A quick note from Küçükkuyu

If I don't make this quick the rest of the family will be most annoyed. We're into our week at the Şamlı's summer house by now, and it's delightfully restful. The days go something like this:

5 a.m. - call to prayer from the local mosque. Hmmm - should we get up? It's almost light.... zzzzzz.

7 - Ron gets up. Should I join him? Hmmmmm - zzzzz.

9:30 - Get up & dressed. Sit on the lowest balcony sipping Nescafé (the only form of non-Turkish coffee around), reading and getting ready to face the day.

10:30 - Breakfast starts. Nothing fancy: tomatoes, cheese, olives, fresh bread, a kind of jam-like conserve that you dip bread into, eggs, cold meat, Turkish tea.

Noon - breakfast ends. Discuss what to do for the day (as though there's any question).

1 p.m. - head to the beach. Swim, tan (with SPF 30 lotion), read, drink tea, drink beer, play tavla (backgammon), learn Turkish, swim...

8 p.m. - back home for dinner prepared by the aunties. Nothing special, they say, just the world's best börek or barbecue or something similar. It looks like some sort of eggplant is underway today.

9 - eat

10 - finish eating

10:30 - fall into bed

Next day - repeat.

Not a bad life.

Our apartment in İzmir is all organized and paid for. We'll be back there towards the end of the month after trips to the Black Sea (cool) and Konya (hot). I have some pictures but can't upload them today. Göröşünüz! (see ya!)