What Fills My Plate

No Matches Needed, Works Everytime! Sometimes on a trip you have a Marco Polo experience.   We all want to be in pursuit of something new and different.   Two years ago my wife and I  thought we would find it hiking to the famous fire holes called, Chimera Yanartas.   This is a special place where fire comes out of volcanic holes, you could actually barbecue a chicken over those.  You have to climb a steep hill, on a rocky path, not for seniors.  However,  before the steep path, along the dusty road,  we had a real hit and run moment .  Gozleme It was a pleasant walking where along one side of the road were small farms, while on the other side was complete wilderness.   The only sound were the cicadas and the putt putt of an old tractor.  We passed a very  old cemetery and then a mosque and orchards covered with blossoms.  Rounding the bend we see a home made sign proclaiming “gozleme”.   We had enjoyed e...

Personal cooler Today’s blog post is dedicated to my readers, I know you are hoping for something to read something a bit more exciting than watching a chess match.    My confession?   At times while writing I really feel like a goat-herder in a foreign land.   My English teachers never favored my prose!   I didn’t try hard enough.  Are you old enough to remember Casey Stengel?    He said it best, “Without losers, where would the winners be?”   I never liked the Yankees, but Casey was quite a character.  Only Yogi could top him. That’s Yogi Berra, for any of you under 55.    Herb Vendor Today, it is the people.  The  spirited people we met in the past few weeks are working on me.  These are people who make you feel that they are not thinking,  come back when you can’t stay so long .  They are  super friendly, gratified to talk about their work and life.   I really enjoy stopp...

Kazan, Russia Growing up in the 50’s I never thought I would ever sleep in the home of a Russian person.  We were taught to expect the worst between our countries. The silly  practice of diving under our desks at school to protect ourselves from the nuclear blast, did not make for positive thoughts towards the Soviet Union and the Russian people.   Yet, trends have evolved over time, the sea has calmed and now, regardless of the leaders, the internet brings everyone closer together. Here we are, carried like a tornado in the Wizard of Oz, into the warm home of our Russian friends, Albert and Alfiya, and we apply a branding iron to our friendship.  Albert and Alfiya are  real stars,  unofficial ambassadors of Kazan in Tatarstan.   Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan, and the eighth largest city in Russia.  Alfiya, Orietta and Albert We were treated to three wonderful days with long conversations where we learned so much about the day...

Turkish Baglamas Hanging From Ceiling I am a people watcher.  The people we met during our vacation were a real source of peace.   There were so many “regular” people, ones trying their best to make a go of it, and spreading a little kindness on their way.  That’s refreshing as we are all trapped inside a big space that media controls, and we tend to see the negative aspects of the world. I would like you to meet a few “normal” people in the next few posts.  For readers who come here to learn about Italy, I apologize for the deviation, but I feel a need to discuss the people I met during my vacation.  With so much hate in the world being shown on a day to day basis, it’s good to have a down to earth look at our fellow world citizens.  We have especially been watching Turkey these past few months.  The average working people are real stars, they work hard to have a better life, they do good things for the world, and they desire peace for all. ...