Short Breaks - Part Two - London

I didn't realise how much I missed London until I was there. I forgot how fast paced it was especially when riding the tube and pacing the tunnels of the underground system from one tube line to another. I forgot how multicultural it was and how many different people from all around the world live there. It's such a melting pot. It is a place of comings and goings; where people are either transitting through or find themselves staying for an indefinite period of time. It's a place you can very easily get stuck to.

London is so green. Although a metropolis of people and buildings, there is a lot of green which was a beautiful sight as we flew in over Greater London.

You can get attached to London for many different reasons. I got attached because of its location, the sense of adventure it provided me and the fact I could go anywhere in Europe with such ease, and also because of its similarity to Australia. Being in London this time round not only reminded me of my life and the experiences I had there, but also bought back memories of my various trips to places like Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Italy and all the trips to Turkey I took to come and visit my sweetheart. Although I loved to leave to go on those trips, I always returned to London at the end of the trip feeling like I was coming home.

Being in London again filled me with excitement and bought back good memories. It was so refreshing to catch up with familiar faces - long time friends, and chat over endless coffees about our respective lives and what they were all up to in London; two of them are there for the short term before heading back to NY and then onto Hong Kong; two others have been there for the past five years, but will leave for Australia in the coming months; and one other is deciding whether to stay or go. All of them in transition and all of them contemplating their next move and destination.

I was fortunate to stay with friends in the most lovely little part of London, Notting Hill, off Kensington Park Road which was close to great shops, cafes and restaurants. With my New Yorker friends we had a great meal at the upstairs restaurant Bumpkin on Westbourne Park Road which styles itself as a country brasserie with traditional meals such as pies and fish and chips but also turns out sumptuous dishes of free range chicken, lamb, organic salmon and 28 day Yorkshire rib eye. We all ordered three courses and sides and got to taste each other dishes which were all very delicious. It was a nice change from the ever overcooked meat that is so commonly served in Turkey and a nice change to not have vegetables swimming in olive oil. But what was most delish, was the Banoffee pie, which I shamefully admit to never tasting before until now. If you have never experienced Banoffee pie, you must. It was the most moreish combination of caramel, cream, banana and crushed biscuits layered inside a tumbler glass. The most perfect combination of flavours with the crunch of the biscuit. I was truly in dessert heaven. Really. I was.

We also fulfilled my Thai cravings and had dinner at Market Thai restaurant in Notting Hill on Portobello Road, which is situated atop a pub and is family run and owned. The atmosphere is relaxed and quite laid back. It is reported to be one of the best cheap eats in town, but the food remained authentic with a good amount of spice and heat. I had really missed authentic Thai food, so it was a real treat to eat duck, green chicken curry, pad Thai, spring rolls and prawn toast and lots of peanut sauce.

I miss being able to easily find meals of pasta, Thai, Chinese, Lebanese or Greek, but simply I miss the huge variety of food that London has to offer. You can find a market or organic shop easily and buy fresh produce that differs so much and offers many speciality fruits and vegetables along with great cuts of organic meat, chicken and even more speciality meats like emu, roo or wagu. You can find whatever kind of restaurant food you want usually within walking distance of your home and if not, you can find the ingredients in the supermarket to cook it yourself.

I walked the streets of Notting Hill and cruised down Brompton Road from Knightsbridge to Gloucester Road and rode the tube to Oxford Street, Regent Street and High Street Kensington. I was coiffed and pampered in Kilburn and I ate on-the-go with a sandwich from Eat in one hand and a latte in the other. I didn't want to miss anything or waste any time so I ate on the go most days. I walked Portobello Road and devoured fresh pastries with butter and homemade jam. I stocked up on the essentials at Boots and stopped in at H&M for some sale shopping. I scanned the food isles of M&S for their tasty salads and gourmet sandwiches. It was a nice change to feel the fresh cool air on my face as I walked and not have to inhale a cloud of smoke from cars and trucks racing by as they honk their horns endlessly. It was peaceful and relaxing to walk the streets and and not be terrorised and barked at by street dogs. I felt recharged, refreshed and alive.

It was great to feel London again. To live it, if only for a few days. I love falling in line with the pace of a city and also being able to walk everywhere or use multiple modes of transport to get to your final destination. I can understand how some of my friends have found themselves there after so many years and wondering why they haven't left already. When you are there you find yourself perplexed by the cost of things, the weather and crowded transport, only to miss it like crazy once you've gone.

I don't know really what it is about London, it just seems to pull you in and doesn't let you go.

Kendin pişir, kendin ye!

On Saturday afternoon we took a ride to the Asian side to a place near to Şile which is around 70kms from Istanbul. Many Istanbul residents have houses in Şile where they go during the summer. The name of the place in Turkish is "kendin pişir, kendin ye", but the literal translation is exactly "cook yourself, eat yourself", which had us all laughing.

The place we went to was set up for people to go and have a bbq but the unique thing about this place is that it provides everything from the bbq itself, meat, salad and drinks. It's kind of a strange concept to an Australian who would usually go to a bbq in their own backyard or a friends, however, for most Turks who may only have a balcony or small garden, it's a great way to barbeque in the great outdoors without smoking out your neighbours.

It was beautiful to sit outside with my toes in the grass with trees all around with the smell of grilling meat, tomatoes and peppers filling the air. We were served fresh yoghurt and salad and after the meal we had our own çay samovar set up next to our table where we had endless tea on tap. It was a really nice change from going to a restaurant and enjoying the great outdoors!

Short Breaks - Part One - Bolu & Abant

Snow capped mountains, Abant

Back at the start of May we took a shot trip to Ankara to visit my husband's family. On the way we stopped at Bolu and Abant, which are both such beautiful places. Bolu is a place we frequent on our trips to Ankara where we enjoy the lamb chop that the area is well known for as well as the fresh yoghurt and butter and honey. So, so tasty. We always make sure to stop on the way up to Bolu to buy a fresh loaf of hot Safranbolu bread, straight out of the oven. The trip came at a time when the weather had started to improve and the sun was shining, families were out walking around the lake in Abant and it was so nice to take in the sweet smelling fresh air along with the peace and quiet.

Abant Lake

London calling

Tomorrow I will take a much needed trip away to London where I will see my friends and visit old places I once used to haunt. I have a tonne of great and happy memories of my time in London and look forward to revisiting the city.

I am so looking forward to drinking proper lattes and eating tasty fresh organic food, yummy cooked breakfasts of blueberry pancakes or fresh porridge and maybe a curry or Thai meal.

I'm looking forward to walking the streets of Notting Hill and peeking in the windows of all my favourite shops like Reiss, Topshop, GAP and Selfridges. I'm looking forward to riding the fast and frequent tube and pounding the pavement in my trainers in order to get from a to b.

There are lots of things I miss about London.

I'll fill you in on my travels when I return.

What's in a name?

Since my marriage last year, I hadn't thought too much about my surname, although now when I think about it, I'm not really sure what my surname is?

In Turkey I'm known more with my maiden name than my married name. At work I am known with my maiden name, all my email addresses, credit cards, bank accounts, passport, residence and work permits have my maiden name. In fact, the only document that lists me as having taken my husband's name is our wedding booklet.

See the problem is, the thought of changing my surname once and for all leaves me with feelings of a sudden loss of identity, especially since I live in a foreign country, and having dark brown hair and brown eyes, I tend to just blend in so the only half noticeable difference which separates me as a foreigner is in fact my name. I feel like my name is a link to where I'm from and it's part of who I am. Plus, there is no male to carry on the name so once I change my name, the Mitchell name will end.

Sometimes people find my first name difficult to pronounce, especially for Turkish non-English speakers. So to make it easier at times, I tell people, to "call me 'Rana'". But now with my husbands surname and people using Rana as my first name, the person formerly known as me suddenly disappears and I'm left asking myself "what happened to Renai Mitchell?"

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against my husbands surname and I like his surname. I understand what it represents and the history and family behind it.

So you are all probably thinking, then what's the big deal? Other than the fact that my husbands surname and my name sound slightly weird together, it just doesn't sound like me.

Since moving to London in 2005 and then to Istanbul in 2007, I have felt a much deeper sense of not only love and appreciation for my homeland, but also a deeper connection to it. It's the place my heart longs for now that I live abroad and a place that I identify with and feel I belong to.

So, that brings me to my naming options. Here in Turkey, its not so easy to keep your maiden name. You have to either take your husbands name or get yourself a hyphen or a double-barrell. I'm not a fan of hyphenating or double-barrelling though. I think only certain names can be hyphenated and generally they need to be short sharp names. Luckily my husbands surname is only made up of five letters, but some Turkish names can take forever to pronounce.

Along with this comes the issue of middle names. I have one, but in Turkey it's not particularly common. In Australia you can easily gloss over your middle name, but here you must add it to absolutely everything; forms, signatures on official documents, bank accounts etc. So with that, my name could potentially turn into a four word name if I double-barrell it, which I really don't want or like.

What to do, what to do? I'm still unsure as to whether to have a double barrelled surname or to give my maiden name up fully. I have time at least until my passport expires or at least until my next visit home where I will apply for a new passport with my "new" name, whatever that will be.

All in all I feel a loss of identity more than anything. Of course, I will still be the same person, just with a different name which brings me back to my own question which I'm not sure I have answered; what's really is in a name?

My Mumma

My mum is an amazing woman.

She left her tiny island home for a life in a foreign place with her foreign husband. Her country is not the only thing she left behind.

She knew no one in her new country and had no family around her to support her, encourage her or to turn to.

She stayed at home and sacrificed a career to have and raise two girls while her husband was gone much of the time in order to support the family.

She was always there in the morning; gave me breakfast and walked me to the school gate. She was there again at the end of the day to walk me back home to a plate of fruit or vegemite biscuits. Everything she did in a day was for us.

She showed her love of us in everything she did. She cooked us the best meals and sent us to school with the best left overs that my friends would fight over and want a taste of.

She put us first in everything and always did what was best for us. She did everything unconditionally, without hesitation.

When I was sick, she was there to soothe me. When I was sad, she was there to catch my tears. When I did well, she was there to congratulate me and when I messed up, she was there with words of wisdom.

She has made me who I am today.

That's my Mumma. The best Mumma a girl could wish for.

Happy Mother's Day Mumma.

I love you with all my heart.

Cruising

today we woke up early
and cruised the Bosphorous

with a simit in one hand

and çay in the other

it was perfect

i love seeing Istanbul
from another angle

Tasty Dinners

On Saturday night I was craving something different. After watching endless cooking shows of late, I thought I would try and be a bit 'Jamie Oliver' and whip up one of his fab perfect roast chicken recipes.

It was so easy and so simple and tasted absolutely yummy. For an easy tasty dinner, give this one a go.




For dessert I was craving one of my sisters amazing pavs that she just seems to whip up on a whim. They too are so delish and the combination of pav, fresh berries and cream is to die for.

It was my first attempt at creating meringue and it wasn't too bad. My sister shared a pav secret afterwards and told me that once you have cooked the meringue you should leave it in the oven until stone cold or even better, over night. I pulled mine out too early, so the middle was a little soft and undercooked. But we managed to pick at the outside on Sunday morning until it was all but finished.

I again used the great book that my friend Katie gave me for the pav, Country Classics.

Here is the recipe.

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

1.5 cups castor sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 teaspoons cornflour

1 teaspoon vinegar

whipped cream and fruit or chocolate to decorate

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Cover the baking tray with baking paper or foil that has been slightly greased and dusted with cornflour. Beat egg whites and salt until very stiff. Slowly add sugar and keep beating for a minute or two. Fold vanilla essence, cornflour and vinegar. Heap mixture onto the baking tray in a circle about 5-cm high. Bake for 1.5 hours. Take out of the oven, remove paper and place cake on pavlova plate. Decorate with whipped cream and your choice of fruits or grated chocolate peppermint bar.

I had to jig some of the ingredients like vinegar, as there was no white vinegar here that I could fine, I opted for the üzüm sirkesi (grape) type that I had in the pantry. It did the job and didn't flavour the pav badly. I also had run out of vanilla essence so I bought vanilla sugar instead as there is no liquid essence type at the supermarket.

Spring has sprung

I felt like a change of photo this month as Spring continues to show itself more and more each day. It's taking a while to warm up but I can feel it in the air. I can smell it too, especially when I get home in the evening and wonder through the courtyard to our flat. The smell of fresh leaves and grass. My mood improves and I feel happier that the days are getting longer.


The photo above was taken in Nisyros in summer in 2007 when I ventured over there with my sister for a friends very big Greek wedding. It feels like yesterday we were there. The picture brings back happy memories of the summer and being able to spend time with my sister amongst our Greek friends eating delicious meals of spit roasted lamb, copious amounts of fresh yogurt and honey and the most delicious fresh seafood and drinking endless frappes, retsina and Mythos.


This summer I'm not sure where I will go or what I will do. Last August I went home to Melbourne and was shocked by the cold weather and felt I suffered by not getting a much needed vitamin D hit. I think I need to see the sun this year in order to warm my bones, heal my skin and recharge my internal batteries.


Where are you all going this summer?

Two Years

As I come upon my 100th blog post, so too draws closer the 2nd anniversary of my move to Istanbul and my first wedding anniversary which just passed on the 5th of April.

How time flies.

So much has happened in those two years. Lots of laughs, tears, fun, challenges, frustrations, joy, excitement and anxiety. It has also been a time of learning, understanding, acceptance and assimilation. Two weddings, trips to Australia, Greece, France and Singapore. A new job. A new home. A new car. New friends. New family. New language. New ways of life.

This week though I faced the most difficult challenge since being away from home. I suffered a loss. For me, it was huge. It has tested me in ways that I never knew possible. It has made me ask questions of myself. It has made me look at things from a different perspective. It has made me look at my life and my future in a way I never thought I would have to, ever. But most of all it has changed me.

I am so very lucky to have a loving and supportive husband and best friend who has been here next to me hold my hand and wipe my tears and to tell me everything will be ok.

I have a lot to be thankful for.