Date Night in Turkey

Last night Tim came home and greeted me with a huge bouquet of flowers, including pink gerber daisies, some of my personal favorites. It was a really wonderful surprise! Also, an added bonus- there was a little evil eye charm pinned to the outside of the bouquet, so we're protected. I can't tell you how relieved I am;)
We decided to go out to eat last night at a restaurant down in the valley below our apartment. To get to the restaurant, though, you have to walk down a very steep path that can be quite slippery. It's actually like hiking, the paths are so steep. I was of course prepared for this by wearing pointy black boots with a high, small heel that gets stuck in between the stones on the path. So, Tim magically turned into my personal pack mule and carried me on his back down the whole path. I felt like those people who ride the mules down into the Grand Canyon. I don't know if he appreciated me saying, "Hondele, Pepe! Arriba, arriba!"
The restauarant we went to is very Turkish. Traditional rugs hang on all the walls and Turkish lanterns hang from the ceiling. Instead of chairs, there are cushions to sit on. They look like they've been removed from someone's couch. They sit behind very small, low tables. When you walk in, it is very hazy from all the smoke, both ciagarettes and the houka. You take your shoes off and can put slippers on, if you'd like. Note to self: next time, do not wear fuzzy red socks-it's a little embarassing:) As you sit there, you listen to the lulling Turkish music and the slow, methodical puffing of the houka. You're almost sure the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland is right around the corner and his smoke smile will drift by you any minute.
We started dinner off with hot tea and then went on to manta, which is a kind of Turkish ravioli. It has a sauce of yogurt and a little red sauce. We also had something I don't know the name for. They bring out a sizzling pan (over a kind of burner) with meat and peppers and onions. It continues to cook as it sits on your table and you eat it with nice, crusty bread. When it starts to cook too much, you just snuff out the flame with your salt shaker. It was very good!
After dinner, we walked back up the steep path, which is of course much worse uphill. I did not ask for Pepe's assistance and so my lungs were burning by the time we got to the top. Hopefully, though, I worked off all that Turkish food!