend. He asked us to be witnesses because he and I have a very close friendship and because Mr. mouse and I have a very strong relationship. I was so honored I was speechless. The ceremony itself was a brief set of prayers with the imam, the couple and their witnesses. I feel a sense of accountability to support them and their relationship in the future.
From the ceremony, we went down to join family and friends for the party. An aunt from the UK came over and introduced herself to us and introduced us to a bunch of friends and family. Cocktails were followed by dinner and then by dancing, including a traditional Turkish ring/circle dance. The melody to the ring dance is still stuck in my head.
After the wedding, we headed to his parent's place for a late dinner. His mom gave me the most beautiful gift. It’s an embroidered cloth she made in high school with silver and gold thread and brass cone fringe. It was so beautiful I felt like I couldn’t accept it, but she insisted, so I did. I still can’t believe she shared something so beautiful that she made with her own hands with me.
We drove back to Urla after the late dinner and hung out briefly before turning in for the night.
What We Ate
Breakfast was a hurried affair because we needed to get out of the house. I had a large peach and two cookies that are similar to scones. For lunch we went to Burger King. We were looking for a combination of air conditioning, ice, and a clean bathroom. And, well, Burger King fit the bill. It’s embarrassing, because we rarely have fast food even at home much less when we travel, but we did it. I had a Whopper Junior Chicken Light and a handful of fries. Mr. mouse had a Whopper with the rest of the fries. We hung out at the Burger King writing our post cards.
We had an afternoon snack at our rendezvous point. Our friend’s family owns a string of bakeries in Izmir, so whenever we meet in one, there’s always a sweet at the table. This time, Mr. mouse and I had lemonade and a cake with berries and a light whipped cream and angel food cake baked in a roll. OMG, I would gain back all of my weight and then some if I moved to Izmir.
Dinner was at the wedding. It was served buffet style, so we got to try a little bit of everything. There was a tiny pizza, a chicken kebab, an eggroll like pastry, rice pilaf and grilled lamb. It was yummy. We went back for seconds. Then, we had wedding cake. It was banana flavored. My friend’s father’s bakery made the cake. And, as to be expected, it was excellent.
Back at my friend’s parents’ home, his mom made stuffed grape leaves and pureed eggplants. We noshed and then had some tea. It’s a continual graze fest of love with him and his parents and the bakery. But, it was all so good. And, it would have been totally rude to say no, so we dove right in. And, I’m not regretting an instant of it. We finished off dinner #2 with some fruit.
What I Learned
I always thought of my friend as a close friend. And, I’ve been his mentor at work. But, I never, in a 1000 years, would have guessed that I would be asked to be a witness at his wedding. It made me realize how much our relationship means to him. And, the gifts his mother gave me, made me realize how much she appreciates it. It was humbling.
Cheers!
mouse
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1 comment:
oh mouse, this is so wonderful. I'm so glad you had a good time and it sounds like the wedding will truly be one of the most memorable occurances in life. good for you! xoxox
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