Aug 25, 2012

Aug 22, 2012

In waves

The happiness of my dearest people makes me happy too.
These days she really is.



Neither in time














































My mother has been the great cook all her life. The sort of 'less than five' kind. She has a subtle technique and stick-to-itiveness. And it has never failed. She makes the fluffiest almost only flour, sugar and butter baked goods. My experiments with Belgian chocolate, attempts at macaroons or cake decorating would never be able to beat that. And since the Belgian chocolate does the half of the work by itself, I don't find these to be some special skills at all.

Now she is getting to an age when a creativity need is sometimes overcame by feeling tired. Then she allows me to cook instead of her. It never comes out better than she would make it, but seeing her getting older makes me emotional. I made this one for this year Eid celebration at my parent's.


The plates on the photo we almost never use. But this time we did. They are complitelly 80ish. But I'm 80ish too. I was born after eight years of my parent's marriage which gave a lot of attention to my birth (by 80ish standards too with not so much photos involved). That's why there is a lot of 'when u were born' storries. 

So many times I've heard about my mother's uncle these plates were a gift from when I was born. And how he brought still warm spinach pie while my mother was still in a hospital. 


Most of the time my familly has overgrown 80ish esthetics, but certainly not the beautiful memories.

It gives me comfort in time passing. In my mom getting older too.
And makes me growing by all means. Because once I will be in somebody else's memories. Hopefully beautiful ones.

Aug 21, 2012

and

above all, good people. Preparing food, sun settling down, lights one by one, laughter

















Aug 14, 2012

Summer

in the garden.



Aug 8, 2012

Devotion to

Last night, after another sunset and cake treat from my friend at Tabija, we ended in Rahatlook, a small coffee shop.
I love everything about this place being simple and beautiful, devoted to the idea of food and gestures made with love.

More than food, devotion is what makes it special. And this life too.
U can take away your own Rahatlook tin box of tea or sweets.
Coffee pots, tea kettles and all decorations are handmade with 
tiny floral details. All food is handmade too.
My personal favorite is juice made from rose petals.
It brings back my childhood memories of summers at Grandma's house. 
She had a beautiful rose garden, made the same juice and loved us with even more devotion.

(I wanted to take more photos, but they had a lot of work and I didn't want to be in the way)













Aug 6, 2012

Diving into

calmness. 

Last night we went to see a firework that marks end of the fast. It was captivating moment of minarets light up one after another as the sky softly turns purple and rose.

Enjoying sunset, food and people was a beautiful way to enclose this weekend. 
















Aug 5, 2012

This weekend

I received this beautiful piece from my friend and I love it.
She bought it in one of the Turkish shops that sell mosaic glass lamps, 
fine carpets and handmade floral motifs pottery.


I put some rose Turkish delights in it. Once I didn't like them at all, 
too much sweet and sticky. Now I pretty much enjoy them, specially with bitter black coffee. 
Those and fig&almond ones are my recent favorites from 'Badem', the best local spice shop. 



Aug 1, 2012

The place I love

The first photo describes what I love the most about Sarajevo.
It has never lost it, despite all the hard times through the history.

(All photos are taken from this beautiful blog, The Old Postcards of Bosnia, which I have been enjoying many times so far)






'Sarajevo, 1941. Photo of women and children in street together: A Muslim veiled woman, Zejneba Hardaga (right) and Jewish woman, Rivka Kalb (2nd from right) and her children are guided on the streets of Sarajevo in 1941. Zejneba covered the yellow star on the Rivka's left arm with her veil. Bahrija Hardasa, sister-in-law of Zejneba, is on the far left. (Courtesy of Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, University of Minnesota)'





The main street in Sarajevo, Titova street, called Čemaluša before 1914

Traditional yeast flat bread, somun


Baščaršija, Sarajevo's bazaar, market place
The inner yard of Gazi Husrev Bey's Mosque. The young boy is holding a towel used for wiping after abdest, the practice of ritual washing before daily prayer
Today's Ulica branilaca Sarajeva, The Defenders of Sarajevo Street
Street scene at Baščaršija

Baščaršija with Sebil, wooden fountain in the center built by Mehmed-pasha Kukavica in 1753. It was relocated by Czech architect Alexander Vitek in 1891. It is also frequently called “the pigeon square”
The old Jewish Cemetery. It is one of the most famed Sephardic burial grounds in the world.  Founded in 1630, when Rabbi Samuel Baruch rented the land, it is the oldest intact burial ground of any religious group in Sarajevo and is known for its age and beauty. It has been restored recently
Hotel Europe was the first modern hotel, established in year 1882 on crossroads of Oriental and European Sarajevo, being the classiest place in Sarajevo. It was designed by Karlo Paržik, Czech architect who came in Sarajevo with 26 years of age and where he worked nearly for 60 years. He designed some of the most beautiful buildings in Sarajevo

A woman's boutique 

Markale City Market (German Markthalle). It was projected in 1894, under name 'Markthalle fur Sarajevo',  and built one year later. The designer was August Butsch, who built it in Neo-Reneissance style. 
The old Sephardi Synagogue, today's Bosnian Cultural Center
Hotel Europe interior
Today's The Building of Presidency

Kafana, coffee shop interior
Marijin Dvor or Marindvor, settlement in the center of Sarajevo, named by Mary's house. Mary was wife of industrialist August Braun, who came together with the arrival of the Austro-Hungarian government

Kovači Street
At Baščaršija
Sarajevo was the first city in Europe to have a full-time (from dawn to dusk) operational electric tram line in 1885, introduced shortly after the city became part of the Austro-Hungarian empire

At Baščaršija. Kantardžija, a man who weighs  the goods

Selling handicrafts. Bosnian muslim woman wore a long shawl called zar
The Orthodox Church in Sarajevo, built in 1872
Markale City Market 
Emperor’s Mosque. Built in 1462, waqf of Sarajevo founder and first mosque in Sarajevo

The old horse tram. 


Sebil
The Cathedral of Jesus' Heart is is the largest cathedral in Bosnia and HerzegovinaArchitect Josip Vancaš modeled it after the Notre-Dame de Paris using the neo-Gothic style and elements of Romanesque architecture. Work began on August 25, 1884, and was completed in the same month in 1889
Today's Sarajevo Music Academy. It was designed by Josip Vancaš and built in 1893. Originally it was Institute St. Augustine
Shari'at Law School. It was built in 1887 in pseudo-Moorish style by Karlo Paržik.