The Garden and then Adventuring out on my Own!

Saturday started off with a delicious breakfast of fresh made scones! Wow! Further evidence that Doug is amazing! After breakfast, Doug and I headed out to do some shopping for dinner! Everything, I was led to believe is "just around the corner!". Nothing was particularly far and I soon realized that just around the corner is a relative term, but is meaningful for those who are used to walking. We ventured out to the grocery store, the Turkish market and then to the Turkish grocery store.

I was fascinated by all the memorial markers there were throughout the city. For example, where ever a Jew who was killed was known to have lived, they place a marker in the sidewalk out front of the home.

When we got back to his apartment, I confirmed that we were just dropping off our purchases before heading out to true garden. That being the case, I elected to wait at the bottom of the 75 steps for Doug to return! Soon, he and Ella were ready to head off to the garden!


The garden! Doug and Julien have a garden that is simply wonderful. The only down side is that it is about a 25 minute walk from their apartment. They lease a guarded that is a quite a nice size. It is in a community garden area so they have garden neighbors. They are require to use a certain percentage of the land for "useful" plants, such as fruit, vegetables, and herbs! They have decided to not have any grass (which is considers ornamental), but to instead use the space for flowers. They have a beautiful variant of plants and it was wonderful to see Julien, especially, enjoying the whole process.

I left the garden and Doug got me to the train station so that I could venture back into the city by myself. I was a little concerned since I don't speak the language and didnt want to be one of THOSE Americans who expect everybody to speak English.

My first stop was the information center which is beneath the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It was an incredibly powerful exhibit. From there, I needed some relief so I set out to find something for my mom as well as postcards. Mission accomplished and the. I passed a Dunkin Donuts, where the donuts are labeled just like they are at home! Comfort food, following a very painful Memorial.

I walked back to where Doug and I had been the day before, and took it all in. It is humbling being in a different country with a different language. I am constantly reminded of how arrogant I am as I am constantly surprised that everything is not in English. I made my way back to the train and headed to the apartment.

Boy can Doug cook! He made a wonderful pork roast with small potatoes, and white asparagus. The entire meal was wonderful!