Wild berries picking

Yup... u have come to the right place..... the wild black berries of Sapanca...

Just now i asked her in turkish......

*my daughter.. why do u like to eat the wild berries?*

and her answer was...

*because they r so sweet anne*

then i asked her another question....

*why do u love the jungle trekking (büyük tür as she likes to say)*

her short answer was very precise...

*becoz it is fun and very healthy*...

her answers made me smile wide...

I was born, live and grew up in Malaysia... a country with nature. in my high school days and my university days...i can tell u countless experiences i had camping....jungle trekking... climbing hills...absailing..kayakking..etc..etc...things made possible with the existence of the rain forest of Malaysia..

She on the other hand... was born n is living in istanbul. ... a place where trees r rare... apartments r built on every possible land....and being a part of the Zaim family also means that she is living under the strict protection of the family... what i did in my younger days was and is and will be a *no no* for her...

Her dad has a bit of my sense of adventure too... considering that he was born in istanbul as well... so u can imagine my happiness when we discovered the jungle trekking (one hour and a half)... up up and down finally to the family's summer house...what is special of course is the fact though young as they r, hatice and her brother baddin do have the enrgy to go thru the trekking at every possible opportunity...

But the best thing of all was and is and will always be ...

as we all walk... along the way... u can explore the nature... u get to see tortoise near the road somewhere.. n when in season.. THE WİLD BLACK BERRİES!!...hatice's favourite!

İndeed they r really sweet... if u buy the berries from the market, they dont taste as sweet as this... this year due to the hot weather, the berries became ripe a bit early....and if truth is to be told... hatice has had far than enough of the berries this year.....afiyet olsun kızıma benim :0)

one type of berries..this is the most typical... all the berries stuck together like thi.... we normally pick the black coloured one... the red coloured one will be sour n the green one will ne unedible of course :0)

another type.... the taste is different even.. this type is hard to locate... but worth picking if u see it..

the cows n the sheeps and the white dog looking after the animals....
this time the dog got angry at the cow for trying to drink his water hehehe

halil trying to pick the berries for his princess...it was really thorny!
this is our fav place for berries picking... the berries here taste the best!

the princess being fed the berries by the king of her heart :0)

the tongue gets this color (n even worse) if u eat the berries too much..

a lot of not so ripe berries...

see that insect? its fav food r the berries..i try not to touch the berries he is feasting on...

sharing is always good :0)

hatice with baddin n her baba

hatice with baddin n urs truly...