Walk up to the foto shop where we need to make some photocopies. The man who runs it is lovely. Speaks not much more English than we do Turkish but communication seems to work through sheer force of good will. Black and white photocopies 10 lira each (0.40 CAD, 21p).
Dolmuş back to Laptamar (seems many supermarkets end in ‘mar’. And yes, the Ramadan bread is there. Multiple signs proclaiming Ramazan Pidesi for 40 lira. No idea whether this is for the whole of Ramadan or a starting special, but it’s still hot.
So home with the purchases. Nuts and cranberries very good. Raisins a bit iffy. Well, they were large enough that we had tried asking if they were raisins but the girl didn’t recognise the word raisin and we didn’t know the Turkish. Turns out it’s kuru üzüm - literally dried grape. Of course English pretty inconsistent. We say grapes and prunes but dried apricots and dried cranberries. These are raisins but seems like they’re very large dried grapes, with seeds to match. Oh well. The Ramazan bread, which we have been looking forward to, is ever so slightly disappointing. Not that it isn’t as good as previously, and it’s still warm. It’s just that it’s a yeast bread and we’ve been spoiled lately. Any bread we’ve bought other than whole grain has been freshly baked sourdough, covered with more seeds and also frequently still warm. It’s a tough life.
And in the South today is Green Monday, the first day of Lent. Not particularly penitential. Meat and fish and dairy aren’t eaten but salads and seafood are and people flock to the countryside to fly kites.