I will be adding more images over the next few weeks!

Utilizing only my taste-buds and memory I recreated this very very “complicated” dish in our little kitchen.  Imagine a breakfast dish that’s a mix between and omelet and scrambled eggs.  Ha ha ha ha!  I jest that it’s complicated.  What it is, is delicious.  We’ve had it a few times now in different little cafes around our neighborhood, Cihangir, as well as across the Golden Horn in Sultanahment.  It’s really so yummy and simple, I just had to try.  And I succeeded!

Tomatoes, olive oil, hot peppers, eggs, and cheese, (bell peppers and/or onions – optional)

Add a little çay (turkish tea), bread, and the sound of morning prayers.  So Good.

Menemen at Elif Cafe in Sultanahmet

Turkish ice cream man outside Topkapi Palace. Dread tugging day!

A very insightful friend of mine wants to know: how many people ask to touch my dreads here in Istanbul?

Ramadan ended about a week ago.  We happened to go for a walk in Sultanahmet the day after it ended.  The streets were FILLED with people.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many people out.  There were major traffic jams on the sidewalk!

I was standing in line for an ice cream cone when I felt a tug on my dreads.  Somewhat stunned I looked back and noticed a young woman walking with her family – I don’t know why but I sensed it had been her.  She then turned around and stared at me intently.  My first dread encounter.

After that we began noticing how many people were staring at me.  Some with curiosity, many with disgust.  Of the latter most were women.  It was quite entertaining.  A few blocks later as we were accosted by a carpet seller a group of young women standing behind me began tugging on my dreads and asking me questions in Turkish.  It was bizarre.  Fortunately they were nice about it and one of them told me the dreads were pretty.  The staring continued for the rest of the evening.  Kenny told me that he had to “stare down” a number of women who were about to grab my dreads – wow.  At some point I began feeling overwhelmed by the attention.  Our last stop that day, a bakery across from the Blue Mosque, the man behind the counter asked me if my dreads were real.  I told him the truth, that they are not and that I did it for Burning Man (attempting to explain Burning Man – priceless!)  I also told him about the stares and tugging.  He explained they don’t see many people with dreads anymore, that about 5 years ago there were many tourist with this style of hair but not now.  Ahhhh Ha!   That explains it!

Well the dreads are out and no one stares anymore.  In fact, now I’m often asked if I’m Turkish.  How funny

Very important to know:      Tuvalet nerede?  (too*va*let ne*re*de)      where’s the toilet?

love,  ju

We’re coming up on the middle of our second week in Istanbul.  I had better get writing before the weeks blur and I forget what we did when!

London was wonderful but at the end of the week I think we were both ready to start the next leg of our adventure and having seen so much amazing art there, Kenny and I were ready to have brush in hand!

We arrived here Friday, 18 September.  We’re not residing in Sultanahmet or any of the neighborhoods that tourist usually stay.  Instead we chose to live in Cihangir neighborhood, which is across the Golden Horn from most of the main attractions.  This is the European area and the place that many ex-pats live.  It’s definitely more swanky, but not in an overly cleaned up way, more like how Venice CA is swanky – fashionable but with an edge.

Our first night was spent at a hotel.  Saturday afternoon we moved into our flat – both a bit anxious to see it.  We were counting on a view worthy of painting.  We were not disappointed!  From our balcony we look out the right over the Golden Horn at Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, and many, many other mosques.   Directly before us we see the Bosphorous and to the left the Asian side of Turkey.  We hear prayers broadcast 5 times a day.  The air is different here, warm and wet like Hawai’i but full of particles (dare I say pollution?) that make the most incredible sunsets….red, purple, yellow, grey, blue…..all at the same time.

We took Sunday off to unpack and rest.  London demanded such a hectic pace we were happy to just sit, look and be.  Monday we found our grocery store, our corner produce stand (I LOVE IT -open till midnight) and began painting, .  We’ve been painting every day since!

Gule gule!  Love, Ju

(good-bye)

Okay, this is my first attempt at a blog.  So far I would rate it as FRUSTRATING.  Pictures not in order, deleting and organizing is time consuming and not user friendly.

But ignore that.

I’ve made an album of some pics from our week in London.  It was fabulous!  Walking, art, pints, museum, walking, art, pints, friends, walking, pints, pints, pints, art, museum, art, pints…………….walking!  and then MORE GREAT ART!

London was great!

Waterhouse Restrospective at the Royal Academy was worth leaving Burning Man early.

Love,

Ju

She is currently seeking inspiration abroad.