Konya

I've made it as far as Anatolia!
From now on I'm further west than ever before. I've been to Turkey before, but only to Belek, a tourist centre. The holiday was nice, but there was absolutely no cultural exchange to speak of, because we spent our days at the breakfast buffet in the morning, by the pool in the afternoon and in the bar in the evening. Times are changing. 😊

Just had a nice chat with Mohamed at the hostel reception. I asked him about the ingredients for breakfast and he looked deep into my eyes and then said in a whisper: ‘Breakfast is - he cleared his throat - and got even quieter - bad’. He said he couldn't speak out loud and nodded his head in the direction of the surveillance camera. I nodded knowingly and went on my way. I found my favourite breakfast at Sofi's around the corner - a delicious omelette with cheese and vegetables.

There's a Turkish proverb that says: ‘May the pears fly into his mouth roasted.’ It means that someone is very lazy. I'm not that lazy when I sit and work for hours in Ümit's Té, but the dough rings still fly into my mouth when they're fried. Every day the seller comes round and brings them to the table. It's marvellous.

Shortly before I leave, I watch the whirling dervishes of Konya. They belong to the Mevlana order, which was named after the mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (1207-1273).
He is one of the most important Persian-language poets of the Middle Ages and a central figure of the Mevlevi order, a brotherhood of Sufis.
They try to reach ecstasy and transcendental states by performing gyrations. One hand is always directed upwards to receive the divine blessing and the other hand points towards the earth to distribute it. Today, however, nobody goes into ecstasy.

What I find quite funny in Turkey is that I receive a text message from the government every few days. Sometimes it's congratulations on Mother's Day, Ramadan or sporting events, and once there was a request to donate blood and an invitation to a wedding.
I didn't go to the wedding because I thought it was inappropriate to turn up without knowing anyone.
I didn't go to the blood donation either. I have a big heart but there's always not enough blood in it. 😛Læs mere