almost halfway to hajj

corsica in the distance

our 24-hour ferry ride was largely uneventful. we spent most of it in our room as the ship had little to offer in terms of entertainment. the pool stood drained and empty and the tiny casino didn't seem enticing. we spent some time in one of their cafes, enjoying an aperol spritz and campari soda as i wrote some postcards and JR read. we were very grateful to have brought some snacks along with us as the food on board, as anticipated, looked both underwhelming and overpriced. we made picnics in our room of italian focaccia, french cheese, dried meats and wine. (pro tip: bring an insulated lunch bag that will fold flat in your luggage) we were even able to watch 'dial M for murder' on my iPad that i had downloaded from the library before we left. there wasn't much of a view on our journey but we did get a glimpse of corsica off the starboard side just as the sun was going down.

getting off the boat was almost as confusing as getting on. luckily we had earlier discovered we needed to visit a kiosk to get a form to disembark earlier in the trip. in spite of having messages about various cafe and shops opening in four languages, there was never any indication we needed to go here. it was only our curiosity about why people were suddenly lining up at the photo kiosk that led us to figure it out. most people on board were clearly seasoned ferry-goers so we gathered in one of the cafes with everyone else, waiting to be told we could get off. eventually we did and made our way onto african soil! another continent for JR. just outside the little building we happened upon an ATM so we could get some of the local currency. after a few moments (and thanks to my smartphone) we got our bearings and walked towards the train station that would take us to the main part of town. on our walk we bought a much-needed liter of water and noticed the various dogs and people roaming through the mostly empty streets. finally we found the train station and after determining that it was not in fact abandoned we discovered the tiny ticket window and bought our passage onto the little train (a whopping 18 cents apiece). i was very thankful to be able to speak french again, even though we'd only been in italy for less than 48 hours. after a few minutes it arrived and we made our way across the water and into the main part of tunis. from the stop it was another 15 minute or so walk to the louage station, our bags enduring the uneven cobblestone and dusty streets. we could tell we were close to the louage station as the shops around it seemed much more active. fortunately, being in a big city, we were able to get onto a shared taxi to kairouan right away. we took the last two spots, squeezing into the back seat of the van with our backpacks on our laps.

kairouan streets

the ride took several hours with one brief stop at a gas station (where we picked up some local snacks). we spent most of the ride quietly watching the scenery go by, although towards the end the gentleman we were sharing a seat with struck up a conversation. he asked where we were planning to go and suggested a number of far-off towns with roman ruins (none of which seemed very accessible) before giving us his opinions on the 'modern tunisian'. he was nice but our interest was flagging and it was a little tiring to keep up the conversation. not too long after, though, we arrived in kairouan and were let out on the side of the road.

a little disoriented, we saw a walled structure that we first believed to be part of the city walls. when we walked inside, though, we realized it was a courtyard of what was probably a mosque. we then saw a group of people processing in what we guessed might have been a circumcision. we quickly decided this was probably not where we wanted to be. after a quick look at the smartphone we realized the direction we needed to be going and started off. as it turned out we weren't all that close to the city walls but at least now we knew where to go. we were a bit tired, getting dusty, and probably a little cranky. which is probably why what happened next struck us as so funny. as we were walking we started to notice little piles of wool or bits of sheep hooves. we realized there was probably a festival going on (and later confirmed it was eid al-adha). the streets were fairly empty but at one point we found ourselves behind two young guys on their scooters, one with a plastic bag dangling from the handlebars. the first guy stopped short, causing the guy behind him to swerve suddenly. the bag fell off the handlbars and.. a goat head rolled out. the guy was clearly upset but we couldn't help but find the whole thing faintly hilarious. we were probably a little loopy but it just tickled us. even hours later thinking about it brought us to tears laughing.

at this point you may be wondering why we chose tunisia for our honeymoon. well, we knew we wanted to go a few different places and we decided on the mediterranean as a general location. i'd been wanting to go back to france since i hadn't returned since living there. but we wanted to mix it up too - and i wanted J.R. to experience a non-western country (we're working our way up to india). plus tunisia has the advantage of having beautiful buildings both to admire and to stay in (as you can see below). and while the little arabic i once knew is all but gone i knew we could easily get by with french. the ruins of carthage and the roman empire were icing on the cake.

our gorgeous room

so anyway we eventually made it to the beautiful streets of the old city, with its painted trim and elaborate doors. after that it wasn't long before we made it to our guesthouse, the dar hassine allani. it seemed there was only one other place to stay in town - surely a nice hotel but one that seemed a bit too much. the place itself looked like a citadel. all in all i'm so happy we chose to stay where we did. the building was once a family residence, with several stories of rooms built around a central courtyard. our room was gorgeously appointed, with a carved wooden canopy bed and of course beautiful carpets. the woman running the guesthouse offered us some tea as she made copies of our passports and told us a bit about the house.

who wouldn't want to get lost in these streets

it was still early afternoon so we ventured out to explore. the streets were relatively deserted - we figured the holiday had something to do with that, although kairouan is not exactly a super touristy city anyway. we wandered through winding streets and i tried not to take a photo of every single door. (so... every other door) most of the shops were closed but we did happen upon a little family home turned museum (which of course is really a rug shop). the rooms were beautifully decorated - as we explored further we admired the carved and painted wooden ceilings, and textiles covering every available surface. then when you get to the back room the sales pitch begins. we managed to get out with just a small rug but it's not like we didn't like it.

dusk over domes and minarets

by this time we thought we'd go back to the room and rest for a bit. we relaxed in our room until the sun started to go down and it was a bit cooler. then we thought we'd go up to the roof and enjoy the view. the whole rooftop area is beautiful - covered in small tiles, little potted plants, and wrought-iron birdcages. the lady of the house somehow intuited that we were up there and brought up some citronade, a lemony drink that's a bit sour at first but then finishes very sweet. from here we could see over the rooftops as the sun started to go down. just as it was getting a bit dark the call to prayers began. the principle mosque was first, and after that other calls started to begin across the city. the voices of the various muezzins floating across the breeze was really wonderful.

kairouan streets by night

by the time the calls to prayer ended it was getting to be dark and we figured we should probably venture out in search of dinner. as we wandered through some of the same streets we did note that there were a few more shops open than before - convenience stores and little cafes with lots of men drinking coffee and smoking shisha - but no restaurants. finally just outside of the city walls we happened upon a little restaurant filled with locals. thrilled to find any kind of food we ordered what seemed to be all they were serving - roasted chicken served with a spicy egg dish, vegetables, french fries, and the ubiquitous round bread. it was all quite tasty and we were fairly hungry so it didn't take us long to polish off most of the food. the place was fairly small and very crowded with both people and stray cats but we still had a nice conversation over our simple meal. the only thing that marred our dining experience was when we went to pay. the guy at the counter told us our meal would be 20 dinar - as much as the fare for both of us all the way from tunis. i asked the guy again, skeptically if that was the price and raised my eyebrows but short of causing a scene i wasn't sure what else to do. but at least he knew i knew he was ripping me off... right?

towards mecca

minaret from the arcade

the next day we woke up to an amazing breakfast complete with both french croissants and tunisian round bread, accompanied by strong coffee and mango (we think) juice. we were a bit nervous that everything would be as shuttered as it had been the day before but fortunately as we walked out into the streets we began to see some shops open. our first stop, though, was the mosque. the principle mosque, that is, and one of the oldest in all of islam with construction beginning as early as 670. i'd been to kairouan once before but had managed to miss the open hours to visit the mosque so this time i was determined. fortunately it was open and we were able to visit (once i had used my scarf to cover my head). we saw very few tourists during our entire stay in kairouan but here we happened upon a family or two, although they did seem to be tunisian. it was so interesting to see the different ways the roman capitals were repurposed to create the arches inside the mosque. and we noticed there were even a few stones with carved latin - one that was put in upside down. the courtyard was vast - bigger than the interior of the mosque (as was typical of most early mosque architecture) and allowed us to see the stocky minaret from a variety of angles. the existence of this very old mosque is part of what makes kairouan the 4th holiest city of islam - and a UNESCO world heritage city to boot. at some point during our trip we learned that if you visit kairouan 7 times it's equivalent to performing the hajj. so i'm making progress!

rug shop views

at this point i remembered that there was a rug shop just across the road that offered beautiful views down into the mosque's courtyard so we ventured over. naturally we weren't about to enjoy that view without getting a sales pitch on carpets. we were in the market so of course we listened and looked at a number of them as the salespeople spun them around and demonstrated the number of knots but pulling up the corners. they had many varieties but since kairouan itself is known to be a hub for carpet-making we wanted one that was local. eventually we saw one we liked - red with chevrons in blue, black, and tan - and i haggled for what seemed like a fair price (who knows) of 325 dinar, or about $125. although JR agreed that he liked the carpet he didn't follow any of the rest of the conversation since it was all in french. but he played along when i looked disinterested and chuckled good-naturedly when they threw in a few phrases in english. ('wedding present') when i went downstairs to pay they made a show of plugging in an ancient credit card machine and showing me that it was not working. i'm certain this is done deliberately since cash is king (always) but i knew pulling out that much cash from an ATM would mean another hefty fee on my end. after berating them a little for trying to play me i told them if i had to use cash i'd be paying 300 - they acquiesced. we were content with our purchase - certainly the biggest of our honeymoon souvenirs - but this also meant we had to carry the carpet around until we could get back into the guest house to stash it. JR, wanted to be the gentleman, insisted on carrying it even as the twine they used to hold the paper together and create a makeshift handle was digging into his palms. we did stop by the guest house but we found that our hostess was out and were forced to continue on and try back later.

 

typical tunisian door

JR had been wanting to see the aghlabid basins, old cisterns that used to house water that was carried there from miles away. they were a bit of a hike, outside the city walls. we made our way there and were impressed by the size of them. the cisterns themselves held only a bit of green water littered with trash at the bottom. (our host later told us they used to be filled with clear water and the areas around them were often filled with families strolling and vendors selling toys and snacks.) still, JR was glad to have seen them, although surely would have been happier had he not had to carry the hefty carpet there. fortunately when we made our way back our host was there and we were able to drop the package off before setting out again. having wandered around the early part of the afternoon we managed to miss mealtime again. we finally found a little restaurant that seemed to be open in a small alley near the bazaar (fairly close, we think, to where parts of indiana jones was filmed). we had a 'brik' of tuna in flaky crust topped with eggs (which seems to be a popular tunisian dish) and coucous merguez with carrots and sausages. along with tea, tomato soup and nice bathrooms it made for a very pleasant lunch.

gladiators' view

having finally eaten we made our way towards the louage station in hopes of reaching el jem (sometimes spelled 'djem'), the site of a colosseum-like roman ruin. although it's a fairly straight shot we had to go through sousse which is more of a hub. we were able to get onto a van fairly quickly on both legs which was lucky, because it was already getting to be fairly late in the afternoon and we weren't even sure how late the site would be open. i hoped JR might sleep during some of the ride but he always seemed to be looking out the window. when we made it to the little town of el jem it was fairly obvious where to go, as the amphitheater rises up in the midst of an otherwise flat city filled with one and two story buildings. the town was what you might call bustling, at least for being as small as it was. we made sure to note where the louage station was and made mental notes of a few landmarks along the way. when we arrived it was nearly 5 and the sun was beginning to sink in the sky. fortunately the site was still open and we found a few bored attendants in the ticket offices and only one or two other families inside. the roman ruins don't seem to be marketed terribly well in tunisia which i suppose is both a blessing and a curse in that the lessened traffic probably helps to preserve them. still, there were some sites we heard or read about that seemed incredible but would have been all but impossible to get to.

that golden glow

in any case my historian was thrilled that we'd made it here and i have to say it was pretty incredible. the building itself was remarkably well preserved - like a mini colosseum but made of sandstone and much more accessible. by that i mean we could go virtually everywhere - up into the stands, down onto the floor and even down below where the people and animals would have been kept. for my part i was delighted we got there when we did because the golden light made the building and carved details that much more beautiful. JR had a ball, even going up into the stands and playing emperor. i was so glad we'd ended up going. we knew we'd better get back to the louage station sooner than later but on our way we couldn't help stopping at an intriguing little antique shop. it had all sorts of treasures including architectural elements, carved wooden objects and metal tea sets. we ended up finding a little wrought iron window grille painted light blue (although peeling and rusted in some spots, naturally) that we knew would make a great souvenir. and it had the added advantage of being somewhat flat and easy to pack. once we'd gotten that, and a red stone necklace for me, we made our way somewhat hurriedly back to the louage station. at some point we picked up a local who pretended to be guiding us somewhere (presumably the station) and motioning for us to hurry (which of course we knew was nonsense as louages don't leave at prescribed times). we ignored him as best we could - we knew perfectly well where we were going - but it didn't deter him. when we got to the station he acted as though he had guided us there and of course motioned for some payment for his 'services'. i told him plainly in french that he didn't do anything and we knew where the station was. he didn't make a fuss and left fairly quickly.

kairouan from the guesthouse window

unlike earlier we did have to wait a bit for a louage this time. finally we managed to cobble together enough passengers to head to sousse and we left just as the sun was going down in earnest. in sousse we had a bit of a wait as well and we were beginning to realize this would be our best opportunity to have some sort of food. there was a little sandwich shop open in the station so i dashed over there to get us some food. there were a number of guys milling around and we weren't at all sure who our driver was so i made sure to teach JR how to say 'wait for my wife' just in case it looked like they were starting to leave. i got us some chicken schwarma on baguettes with harissa (spicy sauce) and french fries from a nice guy who - like many people - seemed very surprised that i was american. americans don't much come to tunisia, i imagine. we tried a different flavor of boga cola this time - purple. we guessed either plum or tamarind. as it turned we still had a bit of a wait even after we finished our sandwiches. eventually we did get going though and good lord i don't think i've ever been on such a harrowing drive. that's really the only word for it. it was clear the guy - a young guy who seemed to be trying to impress the other cool dudes back at the louage station - was going WAY too fast by the speed at which the headlights were zooming by. and listening to incredibly loud music or talking on his phone the whole time! i couldn't look (i just clenched JR's arm) but JR said he's never seen anyone come that close to hitting other cars when passing them. as soon as we got close enough to the city in an area we recognized (near our dinner spot from the night before) we jumped out, glad to have made it back in one piece. i've been on some scary drives before but nothing like that!

we were glad to get back to the sleepy town of kairouan although somewhat sad to pack up our things. we'd missed the one mausoleum i'd wanted to see (we did find it but it was closed) - still we made it to the mosque and bought our much-anticipated carpet which were definitely the top two items on my list.

touring toledo, savoring spain

our night train from lisbon was pleasant enough, given that we were in reclining chairs. (the compartments are all separated by men and women, we found out. some trains have couples' compartments but of course not this one.) i slept fitfully and JR didn't sleep much at all but luckily he can make do with amazingly little sleep so once we arrived in madrid we cleaned ourselves up in the bathroom and were on our way from chamartin to atocha. from there we were off to find a train to toledo. this proved harder than expected since the 9am train was already booked. we went to a kiosk to try to buy tickets for 10am train. my credit card, that had worked so reliably throughout the trip, failed me. the machine demanded a pin which, though it does have a chip, my silly american card does not have. so we got in a huge line with the rest of the schmucks who needed train tickets. we were waiting in line for 20 minutes and when our number was called - you guessed it - the 10am train was full. (which annoyed me mostly because the majority of the people in line probably could have just used their european chip-and-pin cards in the stupid kiosks.) anyway we got tickets for the 11am train and set up shop in the train station to wait.

it all turned out pretty well in the end. we made it to toledo in 30 minutes but it seemed like even less. even the train station there is beautiful. in its email to us the hotel made it sound as though it was a short walk from the station so we figured we'd go for it. what the description failed to make clear is that this amounted to a 30 minute walk entirely up hill. we wound up and up the hill the city is poised upon, passing through one of the city gates as we went. we were exhausted and very sweaty when we finally got to the hotel. still, we were anxious to get started on our day in toledo since we had already been delayed.

stone and bricks of toledo

our first stop was an old mosque - cristo de la luz. like just about every building in toledo, it seems, it's made of tan brick. it's quite small, but with brick decoration and vaulted coffers inside. like every religious building in spain it was repurposed and later used as a church (hence the name cristo). also like seemingly every other building the capitals were borrowed from earlier roman and visigothic structures. we made it in and out just before it closed for the afternoon.

carcamusas (fun to say too)

most everything else we wanted to see was in the southern part of the city. JR did well at navigating, as usual, and before long we felt as thought we knew our way around the city. our next stop was the museu de taller de mouro, otherwise known as the moor's workshop. to my disappointment it was closed for renovation, but again i can't begrudge them that. it's a shame, though, since it sounded pretty unique. it was about siesta time for most tourist places so we gave up in search of lunch instead. we walked around the central part of town searching for something somewhat affordable. toledo is definitely more touristy than the other spanish cities we'd been in. or maybe it was just that it was all concentrated in a smaller area. then again, it's so close to madrid you can imagine tourists would want to make a day trip of it. most of them don't stay overnight though which is their mistake, in my opinion. anyway, we were eager to find some lunch that wasn't overpriced. we happened upon a cafe inside the old university which was fantastic. we got a three-course meal - paella with mussels, shrimp and chicken, carcamusas (a toledan specialty, pork in tasty sauce), and flan for desert. all that and a drink for 5,20€. unbelievable. we were feeling pretty shrewd after that hearty and frugal meal.

synagogue stucco

our next stop was the iglesia de santo tomé, which was built to house the famous el greco. we couldn't take pictures, of course, but it was humbling to see the massive painting amazing enough for a church to be built around it. from there we went down to the jewish quarter. just like in córdoba, the jewish area was marked with little medallions embedded in the cobblestone streets. we first visited the sinagoga del transito - much bigger than the mosque we had visited earlier. the main room is huge, about three stories tall and the upper half covered with stucco decoration, much like mudejar mosques but with hebrew instead of arabic. there was a small collection of artifacts that traced the history of the jewish people in spain.

the cathedral and alcazar behind

we set out after that in search of swords. they're famous in toledo, and JR was set on getting one as a souvenir. we passed a number of shops and interesting antique stores but we were low on cash. incredibly, in this tourist town there's apparently only one ATM in the entire city. we made our way back across town and on our way back we stopped into iglesia san il defonso. the church itself wasn't remarkable but we knew the view from the top of the tower was worth the climb so we did it. the view was as described, although it was a little nerve-wracking walking out on the metal walkways so high up.

arcade

at this point we figured we'd earned a little stop in a teahouse. again, even though we got a late start to our day, with the late sunsets and opening hours we were doing pretty well. we made our way down to teteria dar el chai, almost at the edge of the city, and stopped in for a little chai and rest. the decor was the usual mix of moroccan lanterns and leather pouffs, wooden tables inlaid with mother-of-pearl and cushions lining the walls. we were the only ones there so it was a quiet place to stop. from here we were pretty close to another synaguge, this one called maria blanca. this one was quite different from the last synagogue, a little simpler, with rows of whitewashed columns and arcades, punctuated with stucco decoration and more repurposed capitals. this one, too, was later used as a church. it's interesting how different synagogues can be. i guess there are no architectural requirements for a synaoguge, unlike an altar in a church or a mihrab in a mosque. remind me to learn more about synagogue architecture.

courtyards are such a nice element

after that we had just enough time to visit the el greco museum. we even got in free as museum employees (perks!). it's unclear where exactly he lived in the city but the guess was that this location was pretty close. the first part was a recreation of el greco's house - or, at least, what a typical house in the late 16th century would have looked like. the paintings at first were those of his protegés and son. then we got to the el greco galleries, and they were pretty amazing. when you consider el greco's art in light of other artists at the time, what he was doing was truly unique. his brushwork still hasn't been recreated to date, i would say. it's so expressive and fluid. they did a nice job of offering foils to el greco's work in the form of his contemporaries' images of similar subjects. really well done.

toledan sundown

as we walked up toward the center of town the shops were starting to close. we hurried to find a sword shop with reasonable offerings. fortunately we found one and JR picked out a modest sword with a unique handle. lots of them are modeled on swords of famous historical figures (or fictional ones, like lord of the rings characters). as the nice sword salesman wrapped up the goods he reminded us about the light show later that evening. in the same area i stumbled upon a little shop where i found an old tile taken from the wall of a spanish home. after our shopping we thought maybe we'd stop by the rooftop of the hotel since the sun was just about to go down. the view was worth the climb to the top floor, as you can see.

the moors in toledo

we set back out in search of a little bar where we could get a drink and maybe some tapas. after a bit of a walk we found a spot where we got both. i had a delicious tinto de verano - a sangria-like drink that rivaled the ginja for my favorite drink. we got some simple tapas for each round. once the sun was down we made our way to posada el cristo de la luz, a little hookah/teahouse that we had seen near the mosque at the beginning of our day. the place was pretty deserted, which is a shame because despite being out of the way it was so pleasant. we sat in a table under a palmetto tree, facing the old city walls. we shared hummus and baba ghanoush plus some lovely apple shisha. the syrian man, ghalib, who ran the place was so nice and seemed delighted when i spoke my pitiful arabic with him. we left only because we were hoping to see the light show we had heard about earlier. we just happened to be in town for this festival, so we were happy to take advantage. (see, this is what those people who only stay for the day are missing.) we struggled to find it at first but eventually we found an area full of people in a little area that we hadn't seen before. it was full of bars and humming with activity. the light show, projected on the facade of a building, gave a visual history of the city set to music. it was - no surprise - largely about the various religions that existed there. with a bit of el greco mixed in. except for the little eave there we had a pretty great view. we stayed out later than we should have, given the hour we had to wake up to catch our train, but it was well worth it.

basically as soon as we fell asleep our alarm went off. or at least that's how it seemed. we figured the walk back to the train station would be easier, since it was downhill and all. it was still quite a distance and it took us the better part of 30 minutes. we made it to the station with eight minutes to spare before our train though. i was set on rushing through, trying to get through the x-ray machine quickly so we could get situated. JR was a little more prescient than i was though and was already thinking about what was about to go down. soo.. turns out you can't bring a sword on a train. apparently the souvenir that just about everyone brings back from toledo must be packed in a box. (because of course if you were a sword-wielding maniac you would certainly be deterred by a box around your weapon.) we argued in our broken spanish that we didn't know and how could we get a box and we already had a ticket for the train. to no avail. we went inside where we were told we could get new tickets or something. the (much nicer) attendant was confused as to why we wanted to change our tickets when we hadn't actually missed the train yet. then we explained about the sword. "oh you have a sword? no, you can't take the train." we were directed instead to the bus station which was, luckily, walkable but, frustratingly, back in the direction we had come from. it turned out alright in the end as the bus was cheaper and just as fast. what hurt was the extra sleep we could have had.
oh and if you're wondering why swords are allowed on buses it's because the bags are stored down below.

anyway, once in madrid we took the metro to our stop and followed the directions to our airbnb. the place was compact and cozy and the gentleman who owned the place kindly showed us around and offered us some stale croissants. we knew we only had one whirlwind day in the city so we were itching to get started. we set out on foot, as is our wont, and set off toward the prado museum. much to my chagrin we got no discounted admission this time, since we were not from EU museums. although their employees would be free in any of our museums! (i realize this probably seems petty but we're on a budget and every little euro counts.) i reluctantly paid the hefty admission price - worth it, of course, i was just grousing. i have no photos because of course none are allowed. in a lot of ways the prado hadn't changed much since i'd been there almost 10 years earlier. still no photos allowed (almost unheard of in museums in 2015, fyi), velvet ropes around paintings, and cranky security guards. i even heard one shush people who were just talking! and not on their cell phones, but discussing the artwork together. hello, that's exactly what you want people to do in your museum! (museum rant over) the collection itself really is astounding though. in both size and quality. it's almost an embarrassment of riches - i mean there's no one who can fully appreciate room after room after room of velazquezes. we saw everything we wanted to see, including hieronymous bosch, el greco and a whole lot of goyas. it was incredible but also incredibly overwhelming.

at this point we were already pretty exhausted (i've said it before, museum-walking is the most tiring kind of walking.) and ready for lunch. one of the most impressive museum collections in the world, as you might have guessed, is surrounded by a fair amount of tourist traps. lots of restaurants promising paella and sangria or prix fixe menus for 13,50€. we figured we could do better so we walked on until we found a tapas place. even when we got inside we were given prix fixe menus (that included spaghetti... uh, no) but we diligently asked about the tapas and were given new menus. we had a smattering of dishes - salmorejo (not as good as in andalucia, predictably), cured meats (good but greasy), fried cheese with some sort of jam (tasty), and a dish with potatoes, fried egg and cured ham that was incredibly delicious. it's the perfect brunch dish. i savored as much tinto de verano as i could (last day mode!) while trying to write all my remaining postcards. we were both happy for the chance to be off our feet.

crystal, glass. whatever

the next stop was the palacio cristal based on - you guessed it - the original crystal palace in london. this one was much smaller and, as we discovered, a pretty long walk from where we were. it was cool to see the palace but probably not as cool as we were expecting. it sometimes houses art exhibitions but while we were there it was just empty and HOT. we walked back through the massive parque de el retiro, passing a little cafe and a small man-made pond where families were out on little rowboats enjoying the sunny weather. spaniards seem to really enjoying boating in very small bodies of water.

we walked and walked until we made it to atocha train station. despite having been inside it already on two separate occasions i don't think we'd ever seen the outside of it. just beyond it was the reina sofia museum. (got a discount this time!) it looked different than i had remembered which i later confirmed was because they had subsequently added a huge new addition with a new entrance. it reminded me of the pompidou for some reason, maybe because of the massive library and modernist facade. we made our way up to the collection which was also bigger than i remembered. the guernica was still as arresting and awe-inspiring as i remember, as were the newsreels that accompanied it. it's incredible to think about troops marching through the massive city we were in. beyond it, a lot of the collection seemed to center around the spanish civil war. there were some interesting pieces but also a lot of obscure ones. it seemed like the galleries just kept going and finally we had to give up.

golden light on the arches, the temple behind

we were flagging and desperate just to sit down so we walked up the street in search of a cafe. after a few blocks we found a deserted pastry shop where we got some cafe bombons. not the best, but mostly we needed to sit down anyway. after a few minutes we rallied and made it to the nearby metro station. the first time we'd taken it since we got into town. we were exhausted but also wanted to make it to the temple of debod before it closed. we made it with about half an hour to spare. the egyptian temple is one of four in the world that have been removed from their original sites. between this one and the met's we've now seen half. the interior itself is quite small and the hallways are narrow (they limit how many people can go in) but the hieroglyphs are nicely preserved and even the shallow reliefs are still pretty easy to make out. from the same park we had a nice view as the sun was going down.

we figured we'd walk back toward the center of town (which is also basically where our airbnb was). on the way we passed gardens as the sun was going down and walked past the imposing national theater. in a little while we came to the plaza mayor, which is basically just a big square buzzing with tourists and activity. there was scaffolding on some of the apartments but you could still see the more ornamented facade. we were glad to have seen it but wanted to keep moving. we made it back to our place and all but collapsed on the bed for a much-needed rest. incidentally, this was the day we had walked the most - clocking in at 34,600 steps which is about 15 miles. we averaged about 12 or so miles each day so after a week of that it's no wonder we were so tired!

so long to spain

after an hour or so we set out in search of dinner and maybe a grocery store to get some goodies to take home. we were hoping for some sheep's cheese (like what we'd had in seville) and salchichon (which is basically salami but so good). we found only little convenience stores so we had to make do with a random cheese and a very cheap sausage. still, it was better than nothing. for our last meal we decided i wanted to try to find salchichon and JR wanted a nice tortilla española. and you know what? about a block from our place we found a little artsy cafe (atelier cafe de la llana) that served both. those two, plus a few more dishes accompanied by tinto de verano made for a perfect last evening in spain. the tortilla had just the right ratio of egg to potato (which is easy to screw up) and the meat and cheese topped it off. we knew we were going to miss the tapas, the cheap and delicious wine, and lingering over our leisurely meals.

catching up in córdoba

my latest trip was one i'd been planning and anticipating for nearly six months. my boyfriend and i traveled to spain, somewhere he'd been wanting to go and that i'm always glad to go back to. fortunately for us, it's also one of the most affordable countries in europe to visit, and the struggling euro helped us even more. the time of year ended up being just right, too. in september we missed the high season for european tourists, which peaks in august, and still had absolutely beautiful, warm sunny weather.

our flight to madrid was largely uneventful (except for the free wine, score!) but when we arrived we realized getting to the train station across town might take longer than anticipated and we could be cutting it close for our first train. we walked through what i'm sure is the longest hallway in any airport ever and waited for what i'm also totally sure was the slowest elevator of all time. it passed by us, empty, on several occasions. very strange. after our first encounter getting directions in spanish (i think i mostly followed everything?) and getting our train tickets from the machine in german (i couldn't figure out how to change it) we were on the train to the train station. we made it to atocha with just enough time to get a ham sandwich and fanta for the journey. so far, so good.

we passed by la giralda right at dusk

fino straight from the barrel

we had a layover (is it a layover on a train?) in a small town in la mancha so we got out to explore the streets and have our first beer and complimentary tapa - cruzcampo, the cheap beer of choice. other than a statue of don quixote there wasn't much there and it was siesta time so very sleepy. we arrived in córdoba in early afternoon, just in time to meet our friends. the benefit of living in england is that you can take long weekends in europe basically whenever you like. must be nice, right? we decided to walk to our hotel (we searched hostels and airbnbs but in the end with four of us, inexpensive hotels ended up being the cheapest bet. odd, no?) - we started in the outskirts of town, walked through the more commercial areas and along the main shopping street and into the old quarter. our hotel was on a little winding street - as it should be. we quickly explored the terrace as the sun was going down and then made our way out in search of tapas and aperitifs. the latter came first, as we found a taberna i had come across in my reading. they served fortified wine (fino) out of giant barrels that looked like they had been there for centuries, along with sherry and other wines. we stood along the old bar munching on olives and catching up. jan - the vegetarian/animal lover - even overlooked all the black and white bullfighting photos covering the walls.

eventually we made our way up the street and found an inviting tapas bar. we were able to get many of the dishes we'd been looking forward to - including salmorejo (sin jamon, for jan), which is a lovely creamy cold tomato soup, ensaladilla rusa, sort of like potato salad, and some cured hams for us meat-eaters. we talked about all sorts of things and just had a lovely evening catching up.
the rest of the evening we spent searching, in vain, for some nice spanish guitar music. we walked to the other side of town and found nothing but a sort of eurotrash bar with pricey (but not bad) cocktails. on the way home we passed by some roman ruins with lots of kittens so it wasn't all bad.

the next day we were up fairly early, figuring we had a lot to fit into our full one day in córdoba. the archaeological museum was closest so we headed there first. for such a small city it was a surprisingly modern museum! built over some of the roman ruins, they've built walkways that go over them and created projections that explain what certain parts were originally. that coupled with great artifacts and good explanations made it well worth the 1,50€ entry. us museum folk were impressed.

gothic elements with traditional moorish ornament

from there we headed to the jewish quarter - la judería - which you know is the best because it has old, winding streets. there were a number of synagogues, mosques, and patios (córdoba's specialty) that we wanted to visit. they're all fairly compact though and luckily were all within a pretty small area. the synagogue was simple but had some great stucco decoration. i continue to be fascinated by those stylistic similarities you see throughout buildings of different religions or regions. i think my favorite was a little mudéjar chapel, capilla mudéjar de san bartolomé, a tiny little chapel that's covered with beautiful decoration, from blue and gold paint to arabic elaborately carved in stucco to gorgeous geometric tiles. my kind of place. mudéjar literally comes from the word 'to remain' so it refers to the moors who were permitted to remain in spain and later the architecture that incorporated more christian and gothic elements. fascinating, right? i know.

old courtyard

we explored a few more patios on the same street. one was made to be something of a small museum of life in the city. lots of beautiful antiques from the region and lovely plants along the walls. it seemed a little fake somehow but there were still some lovely elements. plus they had some great postcards so i can't complain. another larger patio had been redone as an artisans' atelier, with studios lining the courtyard and a shop below. it was a little bit like the we visited han in bursa, but smaller.

we poked around but it was past noon and it was just about lunch time. lewis decided he'd like a coffee first though so we stopped in a little cafe where we made a very important discovery. it's called a café bombon, and it's basically a shot of espresso and a lot of condensed milk. it's incredibly sweet and the perfect mix of caffeine and sugar to give you an instant energy rush.

picturesque restaurant in the jewish quarter

after that we found a perfect little tapas place across the street, casa el malacara, with tables set up just outside one of the main gates in the old city walls. it reminded me of jerusalem somehow. we had fabulous tapas - even more variety than the day before, including albondigas (delicious meatballs), patatas alioli (potatoes in very garlicky sauce), chicken curry, spinach with chickpeas, pickled mussels and bread. tapas are usually in the 1,50-3,00€ range and even though each couple usually split about four of them it always seemed to be plenty of food. the perfect amount without feeling too full or having any go to waste. the spanish are doing something right.

gorgeous gardens at the alcazar. this isn't nearly all of them.

from here we made our way quickly to the alcazar, which was only open for another hour or so before siesta time. we made it in just enough time to get a wonderful view of the city and explore the expansive - and beautiful - gardens. from the top of the tower we could see the roman bridge, the top of the mosque/cathedral, and the rest of the alcazar. although we didn't have time to see much of the palace's interior we felt confident we hit the highlights.

figuring we were doing pretty well seeing the sights we thought we would heard toward a moorish tea house i had read about simply called salon de té. on the way we stopped by the mezquita for a view of the grand umayyad doorways on the various sides. they are impressively large. we continued on to the tea house which was beautifully appointed. we found a little cushioned corner to relax and enjoy our beverages. after some mint and fruit teas we ventured out for a little shopping along the nearby streets. along the way we stumbled upon a courtyard that promised a guitar performance in the evening. we took note for later on.

arches for days

next up was the long-awaited mezquita - or cathedral depending on how you look at it. it's pretty humbling to walk inside. not in the same way most cathedrals are humbling, for expansive vertical spaces, but horizontally, with colonnades that resemble a forest of arches. i had been before and it was incredible then. sadly my camera died at that very moment so i have few physical mementos of that part of my first trip. it's pretty amazing to be inside a building that's one of the oldest and most important examples of islamic architecture. and you can clearly see the progression of the mosque's expansion over the years with the placement of the original mihrab.. and then the takeover of the cathedral. it's so incongruous to see the understated beauty of the islamic ornament next to the overly ornate gilded everything of the later spanish cathedral. or maybe i'm just biased.

after we thoroughly explored the mosque we figured we had earned some churros con chocolate. because, given the possibility you always have churros, right? we wandered all the way back to the more commercial part of town in search of a traditional place i'd read about that seemed fabulous. of course it was closed when we finally arrived so we settled for a place along the big square. not the giant churros i remember but they were still pretty good links of fried dough.

waiting for sunset

from there it was back towards the mosque and to the roman bridge just behind it. honestly most of the bridge is no longer roman (probably in our best interest since we crossed it) but it was great to get a view of the mosque and the city behind. we tried to wait until the sun was fully down and we got a peek at the sunset but to no avail. we were worried about missing our guitar show so we headed back across the river and back to the restaurant we had seen before, el patio cordobès (another pretty direct name).

flamenco in the patio

the dinner (in other words the requirement for us getting a free flamenco show) wasn't bad but the main event was the music. it started off with just some guitar and foot tapping, then singing and clapping. eventually an older man joined in, with a raspy voice but obviously very passionate. the younger and older man took turns singing, the young one later coming in to dance. that was some very fancy footwork. they performed for what must have been at least an hour and a half and who knows how often they do this. it was clear they were very passionate. so, we didn't see any frilly dresses but we still got a great flamenco show, and without shilling out the 28€+ they charge at other places around town.

we were hoping to cap off our night with a bit of hookah, which we'd seen evidence of at the tea house earlier. we made it back there but sadly it was closed. guess we'd stayed too long at the flamenco show. instead we settled for buying a bottle of wine and drinking it on the roof of our hostel - complete with a very slight view of the giralda (bell tower). and so we rounded out the last of our hours in córdoba. i hadn't expected to, but i liked it even more than i remembered. it ended up being our favorite city on the trip - small enough to fully explore, with hidden treasures. a perfect reintroduction to spain.

seljuk sites

a rather uncomfortable overnight bus ride (i guess i got spoiled with those semi-sleepers to goa) and we woke up at the konya bus station. we made our way out and to the nearby tram stop. we took it a few stops and got off at the apartment complex our would-be couchsurfing host had arranged (he ended up being full but his friend elif was closer to the station so it worked out). we waited out front for a while, eventually found a payphone to get a hold of her (again, the whole no cell phone thing proving a hindrance) and soon were brought right up. elif had a great place, complete with a guest bedroom with a bunk bed. elif had to run off to work but graciously left us to rest and freshen up. we had a much-needed rest to make up for our night on the bus and then  left refreshed.

gardens over lunch

so we hopped back on the tram and after about 15 minutes found ourselves in the center of downtown. it seemed konya was quite a bit smaller than bursa. the center of town was quite nice. immediately to our right was a large outdoor cafe that looked like it belonged in vienna or next to an ice skating rink. in front of us was the central alaeddin hill, around which the town centers. we walked a little up and around the hill and continued towards the historic part of town. we were searching for a restaurant the guide book had recommended that had a nice view of the mevlana complex. we found it but they were evidently booked up with tour buses. thanks but no thanks. we found another place not too far and had it almost to ourselves (well, until a bus group showed up. i guess you can't avoid them.) the view, though, for our meal was lovely. we could see right over the walls into the grounds of the complex. turns out, rose gardens look pretty good from any angle.

those turkish roses

back to ground level, we followed the walls around to the entrance of the grounds. the complex, or mevlana dergahı, was originally the site of the rose garden for the seljuk palace. the seljuks, who predated the ottoman empire, settled both in anatolia and iran (obviously these were the former). i was particularly excited to see their former capital due to their penchant for using turquoise and black tiles. the conical tower at right being one of the most prominent examples. we spent quite a while taking pictures in the gardens and generally enjoying being surrounded by roses before making our way to what is now the mevlana museum. the museum is devoted to telling the story of the original whirling dervishes. they do so with life-size dioramas and text panels in the original cells where the dervishes would have stayed. it gave a pretty good impression of what their daily lives would have been like, not bad.

bells and stones

then we made our way into the mausoleum itself. the tomb was built for mevlâna jelaleddin rumî, commonly known as rumi, the sufi poet. he was also the founder of the order of the dervishes and so naturally his tomb became a rather important pilgrimage site, and consequently rather crowded. inside the building was quite elaborate - gold and decoration on every surface that glittered in the low light of the glass lanterns. and just outside, tombstones with carved calligraphy and surrounded by (guess what) roses and small fountain. unfortunately the selimiye mosque was closed for renovations. we took a final stroll through the grounds and made our way out.

famous candies

we walked up a smaller street, past stalls overflowing with bags and bags of the chalky white candies apparently famous to the city. a little farther on we passed a later, 18th century mosque. quite different in appearance, more like a church of the time. we passed on without going inside and continued back towards the big street that led to the hill. we stopped into an internet cafe to catch up on some things and i nibbled on some of the aforementioned candies. they taste exactly like you'd expect them to. we walked on, and on the way we noticed even the post offices and banks had colorful tiles built into their facades. i like that in a town.

ceiling tiles

our next stop, fittingly, was the tile museum. i was more than a little excited about a museum filled with tiles (just to reiterate here, i really like tiles). after paying a modest price we slipped in to the small museum, just a few rooms - formerly the karatay medrese (school). the walls were covered - well, almost covered, with tiles recovered from the seljuk era. that same turquoise and black, with all types of geometric patterns and kufic scripts. it's so striking - i often wonder why we only see iznik-style tiles reproduced today. i think the seljuk ones would be just as beautiful. the museum itself was small but had some nice literature on how and the tiles were made and what the common motifs were. during the seljuk era konya was a major center for glazed tiles and brick, which is evident in the extant architecture. in a smaller room there were examples of different one of a kind hand-painted tiles that often featured figures and animals, most in that distinctive eight-point star shape.

this doesn't quite capture it

we walked out into the museum's small courtyard that featured some lovely flowers and a sun-dappled leafy trellis. when we left we took a look at the impressive facade to the small complex. with its muqarnas niche over the doorway, dark stone patterns, and petals filled with script, it was quite elaborate. even better, across the street we found a little ice cream shop. we had been hoping to find a place, as i was having trouble putting into words the unique consistency of turkish ice cream. we paid more for the ice cream than we had for the museum tickets, but it was worth it for the experience. it had that signature taffy-esque, almost chewy quality to it. it actually broke my spoon! still quite tasty. oh, and the shop itself seemed to be an old little building too. nice in its own right.

incredible minbar and tiles behind

our next destination was back up the hill to the alaeddin mosque complex. the mosque wasn't much to look at from the exterior; with its plain walls it almost looked more like a castle complex. we went in what seemed to be the side entrance - there was a large door was in the middle of the adjacent wall and into the mosque. it was very plain inside, and looked surprisingly modern, in spite of the marble columns. kind of like a church basement. but then we got to the mihrab (it wasn't visible right away) - it was spectacular! that same marble muqarnas vaulting bordered by band after band of seljuk tiles. all kinds of patterns in those same two shades. and the size was just monumental. next to it was the wooden minbar (stairs) that was just as intricate - perhaps more. it was created with the kündekari technique, whereby a wooden structure is assembled using only fitted wooden grooves on the sides of each piece - no nails or glue. then of course each of those geometric pieces has elaborate carvings of interlaced arabesques. quite remarkable. (i had studied a similar piece earlier, if you're wondering why i know so much about this rather obscure practice.) as we were leaving we were informed that we were not supposed to take pictures (which we honestly didn't know - i say this despite my somewhat blemished track record); luckily i had already got what i wanted.

minaret in brick and tile

from there it was down the other side of the hill. we went off in search of an interesting looking mosque i had seen somewhere and, after wandering through a few side streets and consulting a few locals, we found the mosque on an otherwise unassuming street. it had quite a unique minaret, with patterns made in that distinctive glazed brick. the mosque was very small but had a nice little courtyard surrounding it.

yes, that glob is butter

we stopped for a bit and then made our way back towards that central circle. on the ring road we discovered a place that advertised knafeh. of course i insisted that we stop in. i've been drooling over thoughts of knafeh since the last time i'd had it in jordan. it wasn't quite as good as what i'd had in amman, but still good in its oily gooeyness.

by then we had just a few minutes until we were supposed to meet our couchsurfing host (the original one). we grabbed a table at the central cafe - the last one, though there were many - for some tea and postcard writing while we waited for görkem. after a few minutes he found us, evidently coming straight from work in his nice suit. he came bearing gift bags, full of pamphlets and info on konya.

konya from above

we followed him to the hace veys zade mosque, the largest and newest in the city, where we were meeting sally, another couchsurfer from montana. she was hard to miss - super tall with a short pixie cut. we popped into the mosque briefly, spacious and empty inside. after that we hurried off to the restaurant görkem had picked out for us; he wanted us to make it before the sun had set. when we got there we understood why. he took us to a revolving restaurant - at the 42nd floor of the seljuk tower (sort of a misnomer, obviously it's a rather new building). we made it in time for the sunset and took a walk around the observation deck. konya's not much from above but it was a nice way to get perspective on the city. once inside we were treated to what was a rather expensive meal (all on the company card) - we were each more or less instructed to order one of the traditional dishes on the menu. various combinations of spiced meat, peppers, onions, rice and baskets full of bread. it wasn't bad, although a less formal meal would have been more our speed. still, we'd never been to a revolving restaurant so it was novel if nothing else.

from there we left to meet elif and some other friends at an outdoor cafe. there were seats all around a lovely pond, illuminated with colored lights, complete with passing swans. we met the other group, about six of them were there already, and joined them for çay and hookah. we had a lovely time discussing this and that - traveling and impressions of turkey. around 11 or 12 we headed back with elif on the tram (and learned that the city apparently bought them from germany) to her place and promptly collapsed into our bunk beds.

so there you have it, a pretty perfect 24 hours in konya.

busy in bursa

not pictured: bread and tomatoes

after a great first day in istanbul i arose to an amazing sunday breakfast spread, courtesy of büşra's lovely roommate fatima. apparently she just likes to cook. a great quality in a roommate, i've always thought. the potatoes, cheese - really everything - was just delicious. a great way to start off another full day of sightseeing and traveling.

i bid farewell to büşra headed downtown to meet courtney. we hadn't planned every aspect of our trip (more exciting that way) so our first stop was to the information center - located, conveniently, in taksim square (how 'bout that) where we had a nice encounter with a very helpful employee. as it turned out we were able to take a boat most of the way to bursa, our first stop. we hadn't thought the boat schedule would work on a sunday but as it turned out, it was the cheapest and most direct route. and we got a boat ride out of it. so we hopped back on the tram, made our way to the little dock and had a few drinks at the little cafe while waiting. side note: our boat was continuously referred to as a 'bus', to the point that, when we were boarding, we weren't at all sure what we were in for. yeah, turns out it was just a boat.

surprise lunch companion

a very pleasant boat ride thanks to comfortable seats, dramamine and contraband chocolate (okay the chocolate wasn't prohibited in particular, just eating in the seats). before we knew it, we were in bursa. or at least on a short bus ride to bursa. we weren't exactly certain where to meet our couchsurfing host so we just went to the center and town and tried to find some lunch. we quickly found a place that fit the bill. we had some delicious iskender kebabs (the local specialty) and, as a bonus, an adorable puppy that popped out of a box and spent the remainder of our meal endearingly nibbling at our bags. i don't know what it is about lamb, tomato sauce, yogurt and bread that can be so mouthwatering. my money's on the grease. the people (in addition to the animals) at the kebab stand were very friendly and let us use their phone to contact our host. this whole not having a cell phone thing, very inconvenient. as it happened we had to get back on the tramline that we were on before (did i not mention that? right, we were on the tram) and head all the way to the end.

a hammam, perhaps? and that beautiful sky

our couchsurfing host, erdem, took us back to his place which as it turns out was filled with other students like him. they were from all corners of turkey and it was amazing how different they all looked, features-wise. courtney and i later took turns guessing which european country they could have each been from. we all relaxed and chatted a bit, and shared a meal they had prepared for us. erdem's surprisingly simple carrot dish was a sleeper hit. after our mid-afternoon meal we headed back into the city - with a short walk, shuttle and tram ride it was about an hour in all. then came the walking. from the center of town we headed uphill, enjoying sights of small brick mosques and a gorgeous sunset.

in a whirl

finally we made it to our destination, which ended up being the whirling dervish lodge, or karabish-i veli. (i say this because sometimes with our host's english/accent we weren't entirely sure where we were going sometimes. hm, that makes it sound weird) in any case, this ended being a fantastic outing. as we approached the building (which has recently been renovated and reopened) and surrounding gardens twilight was setting in and we had a few minutes to spare. so we enjoyed a leisurely a cup of çay amidst trees and roses (which seem to be everywhere!). then it was time for the ceremony. courtney and i were so delighted to get to watch - we had hoped to attend one of the whirling dervish 'shows' (as opposed to the ceremonies, i'm making the distinction) in konya but couldn't find a way to get tickets. luckily for us we had a host who took us to the real thing. we filed into the small building, taking off our shoes an climbing the stairs to sit in the women's section. our host stayed below, with the men (i'm still not sure who i think had the better view). the music began, and each of the devout began spinning, one by one. first with their arms folded, and then slowly raising them out and up. it really was mesmerizing - we were amazed at the way they could move so fluidly and in such perfect harmony. the youngest was probably no more than 13! truly incredible to witness. and i have seen quite a few religious rituals in the past year..

in the mihrab looking up

the next day it was another trek back into bursa and a full day of exploring. while at times it was odd having our host with us all the time, planning our day, ultimately he was indispensable in leading us to great sites in the city and navigating all over. we started off walking through the downtown and over a little bridge of shops, much like a smaller ponte vecchio (where we scored some cool jewelry!). then farther into the old city. oh did i mention bursa was the first capital of the ottoman empire? hence its appeal as a destination, famous kebabs notwithstanding. when i hear ottoman capital i automatically think beautiful architecture, so i was particularly excited. when we approached the first of our architectural sites i was pretty giddy. i mean, just look at those beautiful turquoises! (if you know me, you understand how i feel about tiles) the picture at right is from the mausoleum known as the green tomb, or the 'yeşil türbe'. it's a small octagonal building covered in glazed tiles. inside the tombs, walls, and niches are all covered with beautiful geometric tiles in turquoise and gold. we spent a good while exploring every one of those eight sides, probably to the chagrin of our good-natured host.

catnap

just across the way was the yeşil cami (cami, pronounced jami, meaning mosque - interesting because in india the jami masjid is the friday mosque. fascinating right?), a 15th-century mosque. outside was a lovely wooden fountain, complete with sandals for ablutions. and to cap off the picture, a cat taking a snooze on a carpet draped on a wall overlooking the city. we shelved our shoes (nice little cubbies, and everything. a welcome change from the massive piles in india), scarf-ed ourselves and went in. there was a friendly man inside who gave us an impromptu little tour. the building is an unusual t-shape, as opposed to the normal rectangular mosque. and the giant, tiled mihrab - exquisite! as it turns out the man has a ceramics business and has done renovation work for various sites and museums.

mosque and mihrab

naturally, he had a shop which we were invited to (i know, i know) but he seemed on the level and it wasn't far. plus, we're always up for shopping. it turned out to be a worthwhile stop. the building itself was several hundreds years old and just lovely - bright yellow walls, carved wooden ceilings. we got to see all the floors, including the top one which was devoted to only the finest carpets (his own personal collection, for the most part). there were beautiful ceramics, some hand-painted, some factory-made, all over the bottom two floors. we enjoyed perusing and left with a purchase or two.

tomatoes, pre-iskender

my mouth is still watering

 more walking, up hills and down, fortunately led by our trusty guide. past some newer smaller mosques and courtyards, near old cemeteries and through markets where we saw shining red tomatoes and cherries (a town nearby is famous for them), dripping honeycombs and that thin stuff they make knafeh with. finally we arrived at our next destination: lunch! another iskender kebab from one of the most famous establishments, bursa kebapçisi, or as we called it, 'the pink building '. the kebab was delicious but not tons better than the (much cheaper) one the day before. the view, though, on the garden terrace, was quite pleasant. after thoroughly enjoying our piles meat we continued on.

han by night

on our way back down the hill we made a stop in the balibey han. hans are markets, formerly known as caravanserais (one of my favorite words) and this particular one is quite impressive, primarily for its three-story arcade. we had passed it on our evening walk the night before and it looked quite impressive all lit up. this time, though, the little shops were open. it's now more of a collective of artisans' workshops. that makes it a coveted (read: expensive) space, but also a nice place to see a lot of turkey's traditional crafts in one location. we saw a lot of nice examples of ebru, or marblized paper (originating from turkey!), wood carving, calligraphy, puppets and more. we even shopped into a small glass studio where i got to make a bead. it was.. unique. swirly and orangey/blue. much harder than it looks, naturally.

karagöz and hacivat

we wound back through some of the other markets, including the larger covered one. we were on the lookout for karagöz shadow puppets. they're usually made of leather and were traditionally used for puppet shoes during ramadan. the show itself is named for one of the two most prominent characters (much like punch and judy shows) who are often making mischief. the puppet shows apparently began in bursa (as the story goes, during construction on the ulu cami) and not surprisingly the most famous puppets are from bursa. like many old cultural practices, their production seems to be fading (although the practice itself is now on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list). we had heard that there was one shop in the bazaar where we could find a family that's been making the puppets for generations. we managed to find the stall, karagöz anitkaci, only to find the owners missing. apparently the elder brother was out. this time when we went through we managed to track down a brother - or at least someone who indulged us with a brief show. short though it was, we could see the intricacy of the puppets' cut outs and how nicely the subtle colors shone through the white sheet. and, despite the language barrier, their antics made us chuckle too.

symmetrical calligraphy

by then we were quite close to the very mosque that gave birth to the puppets, the ulu cami. the mosque is quite large and rather spacious inside. it has an impressive twenty domes capping its ceiling and many windows. with the afternoon sunlight streaming in the center of the mosque was quite bright, while niches along the walls were more in shadow. also in the middle of the mosque was an ablution fountain, which i found very unusual but also strikingly pretty. we leisurely took in the quiet spaces of the mosque and i enjoyed deciphering the monumental calligraphy on roundels and plaques (which wasn't really that hard.. pretty much all of them said 'allah', 'muhammad' or the bismallah).

at this point we were pretty pooped from tramping all over. luckily erdem was there to decipher the bus schedule for us and pretty soon we were on our way back west. we weren't entirely sure what our destination was, although courtney and i had tried to express some interest in visiting a traditional hammam. there's a natural hot spring just outside of bursa, making it an ideal spot for turkish baths. there was a bit of a miscommunication which became apparent when we got off the bus. we were near a big fancy hammam/resort - not exactly what we'd had in mind. our host was confused as to why we wanted to see such a modern hammam and eventually we explained that we wanted to actually go in the hammam and use it (we even had swimsuits all ready). we got it straightened out and somehow - again, thanks to our friend - managed to find a women's hammam not too far down the road.

our ottoman hammam

this place certainly fit the bill. an old, unassuming brick building that had steps leading down to the entrance. and at 7TL (≈ $4), the price was right. our host took us to the door and did a little talking with the owner and her daughter, who spoke english and promised to call him when we were all finished. we felt guilty about leaving our host but, honestly, at that point he was probably anxious for a break from us. we went in to the large, tiled changing room that had three big stepped areas and hooks along the wall. we maneuvered into our bathing suits (we're all for authentic, but we have our limits), took some sandals from the floor and made our way through to the caledarium. well, that's the roman equivalent anyway. a small, steamy room with small marble tubs lined along the walls. each one had a small pitcher and a stool nearby, so we picked our spots. there were several older women who were already well into their steam baths, and they looked over at us with kindly smiles. they even indicated when we sat down at a faucet whose cold tap was broken. each had both hot and cold so you could regulate the water temperature that you're pouring over yourself. it was delightfully warm - i do love a good steam room. after maybe 30 minutes (it was hard to keep track of time) we popped out for a breath of cool air and back in for a few more minutes. once we felt nice and refreshed we made our way back into the changing room. on our way out we chatted with the mother-daughter pair who said the place had been in their family for hundreds of years. oh, and the hammam? seven hundred years old. it dates to the ottoman era! how's that for an authentic experience! (and i have to say much more comfortable than my last one..)

objects in picture may be large than they appear

when we met back up with erdem we discovered he had also made a visit to a men's hammam so everyone was feeling totally rejuvenated. and thirsty! i don't know that i've ever been so thirsty. i bought us two liters of water at a nearby convenience store and we quickly gulped down most of them. we hopped on the next bus and headed well, towards home we figured. we continued up into the hills, through woodsy areas and even past a few horses. we were utterly confused when we got off the bus at what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. we followed erdem up a little street, past a few informal vendors and arrived at the tree. ohh, the tree! we understood. earlier erdem had mentioned a famous old tree just outside the city - it was even pictured prominently on the map. we hadn't realized we were going there but it turned out to be an absolutely perfect outing. the tree itself - 600 years old - is, of course, enormous, with giant, sprawling branches and boughs that spread out low over a wide area. the locals have capitalized on the famous tree by making the space below into a lovely outdoor cafe. we saw families visiting from all over the middle east.

summer spread

and the snack of choice? summer fruits. red-yellow cherries, grapes, plums, apricots, strawberries and even what i think were gooseberries. they looked so delicious, gleaming the golden afternoon sunlight. the perfect way to rehydrate and refresh ourselves after our hammam visits. we washed our fruit down with some tea and enjoyed a nice conversation as we looked out over the valley. i think all that fructose made courtney and me a little giggly, but erdem took our goofiness in stride.

then it was back on the bus and towards erdem's place. by the time we got back we didn't have much time for dinner. we grabbed our suitcases and headed over to a nearby cafeteria. we managed to have a somewhat decent meal before hopping back on the bus. this time we were headed towards the station where we would catch our overnight bus to konya. though our time in bursa was quite brief we were able to see so much of the city - and lucky enough to visit unique places we would never have known about. all thanks to our friendly host. so thanks, erdem!