shopping anyone?!

shopping in turkey is everything i thought it would be ... and i've only been to one shopping district!  my second weekend here, my new friend peter took me shopping in the district called Ulus.  Ulus is definitely where it's at.  you've seen this kind of shopping on tv ... walking down the cobblestone sidewalk with vendors on both sides of you ... with carpets or cloths draping a few feet above you.  taking a shortcut that leads you up a set of narrow stairs and it looks awfully dark and scary thru that passageway.  (i don't know how many times i told peter i didn't want to die ... and if i did i would be really pissed.  but he knew exactly where he was going ... or so he said.)  the vendors outside of their shops working on their trade craft ... one old man was sitting outside of his store "stamping" a copper bowl with his tools ... i bought it right away.  there's just so much to look at and see.  we didn't even cover all of Ulus ... prolly because it sits on a nice steep hill and we were about to pass out.  (ankara is nothing but hills ... makes for a good butt!)  here are some pictures of the day ...

(and don't forget to click ON the picture ... makes for a much better view!)

my first store ...

i wanted to buy them all ...

the turquoise is beautiful ...

say hello to peter!

another frickin hill ...

mostly nuts and dried fruits ...

i bought a mix of almonds, cashews, and dried cranberries ... yum!

beautiful view ...

can you spot the mosque?

i live right by the stick in the sky on the left ...

just a neat building ...

fully dressed is more common in this district ...

she was a neat old woman ...

such a cool view ...

the above dishes are the ones i purchased.  this is how i found out i had a balcony ... peter suggested better lighting on the balcony.  and that led to a very interesting conversation ...

living the life ...

well i am finally here.  after waiting impatiently for over a year, i can officially call myself an expat who lives in turkey!  getting ready for this moment was something else ... and i'm pretty proud of myself that absolutely no tears were shed, no temper tantrums were thrown, and no anxiety meds (aka taco bell) were taken!  bahahahaha ... yeah right!  this move was a beast!  luckily i had friends to help keep me (somewhat) sane and a very nice mommy who flew cross-country to help organize the many piles of my life.

yes ... that's everything that is coming with me (although a lot more items were added to the pile after this photo was taken).  but for now it's just a photo to enjoy and gaze upon until the boxes arrive ... and then the memory will be replaced by that of a diet coke-drinking crazy woman who just sits in the middle of the chaos and talks to herself.  mom ... when are you coming to help visit?!

but i know what you're really here for ... to see pictures of the new place!  i live in a mansion that could fit an entire family.  so to fill the place up, i guess i'll just have to go shopping and buy dishes.  don't mind if i do!  it's a furnished 2 bedroom/2.5 bath and has two balconies.  one i knew about and one i didn't ... until a few days ago.  my new friend mentioned taking pictures off the balcony but was headed in the wrong direction ... so after an interesting conversation i learned i had a second balcony.  who knew?!  now these pictures do not do any justice to the glory of my place.  but alas ... they will have to do!  the city is known as the city of beige ... so i guess that applies to apartments as well.  no worries though ... i'll be sprucing up the joint with some color soon.  i just gotta remember it's only week two and it'll take some time.  unless my mom comes soon?  mom?!

so that's my apartment in a nutshell!  i have already done some rearranging and purchased a few items to help make it home.  but once my belongings arrive ... it's game on!  hope you enjoyed the tour!