Alman Köprüsü

Last week my host mom arranged for us to have a little picnic. Now, I realized a while ago that a the Turkish "piknik" is not at all the same as the picnics I am used to . A"pikniks" usually includes a barbecue, sausage, a pot to make tea over the grill and Raki (the national alcoholic beverage of Turkey). There may also be a lot of driving and little to no walking. I wasn't really sure what to expect when my host mom told me we were going to the Alman Köprüsü (German Bridge) but the other Americans were coming and it was supposed to be pretty. I had no idea where we were going, I thought the bridge was in Adana which turned out not to be the case at all, it was over an hour drive. So goes the life of an exchange student, we almost never have any idea where we are going, which is kind of nice, a sort of surprise.

We pulled off the road at around midday, and the second we got out of the car we started sweating. It was so warm! I feel as if I looked away and summer showed up. As I write this it is about 8:30 and I am sitting on my balcony in only a t-shirt and jeans, something that on San Juan even in summer is  rare. We were all a little bit giddy getting out of the car because the surrounding sight was so beautiful! The drive out was nice too, lush green valleys and rolling hills, but the view of a small gorge with a clear blue river rushing down was so gorgeous. As we started walking in we were amazed that so close to Adana was such a beautiful sight and that we had not only never been there but had never heard of it. We only walked for 20 minutes or so along the water, but the trail kept going. We were eager to explore but our host mothers turned us back to the car. I think we were so excited because it had been so long since we had spent time in nature. It is fun to live in a city but coming from a place as visually and naturally beautiful as San Juan Island it can feel a bit desolate.

After the mini-hike we went the actual Alman Köprüsü that was built about a hundred years ago for trains to pass, and it still used today. It is a beautiful stone bridge and I've read that it was built over a century ago, but I was never able to get a clear answer.  We ate lunch in a nearby village where one my host moms friends showed us around and who's family made sıkma, a very yummy Turkish meal. Sıkma is dough that has been rolled out into a very thin flat circle and then cooked on a sort of dome shaped grill heated from beneath. They use a long stick to flip it over and over again. After being fried they add cheese and butter, potatoes, or a spinach mixture and heat if up again. Sometimes they are made with sugar or honey as a dessert and they are equally delicious. My American friend Sahalie and I are planning on making them this year at the fair if we can work out the logistics!

All in all it was a pretty wonderful day, and the cherry on top was getting a package from my mom without even having to go to the post office! Being outside and seeing some more of the beautiful and natural things Turkey has to offer was a nice change and  got me excited to see some more, hopefully that will be possible in the next few months.