What a lazy, lovely day we had, with only one exception. We slept until about nine this morning, a record for us and much appreciated. After a run for Cindy and a walk for me, we had coffee and got cleaned up to do some much needed shopping. We decided to go to a new Auchan, one that is supposed to be much closer. We got there with little trouble - some creative driving required - and very little traffic. It is a huge shopping center and the Auchan is on two levels. It was very crowded, much to our dismay, but we were able to get everything we needed and then made a break for it. Getting home proved to be a directional challenge. Somehow we couldn’t find the right exit from the ring road and we ended up sneaking up on our apartment from side roads and many U-Turns. Took us about twenty minutes longer to get home but we made it.
We celebrated our triumphant return by walking over to Le Pain Quotidienne, on the other side of the main drag from here. We had to walk by the Metro and noticed that they are ripping down all of the little shops that were on the side of the street leading to the Metro. We think it has to do with the new shopping center they are building under the Metro stop, which has been marred by construction since our arrival.
The restaurant was like stepping into a little bistro in France. Great food, with homemade soups and breads, and best of all, really good French wines by the glass that are affordable. I had a wonderful omelet while Cindy opted for an open-faced sandwich of fresh mushrooms and cheese with condiments. We had a lovely time and got home in time for a quick nap, just to end the vacation with style.
Last night I used up most of what we had left in the house, starting with what I call an inventory salad: I took stock of what we had and created something new. I first diced up our one potato and boiled it until tender. I added it to a bowl that had a finely minced clove of garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, tarragon and hot chili flakes. I mixed that up until the potatoes were coated nicely. I grated a carrot and diced a tomato and added them with some more herbs and let it all sit for a while before finishing it with lemon juice and a touch of balsamic. It was really very good.
We had a chunk of salmon left as well as some frozen peas so I sautéed an onion and lots of garlic with olive oil and added the diced salmon and tossed for a little bit. I turned off the heat, added the peas and some curry, turmeric, pepper and tarragon and let it all sit a while. I boiled the water for the pasta and when we were done with the salad I added some of the spiral pasta I got in Zagreb. While that cooked I heated the salmon stuff, added some butter and cream and one big ladle of the pasta water and let that cook a bit. I drained the pasta, added the sauce, tossed with Parmesan and bam, dinner was ready and it was swell.
It was really good to have some decent food since the food in Antalya was really average. They say there are three great cuisines in the world, French, Chinese and Turkish, and all of our experiences in Turkey before this trip bore this out. I’m not sure if it is too touristy or they just don’t care, but it wasn’t a good eating trip.
Extra blog entry – background on the photos
Most of the photos we took in Antalya are self-explanatory, especially with the captions. However, the context on some of them might be helpful.
One morning in the park we happened upon a photo shoot for all branches of the police department. It took some doing before they had everyone in place AND the helicopter ready to fly over, but they succeeded.
As you can see Antalya is rife with cool statues. We didn’t take photos of the usual variety, e.g., men on horseback, but we loved the birds in the fountain, the many examples of musicians, and the froggy band.
The menu shots are some of the funniest translations we’ve ever seen anywhere. We asked about a few and discovered that “chicken airfoils” are chicken wings, and “swellings” are shish kabobs. We never did figure out “hot searches,” however. We ate at a normal table, but off to the side was a covered area where people could sit cross-legged while enjoying their meal – hence the final shot of the 3 graces.
Best wishes to all, Cindy and Wm
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