5/27 - The day of Toilets vs. 4/7 The day of Mildew

By débora Ewing
Something about tiny cottage makes it very high in humidity. Probably the concrete floor is not sealed.  I run a dehumidifier since some time in the fall, but before that I suffered  unknowingly. I should have realised sooner, seriously - condensation on all the windows like a pool-house.

I just bought a replacement copy of my favorite National Geographic, because the one I've had forever was destroyed by mildew. So was a notebook given me by my friend, the Meg, when we went to Istanbul. The outer cover of the notebook is horrific in its new mildew-coat, but the innards are still legible. Before I throw it away, I submit for your perusal and mine (because I remain my own best source of entertainment):

5/27 - the day of Toilets.

We ate our late afternoon meal @ Lahmacun Salonu. Meg went to find the bathroom - the waiter said, "all the way up."

However, Meg says, all the way up, the stairs turn into boards nailed together and land on a floor that looks like it's under construction. So she went down a floor. She knocked on the most obvious door & a kid said, "Please, come in." So she went in. This was not the bathroom. She tried a less obvious door & found it.

So when I went, I didn't go all the way up.  I found the bathroom according to Meg's directions. I also found out how to operate the bidet feature. I also found out that it's not necessary to turn the knob all the way up.

So I took a picture of the toilet and the bidet knob (editor's note - I haven't found this picture). I thought I should also take a picture of the third floor stairs. But while I tried to do so, a person came out of the door where Meg had seen the kid, and he looked like he doubted my photographic intentions.

Later that night, Shani & I were hungry & meg didn't want to go out with us. We went to Dürümzade for the 2nd time. Shani asked if there was a toilet & they gladly directed us to the basement. Shani followed to see if he should stand guard. When I peeked in & saw a real Turkish toilet, I told him: "yes."  So I perfomed my duties and I heard him upstairs explaining his heritage. As I washed my hands in the sink, a kid came through a side door. We scared each other.

So I went up & made Shani go down and take a picture for Meg to see.

Editor's other note:  one day I will hunt down the toilet pictures.  I still have them somewhere.

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