Breakfast today came with theatre — and its name was kuymak. A Trabzon classic made from cornflour, butter, local stringy cheese, water and a sprinkle of salt. That’s it. Five humble ingredients… and somehow it turns into a bubbling pan of golden happiness. You dip your toast in and lift — slowly — as the
Travelling through Turkey, it’s easy to think hazelnuts are just another tasty snack — until you realise they’re part of a story thousands of years old. Native to Anatolia, hazelnuts were being traded here as early as ~2000–1700 BC, long before modern roads, borders, or supermarkets even existed. As you move north toward the lush
As this new adventure begins, I’m feeling pretty grateful. Nuri, my Turkish host, and Jan, a German Workawayer, picked me up from the airport and took me straight up to Boztepe Hill for incredible city views, that was being enjoyed by others having a Turkish Tea experience. We then wandered through the Grand Bazaar, with
With Ramadan starting on the 19th Februay this year, Vildan and I headed to the mosque this morning — joining many others for prayers on the last Sunday before the holy month begins. I decided to tag along to experience the atmosphere, the sense of community, and the quiet anticipation leading into such an important
Last night delivered another dose of pure fun — the kind that leaves your cheeks sore from smiling. The room was buzzing with laughter, bold bets, and those hilarious “did they really just say that?” moments. We played a game called Truth, Truth and Lie. Everyone gets three cards, then spins a story for each
Amazing adventure to Cappadocia! The sun was shining when I arrived, which already felt like a win after hearing about the previous 10 days of rain. Cappadocia is famous for its surreal landscape formed by ancient volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Over centuries, people carved homes, churches, and entire underground cities into the soft
A couple of hours disappeared (as museums tend to do) inside the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which is basically a greatest-hits album of human history — from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods through the Early Bronze Age, right up to powerful civilizations like the Hittites and Urartians. The museum’s collection shows how writing, trade, religion,
Over tea, Vildan was sharing stories about her two sisters who still live in the South Eastern Anatolia region where she was born. She was explaining how, especially in more rural parts of Turkey, big families are pretty common and family connections run deep. The conversation then took one of those turns that makes you
Every Saturday, Vildan teaches two very different students — one just beginning life at five years old, and the other, Dilek, already carrying the weight of real-world disappointments at 28. Dilek is Turkish-Bulgarian and now living in the Netherlands. She studied Physics at university, chasing a future built on knowledge, curiosity, and hard work… but
Last night was an absolute blast — 12 people turned up and Vildan only knew two of them! The mix of backgrounds was incredible: special forces, a PE teacher, a consulate advisor, a tourism consultant, and one very intriguing lady who described herself only as a “public servant” from a department she couldn’t name. English