Far Left : View from hotel in Istanbul
Top : Farmer ’ s Market Right : Spice Bazaar
Turkey
The Tates visited four of the most well-known landmarks in Turkey : the Blue Mosque , the Hagia Sophia , the Hippodrome ( now called Sultan Ahmet Square ), and Topkapi Palace .
“ In Istanbul , we saw the Pera Palace Hotel where Agatha Christie stayed while she wrote The Orient Express ,” Jennifer said . “ There is a series of three walls around Istanbul , and the people do organic farming between the walls .”
“ Ephesus was fascinating . While we were there , we met an archaeologist who was excavating a site . There are mysteries yet to be uncovered in that ancient sea port .”
From there , the Tates went to Morgan Hill ’ s sister city , Seferihisar . Mayor Soyer is taking steps to make it Turkey ’ s first “ slow city ” in the global “ cittaslow ” movement . It ’ s an effort to embrace a simpler , slower lifestyle that honors local culture and traditions while preserving quality of life rather than succumbing to the high-speed , homogenized character of global urbanization .
Recently , Mayor Soyer opened a fresh market in a former castle at the city ’ s center so that local merchants can sell local produce and hand-crafted items . Soyer ’ s wife Neptune is working with local women to bring back Turkish traditional cooking recipes . “ Spending time there and getting to know the local people on a personal level was my favorite part of the trip ,” Jennifer said .
The Soyers and Seferihisar ’ s governor took the Tates to a popular restaurant where they enjoyed a hearty dinner of fresh fish and curried vegetables , sesame seed bread , eggplant and humus , and fresh fruit desserts as well as Turkish pizza topped with minced lamb , cheese and tomatoes .
“ In a word , delicious . Every dish was delicious . I also brought home some aromatic spices from the spice bazaar that I ’ m eager to try in my kitchen .”
Jennifer and Mayor Tate enjoyed time on the riverboat too . Music and dancing was a regular feature of the evening entertainment while cruising along the Danube . “ We learned a local folk dance done while holding hands in a circle . It ’ s similar to the hora , which is a favorite in Romanian and Israeli folk traditions . What can I say ? It was delightful .”
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 gmhtoday . com