Day 39: Smelling the Roses

Day 39: Smell the Roses

Place: Amazon Antique Hotel Garden, Selcuk, Turkey

Time: 18:41

Thought for the day: 

There is a crack, a crack in everything.

Its how the light gets in.

- Leonard Cohen

Rewind to Tuesday, the 8^th May when we arrived.

My heart be still…

I forgot to mention that as Craig and I were ambling through the streets of Selcuk after his marathon nap, we ran into one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and this time I was not going to miss out on it.

We were given a 2^nd chance, a 2^nd chance to sample the wonderful tastes of a Korean Restaurant. In my excitement I grabbed Craig and we darted across the busy highway to check it out and make sure it was the real deal. As we entered, there was a table of about 8 adjushies (old males) enjoying lunch with soju (Korean vodka tasting drink-potent stuff). Craig and I looked at the menu and decided that we would save our hungers for Thursday the 10^th of May to enjoy the full Korean experience.

Fast Forward to today, Thursday 10^th May

Blues skies, Tekkies, sunblock, IPod, long concrete path, rows of mulberry trees guiding me and a smile…this is the way I started the first 40 minutes of my day as I attempted to jog but found it was more of a shuffle…it was beautiful.

We made our way to a much anticipated breakfast of yoghurt with cherry preserve (my new favourite), while Craig loaded up on an omelet, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and sesame bread (he has become a true turk in the mornings).

We strolled to the Mosque of Isa Bey along the cobble stone roads, climbed the stairs and found a tranquil garden amongst old pillars with the prettiest flowers growing in-between the cracks in the walls. It was enchanting and picturesque. In the far distance we could see people looking down at us from a castle on the hill, so we made our way up the hill, stopped to chat, walked some more and then stopped to smell the roses on the side of the road before entering the St John’s Basilica (well the remains of). Unfortunately the castle was being restored, so we couldn’t get in, but we were happy to appreciate the broken pillars and walls with the overgrown bushes and exquisite flowers growing everywhere, making sure to take loads of pictures of course.

All this walking deserves a treat, and it was at last time to take my husband to ‘Korea’ for an hour or 2. 

I was so exited, nervous, apprehensive and an absolute ‘stressball’ on the way to the restaurant as I would absolutely love it if Craig became a fan of the spicy fermented cabbage (kimchee), pickled vegetables (yatche), grilled beef (galbi) and rice, but it’s a gamble and you know me, I stress about everything. We walked in and found a table and in my best Korean I ordered the Galbi with all the trimmings. Whew, no turning back now, just to enjoy the Korean experience. To my horror, the waiter came back to inform us that there was no Galbi L. With my heart broken, I said that it was too risky to order anything else on the menu, so we left….somewhat relieved I must admit though.

So off to the town center we went, but this is no ordinary town center. It is cute and has a relaxed ambience, which makes you want to sit on the side and just watch. Which was exactly what we did. We found a quiet place where Craig sipped on a beer, I gulped down a coke and we snacked on some popcorn as we watched the school kids walk passed, women shopping and men playing board games with a cay (Turkish Tea).

The waft of freshly baked bread and biscuits from a nearby bakery carried us to their doors and we bought a couple of nit bits with sesame seeds, soft biscuit with sugary toppings and together with more Turkish delight headed home for a nibble and nap.

It’s quite sad having to pack our bags again and leave. Selcuk has been such a lovely little town, and we will miss its ‘personality’ but it’s off to Pammukale tomorrow on route to Fethiye to revel in more and more of this remarkable country.