We’re in Urla – a quaint little city here in Turkey.
We are having our very own local festival – the 1st International Urla Artichoke Festival.
YAY!
There is a pretty cool mayor here who is quite hands-on and I have a feeling this is one of her fun ideas (The ‘her’ part explains the ‘pretty cool’ and ‘hands-on’ part, no? Sorry folks, women nurture towns better!).
My friends used to call my mom ‘McGyver’.
She is an artist that can make anything from anything.
She had her own TV show growing up in Dubai for many years showing various ways of turning desert sand or discarded fish skin (yes; real, smelly fish skin) into beautiful artifacts.
She has a wide range of goodies that she can sell (which she doesn’t like to as they are her ‘babies’ but that’s another story).
Check out an episode of her latest series on the Turkish National channel TRT Avaz below.
She has since calmed down save for freelancing here and there… unless I force her to take part in one of these art fairs so here we are.
I decided to contribute too by making mermaids (Pictured: Princess Mermaid, Viking Mermaid & Meditating Mermaids). I was looking for mermaid-shaped cookie cutters but substituted them with wooden spoons when I couldn’t find any.
From selling homes worth millions of Dollars to selling these babies at 5 Turkish Liras a piece… and being even happier (and a teeny bit less stressed).
Life… you better make friends with change folks, it’s never gonna leave you alone.
Here we are and here are some of the highlights.
The main highlight: My moms’ golden artichoke (of course), made using a real artichoke (and fake gold unfortunately). Many people approached us and tried to buy it. My mom refused to sell it (it’s that attachment thing artists have towards their treasures) then she gifted it to the lovely lady across the street from us.
Love this crazy mother of mine!!
There are a few main areas the festival was taking place. The main square of the town and Sanat Sokagi (Art Street) held most of the stalls where the crafts were sold, along with some food. The Tamirhane Binasi (historic hangar) held the cooking contests and Malgaca Pazari also was more concentrated on the food.
There are many hand-made pieces of art, jewelry, clothing and horses.
Meet Nur!
She is also a regular in these fairs and her designs are wonderfully original and *crazy* – just the way I likey!
Check her designs out here.
This is an older photo but definitely one of my favorites out of the stuff she makes.
Other stands, other goodies.
There was plenty of home-made food.
There are plenty of variations of different ways to make artichoke: artichoke salad, rice, cold dishes – they even had artichoke doner!
I had previously tried artichoke jam (yes, jam) and found it to be delicious: tasted just like sweet chestnuts.
I tried one of the cold dishes too and had a tummy ache all afternoon…
They also had different bands playing in the different areas.
The music was jazz, pop, oldies, some rock as well as some favorite Turkish pop hits.
I have to say I really was pleasantly surprised as I do miss hearing music other than Turkish, even if they’re singing Mustang Sally.
Go Urla!!
Enginar
Enginar is one of the knick-knack and souvenir shops on Sanat Sokagi (‘Art Street’), the must-stroll street of Urla. It has many historic buildings and many quaint cafes inside those old stone homes. One of the reasons Enginar is one of my favorites is that a good portion of their income is donated to making a better life for stray animals.
That, and because they always have a kitten or two that I can go and satisfy my never-ending hunger for playing with little kitties (or any other animals for that matter).
And today… oh today!! There are a few little kittens so tiny that even their eyes are still sealed shut.
They are in the squeaky phase where the blindly roll about the place, squeaking and trying to nuzzle milk out of anything they bump their little noses into. What blisssssss!!
My Stone Home Art
Discovered another hidden gem here. This place is actually a beautiful little place for people who have art in their heart. They have wood carving, ceramic workshops and doll-making classes to name just  few.
The energy in this old house gave me butterflies…
Check them out here.
Meet lovely Deniz the clown (the one on the right).
I have *always* wanted to be a clown.
She also confirmed that it was lots of fun… oh, to make kids smile like that 🙂
Anyway, I have already put my request through and next time there is an opportunity in an event in Urla, that’s what I will be!!
It was a really wonderful weekend.
Traffic was not a nightmare and although terribly crowded, it was a good, happy crowd full of people adding to the festive mood, dancing to the music.
I leave you with the best piece of wisdom that the festival had to offer.
