Lunch in a village on the way to Izmir, Turkey

Another busy day on our tour of Turkey. After a great breakfast in the Kolin Hotel (didn't we just eat dinner?), we boarded our tour bus for the drive to Izmir, where we will stay for 2 nights. The drive was 4 hours, after about 1.5 hours, we stopped for a restroom break, coffee and gift shopping. Turkey highways have gas stations catering to tour buses, usually with stores that have modern bathrooms (although some of the bathroom stalls have squat toilets). I did not get a photo of the rest stop from the outside, but below are some of the knick knacks, including evil eye keychains, and handcrafted products on sale in the store.

We had lunch in a small Turkish village (wish I had asked our tour manager for the name of the village). We were told that the head of the village worked with Gate 1 to offer a glimpse of village life, and a simple home cooked meal. Our big bus drove into a narrow street with small concrete buildings. The place was very quiet, we were greeted by a small group of ladies in typical Turkish dresses, a few were setting up small tables with crafts for sale. Metin (our tour manager) divided us into groups of eight, and we were led by one lady each into their homes.

Our group's hostess was a lady, probably in her 60's (I wish I remember her name) and her "Mama". We went into their home, took off our shoes, and was ushered into a small living room with some tables pushed together. Lunch was fabulous, a simple but flavorful meal, clearly home cooked. Despite the language barrier we managed to communicate, somewhat. Our hostess told us what was in each dish and that everything was organic. She also told us something about her family. There was a very lovely wedding photo of her daughter who works in Ankara (I think) and she asked us where each of us were from.

Above: Mama in the kitchen, plating our meal. We were told by gestures that Mama made a number of the dishes.

Starter: Lentil and yoghurt soup, with fresh sourdough bread

Main dish (vegetarian): Bulgur seasoned with tomatoes, borek with cheese and spinach, dolma, grilled eggplant with tomatoes.

Dessert: home made baklava (quite different from the ones seen in the stores)

And to finish off, Turkish tea in their iconic glasses, served by our hostess. Below is a shot of the back of the house where the squat toilet was located.

We all enjoyed the lunch, not just the food but also the local hospitality. We thought this was a highlight of the tour, away from the historic and touristy places, to experience the peaceful countryside and talk to the villagers. Everyone was so friendly, I even got to say hello to the village chief, and told him we appreciated the hospitality (he did not speak English, so Metin translated).