Turkish Coffee.

To celebrate having the day off, I called up Gram this morning to see if she wanted to make me breakfast.  She loves when I invite myself over, so I headed over in my PJs and was delighted to find that Evelyn was in town (my Gram's good friend from Vegas).  Evelyn is always full of stories about being a showgirl in Vegas in the days of the Rat Pack, and so it is always an entertaining visit.  They filled me with coffee, gossip, and an egg and cheese sandwich on a cinnamon raisin english muffin...don't forget the milk!  Really one of the best mornings I've had in a long time, but so is every breakfast at Gram's house.  When I was over there, I noticed the new W magazine in the living room.  Hmmm...ours hasn't come in the mail yet, maybe the subscription is expired?  I'll have to look into it...

Anyways.

When I got home, I got online to peruse the Fall Fashion shoots, as this is one of the biggest volumes of the year and Kate Moss was on the cover, which always bodes well.  Well imagine my surprise when I found Kate participating in a shoot in the very Hammam that Fletcher and I had our infamous Turkish bath in Instanbul only 3 years prior!  I watched the video of the "making of the shoot", and sure enough, it is the Cagaloglu Hammam!  For those of you who know the story (which should be everybody who reads my blog...all 3 of you), you can finally place it with a picture.  Of course, we didn't look nearly as glamorous as Kate...more like drowned rats.  Please note that if you do click on the link, there are some topless photos in the slideshow...so you may not want to do so at work.

Ahh yes...this was the podium in the middle of the room that the large Turkish woman scrubbed me from head to toe on.  The marble was so slick I was sliding across it as she scrubbed behind my ears like I was 5 years old.  Now just picture Fletcher (by the wash basin in the background of the picture) laughing hysterically at me.

Now I've tried to describe the beauty of this place many a time, but you can see in this next shot the gorgeous skylights letting the morning sun in.  We went around noon, so it was a lot sunnier in there, with rays of sunlight making patterns on the wall.

Last but not least, please notice the beautiful wash basin where the Turkish woman stripped us of our towels and left us to "Vash, vash, vash!" in our wooden sandals.  The only thing missing from this shot is the bucket of water she dumped over my head.

Now, if you're wondering why we would put ourselves through such an ordeal, the 1000 Places to See Before You Die book made me think it was one of the things I really should do before I die.  An excerpt, with some comments of how it should have read...

"Once you're shopped out, a traditional Turkish bath is just the thing to help you decompress, or shed about 5 pounds of skin while fighting a large Turkish woman for your life.  There are still more than a hundred to choose from, but the best place to take the plunge after a long and dusty day of bargaining is the Cagaloglu on Yerebatan Caddesi.  The Cagaloglu was a gift to the city in 1741 from Sultan Mahmud I, and it is believed that King Edward VII, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Franz Liszt, and Florence Nightingale have all visited its magnificient white-marble domed steam room - Tony Curtis unquestionably did and so did Kate!.  Public baths were orginally founded by the Romans, who passed the tradition on to the Byzantines and from them to the Turks and the Turks to the Hungarians who misleadingly(?) still called them Turkish baths when they were only giant heated swimming pools, deceiving tourists who would eventually go to Turkey.  Baths were a public utility because of water shortages, and provided a perfect marriage between the Koran's demand for cleanliness and the pleasure of corporal indulgence in a beautiful setting.  Although most Turkish homes (especially in the cities) have adequate plumbing today, the baths remain  a social insitution though Turkish Grandma laughed at us when she heard we were going, as she has only been a few times in her lifetime. "

Ahh...well when you read it like that, it still sounds like something you should do before you die.  Especially if you get to wear clothes like Kate.