We did Turkey slightly out of order, so you're getting the pictures a bit out of order too.
After Calib had a difficult time with his first meal post braces, I figured I should clear a few days of countries. Besides that he wasn't exactly retaining a ton of information due to being uncomfortable. I hated to take a break, because we were on a work from home week, so Asa was home to cook the whole time.
But then I thought, well if I could find an egg recipe, that would be easy to eat. Then we'd just throw the meal in, and I could teach them about Turkey on one of the days Asa was in the office.
Turkey came up with a very popular recipe for Menemen.
(Fun fact: since we didn't do the country lesson the same day as the dinner, all day we said 'Turkey Dinner' and Hayden was very confused when eggs showed up on his plate instead of a Thanksgiving style dinner).
But anyway, in addition to the Menemen, were at Sprouts and I've been eyeing their Babka bread for awhile now. It's popular in that whole area, but people think it came from the Turks, so it was perfect. We added some grapes for a light dinner that would certainly be easy to chew.
Turkey dinner earned five spoons up.
It reminded us of the scrambled Shakshuka we had for Yemen day (still the only dinner I forgot to take a picture of!) Everyone agreed it was like a much better for you version of 'grandpa's eggs' - well except for the butter over top. (I don't know how much my kids remember about grandpa, but they do remember how much cheese he put in his eggs- and it was A LOT!)
The Babka bread was fine. It was like a cinnamon raisin breakfast bread, but a little on the crumbly side. (And I had to pick the raisins out for Calib).
A couple of days later when Asa was in the office, we had our Turkey lesson, including our two world wonders, the Mausoleum at Halicanassus (the first Mausoleum), and the Temple of Artemis (which we covered when we did Greek week).
The backside of the boys Turkey postcards are their drawings of our Ancient Wonders.
As for Turkey itself, it's a complicated country- complete with a very ominous US Travel Warning, asking US citizens to 'carefully consider' traveling to Turkey.
It gives us a chance to talk history and current events. Just a few weeks ago, in a flawed election (at best) Turkey voted to change their constitution, giving their president more power, which is never a good thing. And for some odd reason our president congratulated him *sigh*
But Turkey is a country beyond it's turmoil. They are the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world who can claim to be part of both Europe and Asia. Turkey has been an important geographical and cultural hotspot for thousands of years.
With awesome beaches (along both the Mediterranean and Black Seas), stunning mountain regions, and impressive cuisine, Turkey has something to fit everyone's taste and budget.
From foam parties to the 'Grand Bazaar' (the world's oldest and largest indoor shopping center), it's a weird mix of ancient and modern.
Our landmark for Turkey are the Fairy Chimneys. The region of Cappadocia is famous for these large cone-like formations that were created over time by the relatively soft volcanic ash around them. Past cultures have dug into them to create dwellings, castles, and even entire underground cities. It's a popular tourist destination- and people often travel over the formations by hot air balloon.
But that isn't Turkey's only natural tourist attraction. There is also the 'Cotton Castle', in which geothermal mineral water has left all these calcium deposits that form stone waterfalls and make pools of bubbling blue neon water.
Beyond natural attractions, Turkey has some pretty impressive man made structures as well. The Aya Sofya, complete with a domed roof made up of 30 million gold tiles has been standing for over 1,500 years- as a cathedral, a mosque, and a museum.
The boys made their Turkey postcards.
Calib's featured the Grand Bazaar.
Peyton noted the hot air balloons over the Fairy Chimneys.
And Hayden, of course, drew a giant Angora rabbit, because he really grabs onto the animal portion of the lesson. (Didn't I just type that?)
Anyway, the giant fluff ball rabbit originates from Turkey's capital, Ankara, and is one of the oldest species of rabbit in the world. They're bred for their wool, which can be used to make clothing.
We colored Turkey in green, and that whole area is really starting to fill in.
73 down, 120 to go!
Next Up: Greece
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