This one started at 5:15 with a wake up call, which meant that I had an hour or so to conquer my fear of heights before taking my first -- and most probably last -- hot air balloon ride. Fear conquered, I can tell you this was a truly extraordinary experience. It's so peaceful and beautiful up there, I wondered why I was ever scared. A must try for everyone.
After breakfast, we headed out to the house of Ustun Bilgen-Reinart, a Turkish-Canadian writer and former CBC reporter who has returned to Turkey with her Québécois husband. They live part of the year in Cappadocia where they have restored a cave dwelling and turned it into a wonderful summer home. He now makes superb furniture, she's recently retired, and they both seem to be having a great time. Oh, and she's smart and lively. She'll be leading a seminar next year at Classical Pursuits Toronto on women writers of the Middle East. Having met her, I'm pretty sure it's going to be an exciting workshop.
Fom there, lunch at a small local hotel/restaurant where everything is cooked from scratch using local ingredients. This is a small village, so in fact it's the only place to eat in town. Best lentil soup I have ever had -- it's going to take me a lifetime to figure out how she did it, and an awesome carrot salad (I think this recipe might be close). Properly fed we went on to a local pottery master ... Maybe more on this later.
Back to our hotel, I had booked a Turkish bath and a facial, so I headed off gleefully for a few hours of pampering. Oh me, oh my. I walked out of there feeling like a wet noodle, in a good way of course. Promise to myself: must pamper myself more often. Shoes don't count.
There's much more, but sleep beckons. Ta.
After breakfast, we headed out to the house of Ustun Bilgen-Reinart, a Turkish-Canadian writer and former CBC reporter who has returned to Turkey with her Québécois husband. They live part of the year in Cappadocia where they have restored a cave dwelling and turned it into a wonderful summer home. He now makes superb furniture, she's recently retired, and they both seem to be having a great time. Oh, and she's smart and lively. She'll be leading a seminar next year at Classical Pursuits Toronto on women writers of the Middle East. Having met her, I'm pretty sure it's going to be an exciting workshop.
Fom there, lunch at a small local hotel/restaurant where everything is cooked from scratch using local ingredients. This is a small village, so in fact it's the only place to eat in town. Best lentil soup I have ever had -- it's going to take me a lifetime to figure out how she did it, and an awesome carrot salad (I think this recipe might be close). Properly fed we went on to a local pottery master ... Maybe more on this later.
Back to our hotel, I had booked a Turkish bath and a facial, so I headed off gleefully for a few hours of pampering. Oh me, oh my. I walked out of there feeling like a wet noodle, in a good way of course. Promise to myself: must pamper myself more often. Shoes don't count.
There's much more, but sleep beckons. Ta.
Sounds like you're having a good time!
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