An adventure in Turkey

Barbara Ward

On Aug. 12, my daughter Merrie Ward Hacievliyagil, my three

grandchildren and I checked all our 10 pieces of luggage at JFK

Airport in New York on Turkish Airlines.

We had been on a six-week tour of the East Coast of the United

States with my other daughter, Mollie Ward Brown and the four Brown

cousins from San Francisco. Aunt Corrie Ward Viera of Costa Mesa

joined the group for part of the tour. Now it was time for the five

of us to return to Istanbul, Turkey, Merrie and the children’s home.

All five are joint citizens of the United States and Turkey.

It was my fourth visit, with a 10-year gap between my last trip

and this one. What an incredible change to be in such a diverse city.

The plane landing at the new airport was a beautiful sight with its

long approach over the ocean, all the apartment buildings of various

colors dotting the hillsides into the city and in the city itself,

crossed by several new freeways and expressways. Mini buses have

replaced some of the large polluting city buses and elegant office

buildings and hotels add a rich mixture to the new business

districts. The traffic is horrible, however, even to a California

driver. But this was not going to be a sight-seeing tour; it was a

chance to enjoy Merrie’s new home outside the city, about five miles

from the Black Sea.

Their complex is called Akapark and is a series of four story

townhouses clustered around a pool and patio area shared by the

owners. All around were grasslands where local farmers let their cows

and sheep graze. Nearby was the town and shopping area of

Zekeriyakoy.

My days were spent swimming and relaxing with Melisa, 11, Kaan,

10, and Lara, 6, Kursat, Merrie’s husband, Ginger, the golden

retriever, and Shaute, the cat. Other days we swam at the Black Sea

Beach Club, owned by the alumni assn. of the University of Bogazici.

Merrie received her master’s degree at the university.

Thatched umbrellas dotted the sand. A restaurant, showers and

changing rooms added to the club atmosphere. A lifeguard watched over

the roped-off swimming areas to provide extra safety from the strong

ocean currents. Visible from the beach were several tankers and

freighters that sat waiting to enter the Bosporus Strait.

Highlights of the visit included a visit to the family farm that

supplied fresh vegetables and fruits to the family table, an evening

cruise in a small boat in the Bosporus with Turkish friends, a large

market shopping trip that looked like a Turkish copy of Wal-Mart, and

a picturesque bazaar along the Bosporus offering small restaurants

and coffee bars and the best shopping of them all at the covered

bazaar, Kapalicarsi. A true shopper’s paradise, especially if you

like to bargain.

It was 16 days with my Turkish family. A joyous time for any

grandmother to have.

This will sustain me for another 10 months until next summer, and

the picture albums will re-kindle the happy memories.

* BARBARA WARD is a Costa Mesa resident.