I had to photograph this gorgeous cluster of pomegranate. They are cheap and plentiful in Turkey.
We arrived late the night before, got tucked into our cozy and warm rooms, then Hassan Bey had this beautiful spread for our breakfast the next morning.
Cappadocia is by far my favorite place in Turkey. It is also my favorite place to take my camera.
Here's my breakfast. Lots of color. Lots of nutrition. Lots of flavor! (Gozleme, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, bananans, strawberries, oranges, pomegranates, nuts, helva, and dried dates)
After breakfast, we met Hassan Bey at his rug shop so my Aunt P could see what he had.
All the rugs are beautiful. I guess I've never seen one I didn't like in Turkey. I thought this one was sweet, as it shows "village life" around the border.
This one is embroidered and shows Noah's animals.
Hassan has wonderful English, and I trust him to give fair prices, so he is who I recommend if a friend is in town and wants to buy a rug. He has some really funny lines to go with his rug-selling talk. Here he is showing us his "magic flying carpets."
Hassan is a strict Islamist. He has been very clear about that in the past. He certainly knows we are Christians. He has made several comments in the past about a "difference" in our family. We pray he will see Jesus in us. He explained many of his Islamic symbols in his rug. But then I spotted this rug on his shelf.
Look closely. It's full of crosses. He was pointing out the "tree of life" and my Aunt P and I were able to explain the tree in the Garden, the tree in Paradise, and the cross that bridges them both. He respectfully listened, then told us that these crosses were actually spindles. As I look at the picture of the entire rug, I have to wonder what the weaver wanted to communicate. If I were to buy a Turkish rug one day, this would be the one.
And so we went on with our day, full enjoying the early spotting of Spring....
...and the beauty of this place.
1 comment:
Just love these type posts.
Mel
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