Hello friends,
Today,
July 9th in Diyarbakir, alter breakfast, we received a phone call from our
friends in Hatay telling us there was a great storm and they couldn’t leave the
hotel. We laughed a lot with them, they all thought the situation was very
funny. They also told us that the bookstore where the books are was closed
because the owner had to go to a family member’s funeral. After this contact
with Hatay we started the day in the same chai garden of yesterday to get some
fresh air and chat. We called Izzet and he was very happy to hear from us and
we set a date with him at 18h at the hotel. At one thirty, Mehmet called us and
we invited him to the garden. When he arrived we talked about many things and
asked him if he would like to take us to the bookstore so that we can see where
it is and to meet the owner. Mehmet, very helpful, took us there haappily. It
took us a while to find the library, asking taxi drivers and other people, but
we finally got there. You have to go down a staircase and we saw up front the
books of The Message very visible. The bookstore is big and has a very good
atmosphere. We asked to meet the owner and a woman took us to where he was. We
introduced ourselves telling him who we were and giving him a calling card,
thanks to Mehmet’s help, translating our English. He invited us to sit at a
table and entertained us. We tried to ask him if we could set up a table with
books and other things and if it were possible to distribute flyers inviting
people on the street. But we couldn’t make ourselves understood. So we called
Altug in Hatay who explained everything. Yüksel also intervened from Hatay and
finally, Altug called us saying there was no problem and we could do as we
wished.
So we said good-bye to the owner who is called Murat after taking some pictures of the place.
So we said good-bye to the owner who is called Murat after taking some pictures of the place.
From
there Mehmet took us to a very beautiful place because Lory wanted to eat
something and, if possible, baklava. He knows people of the place and they were
all very helpful so we had chai with baklava and other things until it was time
to meet Izzet. Arriving at the hotel, he was waiting for us. A very lovely
person, Ancient History professor. Mehmet said good-bye because he had things
to do but said he would be back later. Izzet took us to the same Caravanserail
we were in yesterday and took us to the cafe upstairs. Already on the streets
we had a very animated conversation, in French and English about Neolithic times,
which we continued at the cafe, passing through European History and other
subjects. We also talked about Silo’s Message and our humanism which fascinates
him. For him we are very good people and he expressed this with real emotion.
He also told us that he has a project of writing 32 books which describe the
history of humanity as a human process. We talked about this issue and
everything was very interesting. At 20:30 he had to go pick up his wife and go
home. He repeated various times that if we need his help we should not hesitate
to call him. This after we told him what we intended to do in the morning. But
at the end he invited us to his home tomorrow morning to have breakfast with
him. He will prepare french cheese, eggs and other things. We told him that
Kati will also be with us tomorrow and he said that there would be no problem,
that the three of us should come. He explained which bus we should take. So we
were all very happy. We said our good-byes in front of the restaurant which is
open 24 hours and is pratically attached to the hotel, after having bought
cherries which are especially good here.
Lory
and peter ate at this restaurant and already coming in, everyone spoke English
very well and we were well received. They treated us as a marvel and at the end
someone asked us who we were and what we were doing in Diyarbakir so we told
them about the Message and the book and gave them a calling card, Lory had in
her purse. He was very happy. We told him that if after reading the flyer he is
interested in the book, he should call us. We’ll see what happens.
We
went back to the hotel and when we arrived Huseyin called us to say he was
already in Diyarbakir, having just arrrived home and that he could come visit
us in the hotel in 20 minutes. At the same time Mehmet arrived and we were all
in front of the hotel, on benches which the hotel personnel put for us. There
we were, eating cherries which we also offered to the personnel and everyone
happy and joyful. We called Kati again who had already called us when she
arrived in Batman and was on the bus to Diyarbakir and we agreed to pick her up
at the bus terminal. We still had one hour so we went to our beautiful chai
garden to have something to drink and chat. Arriving there a boy who works
there asks us where we were from and when we said Holland, he started talking
Dutch to us. Very funny.
At
midnight we went by taxi to pick up Kati and we arrived just as the bus had
arrived. Kati was very well and a group of young people were helping her. Kati
told us that everyone was nice on the bus and helping her until she arrived.
So
everything well and we went back to the hotel, dropping off Mehmet on our way
since he was going home. We agreed to meet him tomorrow at 17h in front of the
bookstore.
We
finished the day with a chai at the hall of our hotel and also agreed to see
Huseyin tomorrow.
We
like Diyarbakir very much, people are amiable and attentive.
We
thank Mehmet, Huseyin and Izzet for being so helpful and loving.
A big hug,
Lory, Kati, Huseyin and Peter
CONGRATULATIONS! HUGS
ReplyDeleteTito