Alaturca

After I so abruptly left the hotel in a fit of anger, vented in the direction of friends, and suddenly felt unburdened, I was in need of a place to stay. I wasn’t worried, as several people offered to put me up for at least a few days. My main concern was for my rabbits.

Let me back up for a minute. I brought the rabbits with me. Because the airlines allow dog and cats but not rabbits, Cenk, Shuppiluliuma and I took the night bus from Istanbul to Cappadocia. I didn’t want to ask my housemate to be responsible for them for a month, and I miss them when I’m gone. The trip was kind of rough. The bus people were very kind and let me check on them whenever we made a stop. On the way to Cappadocia, they were accompanied by several pigeons in a box stacked on top of their cat carriers. Maybe they were comforted by the cooing that resonated in the luggage compartment. My friends Taner and Nevzat made a huge, divided cage for them. I like to think they were quite happy in it.

Taner, as you may remember from an older post, is the owner of Alaturca Old Collection, a carpet, kilim, and souvenir shop not far from the Uçhisar Castle. (It’s not really a castle. More on that later.) He is partially responsible for my financial ruin; I buy kilims from him. In the evenings, I often went to Alaturca to relax, have dinner, maybe a beer or two. My Italian comprehension improved by listening to his friends who were visiting from Sicily, not to mention absorbing backgammon strategies. I especially like the atmosphere that Taner, his helpers and friends have developed in Alaturca. Of course, it’s a business and the goal of a business is to make a profit, and pay the employees and bills on time. Often, there is a high degree of pressure from carpet and souvenir sellers anywhere in Turkey. A walk through the Grand Bazaar is never without accosts from the leather, carpet, narghile, ceramic sellers. The approach here is quite different. Passersby are invited to drink tea, coffee, maybe a glass of local wine, to sit and chat, to give and receive tips on where to best see the sunset. No pressure. One French family was so pleased by the hospitality – they had arrived by chance while olives, cheese and wine were being passed – that they returned the following evening with wine from their own region.

This room is full of treasures: jewelry,
shawls, embroidered and embellished clothing...

Following my departure from the hotel “employ” (I worked in exchange for lodging and meals) Taner came to my rescue by offering me and the bunnies a place to stay in the pension above the shop. Without exaggeration, I had one of the best weeks of vacation at the pension. Italian coffee and Turkish pastries for breakfast. Freedom to come and go unchained from my computer. Puttering. Making jewelry and playing with decorations from Turkmeni brides’ headgear. I especially loved the kitchen. It’s simple, but big. I cooked. Everyone ate happily.

From across the street

Taner and Ferhat

We drank raki with melon, a happy combination.

We ate many dinners under the awning.

Every morning, Ali and Nevzat set up all the
tables and trays, hang kilims, roll out the felt rugs...

Every night, they put everything inside.

Balloon over Uchisar

Early one morning, I heard an odd noise, like a large welder’s torch, from somewhere above. A handful of balloons were following the wind over Uçhisar.

Before

Before
One fine day, after I had bought an antique nomad milk filter for too much money (I knew it was a little pricey, but it made me really happy) Taner informed me that he had rooms upstairs full of old things. I was welcome to dig. And dig I did. One fine morning, when it wasn’t too hot, I took it upon myself to pull everything out of the storage bin and spread it out on the roof. I found countless treasures: chains for horses, stirrups, balances, wooden tools, farm tools, wooden boxes to hang on the wall for holding spoons, old mouse traps like cages, a beekeeper’s mask, a mess of old embroideries, parts of old spinning wheels, keys and locks… We hooked up the hose and I washed metal plates, bowls, trays and odds and ends, stacking them on the ledge under the nomad tent awning while greeting anyone who passed below. I got really dirty. It took me three days to put everything back. I’m going back over Ramazan Bayram to hang pots and pans from the beams and rusty shearing scissors on the walls. Someone’s got to do it.

After