a good weekend in ankara

after a very low-key friday, we spent last saturday out and about with friends.  over dinner the weekend before, our friends asli & mehmet had suggested that we introduce each other to our favorite parts of ankara.  on saturday morning, they invited us to join them in ulus, at a little tea cafe for breakfast.  this place was far off the beaten path, and we never would have known it was there if they hadn't shown us.  it was chilly but we warmed up by eating the most delicious, fresh variety of gozleme (pastries with cheese, eggplant, minced meat, and feta) and tea.  we finished up with a cup of turkish coffee.

after breakfast we spent some time exploring a few shops, one in particular where asli and i bought old prints for a steal.  then asli took my to her 'carpenter guy.'  the guy owns a shop where he sells refinished turkish wooden antiques.  asli had commissioned him to create a cabinet for her from an old piece of carved wood.  while we were there i noticed several antique trunks.  one of them he opened for me, demonstrating how a little bell would ring when you turned the key.  it was a 'mother-in-law' trunk, he explained, where a bride's dowry would be stored.  the bell was so your mother-in-law knew when you tried to sneak a peak-- i'm glad this isn't used anymore!

we walked around the corner from the shop to what looked like a little storage unit.  there an older man (the father of the carpenter-guy, they run a father & son business) showed us the raw antiques they had in store.  when i saw this trunk sitting outside, with old wooden suitcases piled on top, i fell in love.  

the intricate copper designs are incredible!  that is a tiny mirror right in the middle, for good luck.  when i asked how much for the trunk, he told me 170 lira (this would include the purchase of the trunk, plus having them clean & restore it).  that's roughly $120!  i think i'm going back for this trunk.

we ended our time together in ulus with more food... this time at a meatball (kofte) restaurant.  by far the best kofte in ankara...

saturday night we were off to tom & lisa's for a halloween-themed dinner party.  tom cooked his famous ribs and served us 'bloody' pomegranate martinis.  we had a great night together with friends.

by sunday, ben and i were pretty wiped out ('that's what happens when you drink' grandma explained to us), but grandma had her own plans.  as soon as she got up, she got busy in the kitchen making her ici borek-- a pastry stuffed with minced meat and vegetables.  i of course helped, and we had fun working together on this relatively intricate process.  

cutting the hamur (dough)

sealing the first borek

i rolled out the dough balls & filled them, but grandma didn't think i was going fast enough

i could barely keep up with grandma!  she's had years of practice, of course.

grandma's getting way ahead of me

grandma finishes up the frying while i drink some much needed coffee

we enjoyed a delicious breakfast together & spent the rest of the day puttering around the house.  a good weekend, all in all. 

tonight we are packing and early tomorrow morning we'll depart for roma for a long weekend... we'll be sure to raise a glass of vino rosa de casa to you all, and post plenty of pictures when we return!