Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Denizli is the capital city of Isparta’s neighboring province known by the same name.  Denizli  literally means “with sea,” although it is unmistakably inland. There must be a story to go with the name. One of Phillip’s students, Mustafa, was kind enough to invite us to spend time with his family and tour around the city, of which we had only passed through before. There is a newly built gondola that takes you up to the top of a mountain for a great view of the entire city. From there we went to Mustafa’s relative’s home village for breathing the fresh air, eating delicious homemade food: petting lambs: and examining his uncle’s grafted tree branches: The next day commenced with a kahvalt ı (Turkish breakfast) picnic at a large forested public park. Then it was on to the small zoo: and pony rides: Our last stop was to the historic part of the city for Denizli Kebap , an astounding mound of grilled meat over flatbread.

Hudson with a Ramazan Davulu , Ramadan Drum. The thing about holidays is that whatever culture or religion you are part of holiday essentials include food and family. We may not have fireworks tonight, but we do have Phillip’s parents to celebrate America’s freedom this fine fourth of July. Meanwhile, our friends and neighbors are gearing up for the end of fasting and the beginning of a four-day holiday to top off the end of Ramadan. Relatives take turns visiting each other, then move on to neighbors and friends, enjoying tea and sweets in the broad daylight (for the whole previous month they had been going without food and drinks during daylight hours), giving money to children, and (since Ramadan fell during June this year) moving on with their summer plans. Happy Celebrating Everyone!