{"id":9861,"date":"2022-01-27T03:25:46","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T10:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=9861"},"modified":"2022-01-27T18:56:45","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T01:56:45","slug":"of-marginal-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2022\/01\/27\/of-marginal-value\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Marginal Value"},"content":{"rendered":"

The real joys of travel are found in the margins. No matter where you\u2019re headed, a national park, an ancient monument, a museum displaying the pedestrian origins of civilisation, the things you take away are the things that engage you emotionally. Here are a few joys from our recent travels in Turkey:<\/p>\n

Kapadokya<\/a><\/h6>\n

\"Turkey_MBN_CLK\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hunting for breakfast after watching the balloons fly early in the morning, we found Caf\u00e9 \u015eafak<\/a> (Caf\u00e9 Dawn) in G\u00f6reme. A middle-aged woman, shaped and bundled like a babushka doll, ushered us in. Returning her warm smile, we pointed to the menu and ordered a couple of latt\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

Moments later she presented us with the best coffee we\u2019d had since leaving Italy. Rich without being smoky, the espresso wasn\u2019t overwhelmed by the milk. We settled on an order of menemen and fresh fruit with yoghurt and honey. Guzzling our drinks, we ordered another while our hostess brought the array of extras that come with most every breakfast here.<\/p>\n

Small plates with freshly cut cucumber and tomatoes arrived first. Another with slightly shrivelled, but strongly flavoured black olives, alongside a few more common green olives followed. Next came a collection of small, three-tablespoon sized saucers with individual servings of honey, orange marmalade, cherry jam, strawberry preserves, Nutella, and several packets of unsalted butter. A basket of freshly sliced crusty white bread covered with a plain beige napkin accompanied the condiments.<\/p>\n

The chef, a tiny, hunched woman well into her 80s, shuffled steadily out of the kitchen bearing a copper pan. Smiling conspiratorially, like little old ladies do when they know they\u2019re presenting you with a treat, she placed the scramble of tomatoes, peppers, and eggs that is menemen<\/a> before us. A deeper red that we\u2019d seen before, I think she added some of the delicious, homemade tomato paste frequently served as a garnish to the mix. Digging in it was fabulous. An achievement that only decades of practiced art and the freshest fresh eggs can deliver. Strengthened for the day, we set off to explore the open-air museums and naughty rock formations in Love Valley.<\/p>\n

Malatya<\/a><\/h6>\n

Like many regional cities in Turkey, Malatya presents a functional, modern face. Foreigners come here to source textiles. If they have time, they\u2019ll head a short way out of town and mull over the Hittite ruins<\/a>. A hundred years ago the world\u2019s best opium came from here. Today the cash crop is apricots<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With Carol\u2019s Accor hotel points in hand, we checked into the fading M\u00f6venpick hotel, smack in the city\u2019s shopping centre. Seizing the moment, Carol made a salon appointment for highlights and a cut. Having lived in Singapore for three years where straight black hair was what stylists learned and worked on each day, I expected a similar lack of experience with Carol\u2019s naturally curly blonde hair here. I left her in the hands of a handsome competent-looking 35-year-old man and their translator apps while I wandered the streets in search of museums.<\/p>\n

Three hours later I got the following texts:<\/p>\n