"Shut up!"

I wanted to move to Sirince, finish my book, begin another one, and then spend the rest of my life strolling the cobbled streets in the quaint, hilltop surprise of a village, only a few miles from the ancient ruins of Ephesus.  

As Ian said, “We didn’t know what to expect in Turkey,” so every day was a surprise, and Sirince, in particular, delighted me.

It was a sweet, simple, pretty town.

Red tile roofs topped the white stucco houses stacked on the green hills, and red-and-white umbrellas shaded the local produce stalls that lined the cobblestone streets crisscrossing the town. 

Villagers perched on the steps of their store-front homes, crafting goods to sell to the tourists, who wandered through the bazaar of outdoor cafes and Turkish coffee bars and shops, overflowing with lavender and lace and yellow-flowered garlands and honey and soaps and olive oil.   

And there were endless flavors of local wine – peach and cherry and strawberry and blackberry and melon and kiwi. Apparently, Sirince is known for its fruit wines, and there were souvenir stalls full of them on the main lane through the town.

And wandering up that path is where I heard the two words that I had spent my entire teaching career trying to eradicate:  “Shut up!”  And the young boy selling wine was saying it directly to us!

“Shut up! Shut up! Here, lady! Over here, lady! Shut up, lady! Shut up! Shut up!”

Over and over again!

Our guide laughed and quickly explained that a Turkish word for wine is “sarap,” which is pronounced like our American phrase “shut up!”

Even the local craftsman who created the jewels and adornments for Brad Pitt’s movie Troy didn’t make as big of an impression on me that day as the Turkish boy yelling at the retired American school teacher to “shut up!”

Ian and I spent only a few hours in Sirince before continuing on to Kusadasi and Ephesus, but we left charmed by the colorful village and its villagers.

Sirince certainly earned a place on our list of surprising Turkish delights.  

Comments

[Sarah]

Becky,
I loved reading this, you are a very talented writer! Is there a way that I can subscribe to this blog?
Sarah

[Becky Bader]

Hi, Sarah....Thx so much, and I'm checking. I know there is, but I'm not sure how! I'll get back to you. Have a great day!