Elizabeth's Surprise Was A Turkish Delight

Frig Yolu.  It sounds foreign to an English speaker.  I had to look it up in order to write this morning.  

Elizabeth, Ellie and Me

It’s a open, rolling-hill, gorgeous-view kind of place.  To add to its beauty was the quiet, rural culture. Sheep herding, farming--- the furthest thing from touristy.

My daughter Elizabeth told me she had a day planned for me the day after I arrived in Eskişehir, Turkey to visit her.  

I thought, “Ohhhhh, I’m still whirling from my trip from the U.S. and Germany to get here, I’ll never be able to appreciate the trip.”  

She said it was a surprise so I had no idea what was in store for me. When she described the “Hike” we were going to go on, I knew at least I wouldn’t have to deal with the shoulder-to-shoulder people.  Elizabeth knows adventure so how could it not be fun?

Ali with Ellie in His Arms

At the Train Station

We took an early train from Eskişehir with a friend, Ahmed, and a family of five Elizabeth invited to share our day.  I was introduced to Ahmed, a handsome young man and his cousin, Nawwar and family. His wife , Ashwak, and their three children, Ali, Hamid and Hassan.  The family doesn’t get a chance to get out a lot and Nawwar and Ahmed work long hours.  They are immigrants and awaiting asylum in America.

With Ahmed

It’s easy for me to communicate with children whether they speak my language or not.  I know the universal language.  The boys are adorable.

Ali and Hammid

When we got to our destination, the kids were ready to get outside.  The morning was beautiful!  Elizabeth had a huge Turkish brunch ready for us at a place called Frig Evi.  It’s a hotel near the train station.  It is about the only place of business in this small town.  

Women Enjoying the Sunshine by the Train Station

Sheep Grazing in the Lot Behind the Train Station

We sat down on the floor by a very large, black table.  The variety of fresh food was grand to say the least.  I love to hear Elizabeth speak Turkish.  Giving the owners directions on what we need and want, she’s in her element.  She previously made the reservation for us to have brunch there.

A Hungry Group, and the Food Kept Coming

Cut up tomatoes, cucumbers placed neatly on platters.  Many kinds of thickly cut cheeses. Slices of meat.  Cups of olives.  Small dishes of honey, homemade jams.  I think the most enticing was the freshly made butter.  There were croissants, sliced bread and enough hot, fried eggs for everyone (served in small, black, iron frying pans). 

The coffee was hot and was served with steaming, fresh milk.  The milk was as awesome as the butter.  We had enough food left over to make a picnic for us to take with us on our hike.

The gentleman who owns Frig Evi arranged with Elizabeth to drive us in his jeep to the area with the massive rock formations and planned to pick us later in the day.  He started getting busy and offered the jeep for us to drive ourselves so we’d have the vehicle for when we wanted to return.   

Yippee!  No one else had their driver’s license and Elizabeth wasn’t familiar with a stick shift.  I jumped in the driver’s seat and started the process of finding a memory, in the recesses of my mind, on how to use a stick shift.  It’s not just remembering, but getting the rhythm of shifting and letting up on the clutch without shaking all the passengers in vehicle over and over.

Elizabeth

The Jeep (the Donkey is Just Hanging Around)

I was in heaven.  In control of the driver’s seat and making people laugh and relax.  I didn’t need to speak Arabic or Turkish to communicate I was screwing up royally getting use to driving the jeep.  The funniest thing was I kept asking Elizabeth, “Now where do I go?”  She’d reply from the back, “I don’t know!  I can’t see a thing from back here.”  It makes me chuckle just to think about it.  

I can share pictures with my readers, but it would be impossible to relay to you how perfect this outing was.  The warm, dry air.  The smooth, cave-like formations everywhere.  Little lizards flitting around now and then.  Precarious footing in some places (and Ahmed saying, “Let me help you!” and I’m replying, “I don’t need any help, I can handle this!”)  

Ahmed 

I enjoyed talking to Ahmed as we hiked.  His English is very good and it felt good to get the perspective, first hand, of a young man who had to leave Iraq as a professor and is now working a menial job in Turkey, trying to support himself until he can get to America.  

As we came down the hills from our hike Elizabeth started talking to a Shepherdess.  I had no idea what they were discussing, but they seemed to connect immediately.  

The Young Woman with Ellie

Entrance to the Cave Dwelling

They connected as soon as they met

The young woman told Elizabeth she would show us her favorite place (explaining to Elizabeth it wasn’t much of anything to see).  It was a place her Grandfather had built long ago to camp in for the summers, while tending the sheep.  It also became a place for the animals to have shelter when the weather was bitter cold. 

If You Look Closely You Can See the Faces in the Window

When I entered the cave-like structure I couldn’t believe how the light was coming through every crack between the long, long, thin tree trunks.  It wasn’t hard to see why she loved to go there.  

There I am in the Window With the Shepherdess

Ahmed, Inside Structure

A Lot of Room to Camp Behind Elizabeth

Posing with the Younger Girl Through the Only Window

She left a younger girl (perhaps her little sister)  in charge of the sheep when she walked us up to the shelter.    We never would have experienced this without this young woman’s initiative.  (and without Elizabeth’s fluent Turkish)

Her Sister Eventually Came up to Meet Us

The less grandiose in an adventure, the more I love the experience.  Time slows down and my body feels human again, rather than a time-chasing humanoid, never catching up with my natural rhythms.

I love rocks, I love Turkey and I love adventure.

A Rock-Hugger

Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The population of the city is 685,135. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley.