We have been back in Rome for just over two weeks, but the suitcases were finally unpacked and stowed only yesterday. Our happy return was slightly marred by the discovery that the power had gone out while we were away, allowing the contents of our fridge and freezer to rot quietly in a month-long heatwave. No problemo: two litres of bleach and one crazy homemade baking soda paste later, our fridge is back to near-odourlessness...and the freezer is well on its way. I actually spent the first weekend back not in Rome but up north in Bergamo, getting denied for my permesso di soggiorno again. No tears this time, as I actually didn't really expect to pick it up (ha!) and Filippo's family spoiled me like crazy with delicious dinners out and the season's first polenta con funghi porcini. (A quick Google search failed to turn up a decent recipe and/or photo, so I'll have to reproduce pcfp at home then post for all to see. I don't even like mushrooms, but this is definitely in my Top Five Favourite Fall Dishes.)
But I can't jump ahead to an I *heart* fall post before properly turning the page on Turkey. It really is an incredible country, and we discovered that it has absolutely everything: mind-blowing mountains, turquoise (!) seas, amazing architecture and beautiful people. The couple pictured in my last post, for example, worked so hard at engaging Filippo and me in conversation - we had forgotten our Teach Yourself Turkish text on that particular walk (doh!) so had to rely on a mix of the few phrases we knew supplemented by the travel glossary at the back of our Lonely Planet. We "talked" for at least 20 minutes, and when I asked to take a picture of them at the end, the grandma made me take about five, then picked her favourite. She also asked us to take a self pic and mail it to her - she couldn't write her address so we waited and chatted until a young man walked past and scribbled it down for us.
Cuteness like this happened to us every day in Turkey. The gentle owners of our B&B in Safranbolu mapped out a wonderful series of sights to visit for a one-day tour of the area and shared their family mulberry jam recipe when they saw that I couldn't get enough. Now all I need to do is find some mulberries, and I'm set.
But I'm not respecting the narrative - have skipped Cappadocia, where we hiked to our hearts' content through winding canyons and sandy hills. The manager of our hostel-turned-hotel took us on his favourite day hike, we made the bad decision not to bring our camera along (I love it like a pet but it's a little on the heavy side), but got an unforgettable and very personal window into the land and flora of that amazing region. I wish I could also say fauna, but the fact is that we saw nothing aside from one stick insect and one fox. No animals!? Most bizarre. Filippo's pièce de résistance was the hot air balloon ride he organised for our last morning. I had been anxious about the idea due to my paralysing fear of heights...but got the good advice not to look down but across...and didn't throw up or have heart palpitations. Actually really enjoyed it - though I'm glad it only lasted one hour. :-)
It was in Cappadocia that I checked with my loved ones in Britain and decided not to go off on my own for a few weeks as per the plan, but save up my vacation days for a mega visit to Blighty this fall. I was determined to see as much as possible on weekends, though, so dragged Filippo to Safranbolu (dangling as a carrot the lovely Gülevi) and planned an ambitious trekking route around the mountains of Kabak, our final destination.
Maybe because of the dragging to and fro, or maybe just because we've reached a stage when good books and a quiet paradise to read them in is exactly what we're looking for in a vacation, but: we did a little asking around in Kabak, and when we found that we'd have to waste one full morning and pay 75 Euros to take a taxi to the trailhead, all trekking plans were abandoned. Instead we tag-teamed through every book in our camp's little lending library, went on lots of beautiful day hikes and ate three gourmet meals a day. The Olive Garden was actually recommended in our Lonely Planet as "place to eat", but they had upgraded their bungalows and pool area since the LP was published, so we decided to take a gamble and stay there. Their yogurt, olives, bread, and majority of veg was grown/made on site, and the honey (from resident bees) was dark and fruity and life-changing. I ate it with a fork right out of the little dish they brought to our table every morning. Compared with super-touristy nearby Ölüdeniz and Fethiye, Kabak was tranquil and perfect.
Just the rest we needed, as we're right back up to our eyeballs at the moment, with Filippo working until 11pm on evening shifts and me still sharing the workload of four people with only one other colleague. The good news is that there will be a new head of my department in place by early January, and Filippo will only have to keep up the ultra-late shifts for another three weeks. He's actually off to Torino for all of next week, so I will be free to cook all the crazy Asian recipes that I want and stare dreamily at our holiday pictures, wishing I were back there, lounging in the shade with a good book.
