my first hamam

what is a hamam you ask?  it's what is known as a turkish bath and is quite traditional.  even children go to the hamam!

my first time at the hamam was about a month ago.  a girlfriend invited me to the swiss hotel spa and we got a spa package known as "The Power of Zeus."  It consisted of a fabulous 60-minute massage, 30-minute foot scrub, and the hamam.  this is the hamam from our spa ... click here! and this is how it works:

you can wear a bikini, you can go naked, you can go in your underwear!  and that's exactly what i did ... i stripped down to my undies and then they placed a cloth over the girls and tied the cloth in the bath.  now this is all done in a marble steam room ... so he laid me down on the marble (left-hand side of the octagon in the picture) and started to toss water on me from the sinks lining the wall.  then he came over and started loofah-ing me all over with a pretty good/harsh scrubber.  then he brought me to my marble seat next to the sink and started pouring water on me with a big bowl.  then brought me back over to the marble octagon and started bathing me.  that man flipped me every which way and got into every nook and cranny ... but it was awesome!  then he brought me back to my seat and proceeded to dump more water on me to rinse off the soap.  then he gave me a good hair shampoo ... scrubbed behind my ears and everything!  then he poured more water on me and by this time i'm in full giggles.  i can't believe how weird this is ... how awesome this is ... and i can't believe it's happening to me!  then the giggling stopped as the water got colder with each dump ... i was gasping by the end!

i have now done it twice ... and both times at the same spa.  the first time i was in there alone but the second time there were spa members scrubbing themselves ... i tried to give them their privacy but i couldn't help sneak a few peeks!  rumor has it that if you go to a non-spa hamam ... as in old school turkey hamam actual building ... they scrub until you have no skin.  i'll stick with the spa!

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!

two items in one ...

boy ... this blog list is sure asking a lot from me.  two items in one posting?  sheesh ...

today is all about a song and a photo to match my mood.  the tricky question is ... what kind of mood am i in?  i was supposed to have a 60-minute massage and only received a 30-minute massage.  granted i still got a massage but 30 minutes is just a tease.  does that make me irritated yet relaxed?  but then i had a nice warm meal from panera bread that filled my tummy just right ... so does that make me snuggly and sleepy?

yeah ... i'm not sure either.  so i'm going to go with my new favorite song that makes me very happy.  it's like a laid back hard rock song.  that makes sense right?  click the below link to rock out with your ... well ... just click on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWVP1xGuwbs

i just tested the link and listening to the song (again) made me very happy.  i hope y'all enjoy it as much as i do!

and now for a picture to match my mood.  i've decided that i'm in a good, cuddly, cozy place.  and for some reason ... when i think of cuddly and cozy i think of my couch.  prolly cuz i rely on that corner spot to relax me, unwind me, sedate me, take care of me.  i heart my couch.

i'm digging the ambiance.  and it fits my mood, at this moment, perfectly.

funniest topic EVER

i cannot stop laughing.  does this list not know who i am?!  i mean really ... talk about the wedding of my dreams?  my abs are sore from laughing so hard ... i've probably burned about 100 calories over this one!!  let's see ... the wedding of my dreams.  well considering i'm intent on staying single ... my dream wedding looks like this ...








nothing.  blank.  but thanks anyway!

a very exciting day 6

this picture just makes me happy.  which is a good thing since today's topic is a photo of an animal i'd like to keep as a pet.  i can totally envision this cute lil guy as the man in my life ... as long as he stays this size.  can you see it?  it's a cool spring day ... a blanket is laid out on the green grass ... large diet coke in one hand ... warm fresh-baked brownies in the other ... and this lil guy running towards me!  it makes my heart melt a little.

day 5 ... on day 8

my apologies for leaving y'all hanging ... i know you've been waiting on pins and needles awaiting my return!  my back had decided to go out (again) and i made an emergency chiro appointment in DC and didn't feel like schlepping my computer around when my back was hurting.  so i'm a few days behind ... but i'm still committed!  so let's do this ...

a picture of me from two years ago.  these pics were from crue fest (as in motley crue) and we got caught in a torrential downpour.  did you notice my super powers in the first pic?  the girls form a shelf to keep the lower half of me dry!  i don't know about you but i think that's pretty freaking amazing!  the concert was loud and awesome ... and having my head-banging friends with me made it even better!!  I WANNA ROCK!