My run tonight was gorgeous. I ran a stretch of road known as the triangle and just let the scenery soak in. Mountains to my right, a gorgeous sunset to my left, and Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears kept me pacing each leg of my run.

Today is a very big day for my littlest one. He’s being re-evaluated to see if his original diagnosis of “severe range” autism stands. So tonight, I needed this run to clear my head. This is not the kind of stuff a Mother should miss. And my husband is stepping up to the plate and doing what needs to be done. He knows I’m here worrying about it, and waiting on pins and needles for the results.

A perspective shot. Look at the cable stretching from one apartment building to another.

While driving through an interesting part of Mersin, we saw a massive Turkish flag. The cable stretched from one apartment building to the other and I couldn’t imagine the damage this thing would do if it ever broke free from the line. Either way, I’m so glad this picture turned out. The breeze was lovely, the sky was clear, and the camera cooperated with a “Hurry and take the pic while we stop illegally in the middle of the road” kind of moment. LOL!

In this post, I want to focus on the two castles and the folklore surrounding them.

The Maiden's Castle

There are several stories surrounding the Maiden’s Castle. The most popular is as follows…

The King loved his daughter and wanted her to marry well. She, however, followed her heart and fell in love with a common man. To prevent their union, the King built a castle in the sea where he kept his daughter. Some of the tales go on to say how the valiant young commoner fought through the waves, only to die in her arms at the land’s edge. Other versions of this story say both died from grief and the King had no heirs. Tragic.

Another tale surrounds prophecy. In it the daughter is fated to die tragically by her 17th (some say 16th) birthday. So, to save his daughter, the King built her in a castle in the sea surrounded by his most trusted guard. All food was checked and there was no expense spared for her safety. On her 17th birthday, a snake (which had been sleeping soundly in a basket of apples), bit her and she died. The King had no heirs. Tragic.

The King's Castle, Kiskalesi

Either way it gets my imagination going! LOL. The water was crystal blue and warm. You can swim to the maiden’s castle but there was para sailing going on…and I wasn’t too sure they’d pay attention to anyone in the water.

Sometimes you just see things here that you’ve never seen anywhere else. The bread guy was one of them. He walked around the beach selling bread. Just bread. Stacked neatly on a tray sitting on his head. There were Chinese tea sellers and Vodka shot sellers as well. I snapped this shot while he was walking up the beach.

Bread for sell!

Tomorrow I’ll show more pics and tell a few more stories.

Happy birthday Brannum!

Peace, I’m out!

It was delicious! Carrots in fresh lemon juice. Absolutely refreshing.

You’ll have to forgive the graininess of these pictures.We were in very low light and I had to blind people with my flash in order to get any of these pics. I promise the food looked far more appetizing in person. *sigh* I should have really paid attention to my husband and his photography tips from his own food blog.

For Drell’s birthday we went to a sushi place called Frend’s. That’s right, I said sushi. Unfortunately, however, THE sushi guy was on a two week vacation so we had to order off the main menu. I promise you I was NOT disappointed. They brought out a delicious flat bread layered with Mediterranean flavors. Before I could taste it, however, the waiter brought the condiments and asked that I please try the bread with them first. Who am I to ignore a waiter’s request when it comes to food? They should know better than me. The first one was a garlic mayo. Delicious, but I’m not much of a mayo girl so I tried the other. It was ketchup but sweeter than any ketchup I’ve ever tasted. It was fabulous with the bread, and I never thought I’d say that! LOL.

It was time to order and I’m creative when I go out. Several people had been there and were giving suggestions. “Try this, it tastes like Chinese food,” or “this tastes just like a stir fry from back in the states, only with curry!” I just came from the states so I’m not homesick for those flavors. Yet, anyway. So I pointed to something that seemed impossible to say and asked…has anyone tried this? They all said no. I asked the waiter to pronounce it for me. He couldn’t do it either, but he did tell me it WAS chicken so I said why not. It was called Champselyees. The bit of research I’ve done tells me it’s either a recipe based on the Avenue des Champs-Élysée which is a famous avenue in Paris, France named after the Greek Elysian Fields (home of the blessed dead…should I have worried?) OR it’s based on a kickass cocktail that has about a thousand different versions. Either way, it was delicious.

Chicken sauteed with red peppers, mushrooms, onions, spinach, and a little something with a kick made the main course absolutely mouth-watering. The menu described the dish as “with spinach, very sharp.” I suppose very sharp means a bit on the hot side. At 11.50 ytL, it was also very affordable.

They also brought wine glasses with carrot slices and lemon juice. Lemon, the waiter told me, makes the raw food clean. He’s not the first to tell me that, and while I know it does destroy bacteria, it also made those carrots refreshing. I can’t help but wonder if my husband will make his own version. I’ve heard they make them with cucumbers as well.

For dessert we received a complimentary fruit platter with all sorts of decadent selections. Fresh grapes, mango, honeydew, and a few fruits that I only know the Turkish name for.

The pictures I took of the main dish look terrible, so I don’t think I want to post them.

Drell enjoyed his 26th birthday among twenty or so friends and I got out and tried a taste of the culture.

Oh…did I mention? Frend’s is an oasis camouflaged by…a gas station. Only in Turkey.