Sapanca

Sapanca...

Yep...i simply adore Sapanca... Hatice,Baddin and Halil share my point of view too.In summer it is best due to the pool...for the zaims to get together,throw themselves in the pool under the hot sun ; in the privacy of the house's garden,eating BBQ for dinner...it is a pleasure indeed. But that is not why i just love this house.

The house itself is only one hour and a half from istanbul. The location up in the mountain, allows a perfect view of the greenery and the sapanca lake underneath it. The fact that it is a house and not an apartment gives it a vast advantage as an attraction.The garden also allows halil and the kids to release their extra energy on sports (i am happy in the kitchen!!). The delicious sapanca bread.
The fresh air...who can resist???

I love Sapanca mostly due to sentimental values. After a week of honeymoon in Abant, Sapanca was the first place i went. It was in Sapanca i played my first snow.Dear anne had to detained herself from playing in the garden after the snow so that i could first played with it ( winter 2000).It is also in Sapanca i spend most of my summer.It is where i learned to overcome my water phobia. But most importantly, in the old times, before her death, Anne was there and before his marriage, Kerim was there (i really really miss their presence in Sapanca) .

But i didn't share this feeling years ago. Even though i came from a family of 6 siblings, when i first came to turkey i disliked being in a crowd. Trust me, Sapanca in summer is a crowd....most of the siblings and their families will usually get together there.It got really depressing to see my hubby's siblings and families got together and enjoyed themselves in a chat and jokes and there i was....missing Malaysia..wishing that it was my family..my own siblings that i was talking to...to be in that crowd was a torture indeed. I didn't want to go to sapanca most of the time. But since halil loves it so much, i endured and allowed him to drag me and stayed in sapanca for far much too often (what i did for love!!). As time goes by however, as i get used to turkey, as i get used to the zaim family, as i get used to contain my longing for my own family, i started to see Sapanca for what it is and not allow myself to be tortured too much. Resisted...accepted and loving it...


In fact, halil, the kids, baba and i just got from Sapanca for a 5-day rest there.The first and the second day,it was like almost summer and somehow spring there..The weather was that good. Then, it started to rain. Yesterday,due to its location up on the mountain, we experienced a breathtaking view of snow(did i mention that we had no gloves and the kids used thick socks as gloves?).The kids were quite sick when we went to Sapanca. They played in the garden, ran etc..etc....halil and i cycled the cycling boat (romantically..mistik looked after the kids!!) at sapanca lake, they lit the fireplace in the house for a more romantic view (halil's idea..baba was freezing as well...), we walked in the rain as a family (oh yeah...we were totally soaking wet to the max)....now that we are back in istanbul, the kids are TOTALLY SICK (is it any wonder???).In fact, halil n i are getting sick too. Nonetheless, we enjoyed Sapanca very much.
I can't wait to go there again!!