Attitude of Gratitude

Dawn with Aya Sofya

The Turkish people are the friendliest on earth. When I went there on vacation in 2006 they were super hospitable and my unexpected trip there this week proved that nothing’s changed. I was required to go there for work and flights were 400 Euros cheaper to fly on Saturday instead of Sunday so I flew in early for the weekend. I was still jetlagged from being in the USA and therefore not looking forward to it.

That is, until I landed… then I was instantly reminded how welcoming and gracious they are and my unhappiness about losing my weekend in A’dam flew out the window. They are helpful and giving and always willing to help someone in need.

I was also reminded of my last trip here, and how on my birthday I thought I would visit a hammam (Turkish bath) as a present to myself. This outlines my first and only hammam visit:

I have always wanted to visit a Turkish bath. Since it is my birthday I thought about inviting my mom and aunt to join me in my own private celebration, but then decided to have some time alone since we have a long trip in Turkey planned together.

After finally finding my way to Cagaloglu Hamami, much talked about in my guide book as being one of the most beautiful hammams in Turkey, as well as being featured in an Indiana Jones movie, I decided to splurge on the Royal Treatment and paid 32 Turkish Lira (30 Euros in 2006 – but no longer!!) for the exfoliation, bath, and massage. I was led into a little dressing room where I changed clothes and they supplied me with a robe and platform wooden flip flops to wear during my hamman experience. I had no idea what was expected regarding dress since they gave me the robe so I threw caution to the wind and decided to not wear my bathing suit that I had so carefully packed, and instead would go naked wrapped only in the supplied towel/robe.

The first room I entered had many fully dressed Turkish women lying around on a marble bench for no apparent reason. Then you enter the main hammam room, whose shape reminded me of a four leave clover, and was very hot and steamy and covered entirely in intricately painted marble tiles. In the middle of the room sat a marble slab that was elevated off the ground. Located all around the room along the walls were individual wash basins with hot and cold running water. The woman who was going to lead me through the royal treatment led me to one of the wash basins and indicated that I should take off the wrap and wash myself with the water.

At this point I became to perspire. Not from the high humidity but because I noticed that there are only Turkish women in the hammam, and that none of them are naked like myself. Instead they are wearing bathing suits while washing and scrubbing themselves and each other. Figuring it was too late to turn back now I decided to go on naked. Surely it wasn’t a big deal to them. After all, this is a place to bathe. And it was my birthday and I would never see these people again. My American prudishness reared its head, however, when I started to strip down, and I tried to hide myself behind a marble column and wash myself off. During this process, my woman abruptly disappeared leaving me a little unsure and wondering what to do next.

After washing off I my robe back on and decided to try to relax while sitting on the enormous marble slab in the center of the room. It was then that I noticed the beautiful domed ceiling with star shaped holes in it, which I would imagine to be quite beautiful while dark with the night sky showing through. The humidity in the room was causing the water on the ceiling to drip down on me, and every few minutes I needed to go back to my basin and wash off and cool down. I found another room that was a dry sauna but found that I preferred the sweaty room. Perhaps it is because I am from Houston, Texas, where it is nearly 100% humidity every day, or maybe it is because the steam helped to hide my nudity.

After about 30 minutes, the woman reappears and motions for me to lay down on the large marble slab. I sit carefully, trying to situate myself and keep covered at the same time. When she came over she promptly off the robe and throws it just out of my reach, leaving me completely exposed for all to see. I think I heard an audible collective exclamation from all the Turkish women the room at my very pale bare skin. The woman ignored all of it and ruthlessly started scrubbing me down with a not-so-soft hand glove that really hindered my relaxation. And after my skin was good and raw, she then expected me to get up and walk across the room, naked and in front of everyone, and wash off.

It did get better then, because after that we went back to the slab where she lathered me up with soap. Lots of soap. So much soap you couldn’t see that I was embarrassingly naked while everyone else was happily chatting away in their bathing suits. And I can honestly say that I hadn’t been this clean in years, and haven’t so been since. She washed me several times, having me flip back and forth from one side to the other, much like a fish out of water, and she scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed. We both got a bath. It was joyous experience!

Then I got up again and walked back over to my basin – again in full view of everyone. On return to the slab, I then received an awesome massage. At this point I begin to actually forget my faux pas of being naked and am really starting to enjoy the experience. Seriously, how often is it that you get to go to a hammam that looks exactly as it did over three centuries ago? It was the best birthday present ever.

It ended with her washing my hair and face with so much soap I felt like I was doing a commercial for Mr. Bubble. And right when it was over I wished I could do it again.

As I was getting up to leave I see another white girl (or I should say - the only other white girl…) enter the room. She is wearing only her underwear and looking decidedly uncomfortable, and I had to chuckle.

Upon returning to my hotel, I decided to read about the culture of hammams and what you are supposed to where inside. And I realized then that I could have actually read the book before I went. The book said that in some baths it is okay to be naked, but in order not to offend anyone be sure you wear your underwear. I can add this to my collection my long list of faux pas in foreign countries. What can I say, if I didn’t do it I wouldn’t have anything to write in this blog entry.

But I will say this: I am glad I decided not to bring my aunt and mom along. I’ve decided that even though I am beginning to lose my prudish ways that I don’t think I need to see any of my family members naked.

Eating fondue

The water is glassy as I gaze over Lake Geneva from the window of the train. On the other side, the view includes a terraced landscape of grapevines in the Lavaux area, which is the result of planting vines in every possible location in a mountainous region. Across the lake, the mountains have eluded me for my entire visit, but today are just barely visible. This is in stark contrast to my last visit when the breathtaking view consumed me each time I glanced through a window. Although the weather didn’t exactly cooperate this trip, my weekend here was better than I could have imagined.

Coming back to Switzerland to visit D, an old friend from Texas, and his wife Manon is one of the few things I wanted to do prior to moving back to the USA. As the days draw closer to my imminent departure, I’m beginning to realize it might be the only personal trip I’ll be able to take. My departure is only a short month away now.

Eating raclette

D runs his own dojo teaching Aikido, so I had high hope for a long, relaxing weekend. They definitely delivered! We soaked our weary bones at Les Bains de Lavey, gorged ourselves eating fondue, and raclette, and attended a Japanese tea ceremony that D is learning to perform from his sensei. All attendees were mindful of the ultimate goal of relaxation.

D performing Japanese tea ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony was quite interesting. It seems there are 1000s of variations, this one being the simplest, but beautiful and eloquent none-the-less. Each movement has a meaning and no doubt my uneducated ways broke every rule but no one brought my mistakes to light. This ceremony reminded me of a Chinese tea ceremony I went to in China when I was there for a month in 2000. I would never begin to say that they are in any way alike, but some of the traditions seemed similar, like the meticulous cleaning of the tea set before use. For the Japanese ceremony I was a fascinated participant with little to no knowledge of what was occurring around me. I am lucky that when I was in China I documented each step, it seems just for this day. Here is my tea ceremony experience in China:

“We walked from there across the street to a tea house called Gu Cho Cha Fang. I learned the proper "tea culture" here. This was a quaint little place that was absolutely gorgeous with swimming fish in bowls, Chinese paintings, and delicate tables within an open aired courtyard area.

This is the tea culture. You start off with a teapot, a tea holder (for when the tea is done, you don't want to leave it in with the leaves), some small cups, some tall cups, a strainer, a tea board which you put all this stuff on, and some tongs to touch everything with (no hands!).

The steps:
1) Light incense to promote peace and comfort, calm down and relax. Be happy.
2) Display the tea leaves to the guests.
3) Talk about the water. It should be fresh from a mountain steam.
4) Place the tall cups into the smaller cups.
5) Clean the inside of the teapot by pouring in boiling water.
6) Pour the water from the teapot into the tall cups which are situated within smaller, shorter cups.
7) Place tea leaves in teapot.
8) Pour water into the teapot, making sure you are pouring from a high distance in order to clean the tea leaves.
9) Swirl the top of the teapot around in the overflowing teapot to clean.
10) Pour water over the top of the teapot to increase the temperature of the teapot top so it matches the temperature inside the teapot.
11) Pour the water out of the cups (that already have water in them). The first filled teapot is never to drink; it is only to clean the tea leaves.
12) Hold the tall cup with tongs and pour the water inside of it into the smaller cup.
13) Clean the rims of the tea cup in the bottom cup’s water.
14) All of the steps before this were for cleaning. Add more water to the teapot and steep for one minute only.
15) Pour the new tea into the tall teacup filling it up only 70% of the way. Continue filling up each cup up to 80% one by one after that.
16) Put the small cups on top of the tall one covering it.
17) Turn over the tall cup (topped with the smaller cup) so that the small cup is now on the table.
18) Pull off the tall cup, spilling the tea from the big cup into the smaller cup.
19) Admire the scent of the tea remnants in the tall cup.
20) At this point you may drink the tea. You should hold the cup with three fingers only and drink the whole cup in exactly 3 sips (once you see the size of the cup you will understand how this is very easy).

We sat for several hours drinking tea and eating congee. The tea ceremony and the atmosphere were wonderful. The congee was pretty boring. After that we went to the Laozi Stone Statue. He was some philosopher from a long time ago. I've never heard of him. But the statue was cool.”