The villas are mostly two storey, though some have been modified with a third floor, either to accommodate extra grand-children when they visit or for sleeping quarters of the “household help”. Most of the residents (well, resident for a few months over summer, arriving no earlier than 15th June as that is the start of summer (!)) are very well-off and regularly grace the business and social pages of the regional and national newspapers.
The swimming pools are the focus of Aylin and Selin's days. The weather is really hot – ranging from 32-35 degrees most days with some getting up to 45 degrees! It is fairly humid a lot of the time, so the coolness of the water is greatly appreciated. I prefer the sea, myself, but they are not fond of the jellyfish – except for Selin to lay out in patterns!
A few days ago, we went into the nearby city of Bursa, on a day with 45 degree temperatures. We had planned on a long play in a park in the city, but after we'd finished the few errands we really wanted to do (get some books and magazines, have some meatballs at a famous restaurant and find out about the times of the Karagoz puppet performances, with a side trip to one of my favourite fabric places just to check it is still there!) it was too hot and we decided to just catch a bus back to the villa.
The roads are always very crowded – one reason why I choose NOT to drive in this country. Another is that the road toll is horrifically high – I haven't found an authoritative figure, but every day's newspapers carry stories of multi-vehicle collisions with the injured and killed often numbering over eight or ten.
So I always look past the road and traffic and off into the distance. This region is famous for its olives and peaches and the orchards ramble across the undulating hills and snuggle into the valleys everywhere except the soggiest of areas.
extra points for identifying the animal in the foreground of this picture!
We eat the olives for breakfast and the peaches as often as I can buy them. The best peaches are about the size of both my fists together, with downy skin that slides off and juicy juicy yellow flesh. They are sweet – and juicy, did I mention that? LOL They smell of summer and hot fields, slightly cooler shadows and long lazy days. The flesh is delicate and spoils easily, so they are best bought and eaten the same day they are picked. There are numerous little stalls along the roadside where the farmers peddle their fruit to passers by. The peaches are sheltered under umbrellas and makeshift canvases to keep off the sun and then they are arranged in a variety of shapes and patterns, flat or even three dimensional. Sorry, no pics of these as they flash by so fast that I can't get a good shot out the bus window!
I buy our peaches from the grocer who comes by in his rusty old truck most days. Today we are feasting on fresh cherries – large red sweet juicy cherries for the princely sum of approximately $3 per kilogram...
And that will have to be it for now!
