Autumn.

 

Autumn has come and with it come seasonal tasks – like raking up leaves in their thousands.  Still, it’s good exercise for us before the cold keeps us indoors for days on end and it makes for great mulch for feeding the soil. As you can see, this tree has shed most of its leaves now so the end of such chores is in sight.

                                                     

Our pampas grass is full of seeds, the graceful fronds languorously swaying in the breeze.              I love the shape they make and how this is framed by the nearby apple tree.

                                             

This is a plant from our neighbours’ garden which has draped itself among the branches of our fig and pine trees. The russets and greens make a marvellous match!

                                             

   The russets are repeated in our rose-tree-gone-wild. We leave its sprawling shoots unclipped as sparrow swings and it provides a food supply as well.

                                                    

This shot I love. It really does express Keats’ ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’. Our magnolia tree (grande flora) has swollen seed pods and some now disperse their seeds. Though I knew we could see the misty effects on the trees in the background, it was only after that I noticed the intricate spider’s wed glistening in the dampness. 

                                                

Our apple trees have produced a great harvest this year. One was planted here when we arrived, the other a kind gift from Angeliki and Merkouris – thank you, guys!

                                                   

I’ve got loads of apple sauce frozen, made crumbles and Z’s all-time favourite, tarte tatin. Here it is, with one of my favourites, moussakas. I love the change-of-season foods. We have already attacked them, I’m afraid!

                                                   

Our almonds have made pesto sauces – with almonds, cheese, olive oil and basil leaves – as well as a paste base-layer over tart pastry, topped with a plum and apple sauce.

Mr Mao loves lying on the warmth of the almond shells as they dry out in the sun.

Cats always find the best places to chill. 😊

                                                   

Leaving Smyrni.

 

And so we come to the end of our stay in Smyrni. We have our final breakfast: the pastries were disappointingly dry but the scrambled eggs were the creamiest e.v.e.r.. Then, we head off. Note to Google Translate: that phrase does not bear the semantic force of ‘decapitation’. Just saying!

Fortunately, we managed to find the main exit road quite easily and joined the main route to the north. In this urban scene below, you can see how great swathes of the surrounding hills have sprouted multi-storey residence blocks - real carbuncles, but I’m sure they enjoy excellent views.

Impressive mosque and I do apologise for all the cables captured in the image. It takes good balance, patience and luck to get the entire building in frame as you go whizzing by in the car. But you get the idea!

Then we cross what is currently the longest suspension bridge in the world. Opened to traffic in March this year, the Canakkale Bridge has a span of 2,023 metres. It is in the area called Gelibolu, Gallipoli to us, which in turn derives from the Greek word Kalipoli, meaning ‘good city’.  We have not yet been able to establish whether that name is descriptive or euphemistic, in accordance with the ancient custom of giving a bad dog a good name in the hope of it becoming better. A case in point is the naming of the Pacific Ocean.

 

It is awesome to see it from a distance and even more so to actually cross it for it’s then you get a true sense of its dimensions. However, it does not strike confidence in you when you see cranes atop the bridge uprights and the span-side workmen assembling the barriers as you cross. So there you have it: evidence that though the bridge is in use, it is still under construction – argghh!

   We find a use for our last lira. Now I think I’d already mentioned they don’t really do foreign on Turk-side so there was a lot of pointing and digital reference going on. I strongly suspect we were done but, at the end of the transaction, both vendor and spender were smiling, so that’s all right then. 😊

With a wave of excitement we see this sign. We can now follow the lime-green road for Yunanistan/Hellas/Greece. It’s been a long journey so it’s reassuring to see. And we know the Ipsala area fairly well so confidently get our last petrol fill-up at the last petrol station before making for the border.

But our excitement was short-lived when we see a massive, long queue. It is the end of the leave period for Turks working in Europe and they are now travelling back. There is nothing else to do but queue. Fortunately, the rain has stayed off and the temperatures are comfortable so we chat with fellow-travellers and the time passes.

Eventually we get through, have a wee pit-stop, and get some refreshments for the rest of the road. All in all, from Ipsala to set foot on Greek soil, it took us all of eight hours, repeat eight hours! We got home at 5am. ☹

Gule, gule, Turkiye!!

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 [u1]