"More than just a haircut"
The barber entertains his customer with jokes and conversation in this Mardin, Turkey shop. The men sport the gorgeous, full moustaches that Turks used to be known for. The hirsute look is no longer in style on Istanbul’s streets. Too bad! Not every man can grow such a glorious moustache. This is a Kurdish area so maybe the men are Kurds and not Turks! Must make that clear.
The ubiquitious portrait of Atta Turk hangs on the wall. He is Turkey’s George Washington. Nowadays with the resurgence of Islam, his influence is questioned.
Tea Time in Eastern Turkey
This man may well be bringing the tea to the barbershop above. Tea is necessary to fully enjoy conversation in Turkey. Coffee is not drunk as much these days. It fell out of favor when the cost of it was expensive for the Turks. Since they grow tea in the Black Sea region, they turned to tea as their favorite drink. These tulip shaped glasses are typically Turkish. On my first trip to Turkey, I searched the big bazaar in Istanbul for them and I still love them.
Hey, Tourist Lady, Photograph This!
We were exploring a village, looking for photo subjects, when these women beckoned me to enter their courtyard. They indicated I should photograph them as they milked their goat. Yes!! I got a couple of shots before I heard our group coming along the path. I ducked behind the wall so the others wouldn’t see me and horn in on my shot. I hate when that happens. I thanked the women, gave them my usual gift, a pack of Mentos candy, and happily returned to the bus.
Still standing guard after all these years
We saw many ruins of old fort/castles in Eastern Turkey. This one, Hosap Kalesi, broods over the plains and border of Iran.
A note from Rosemary:
I won’t be blogging for about a month. I would set up blogs in advance, but I can’t get it to work. So, I hope you’ll return to visit my site when I get back.