Hamam Oh Man

From guest blogger, Helena:

The twin domes of the hamam are a landmark

We had been to one hamam in Istanbul and I have been to others previously but this one in Safranbolu was by far the most authentic experience for both of us. We had the whole place to ourselves which was luck but felt like absolute luxury. If you have never been, imagine a huge old stone church with a marble altar in the middle and smaller alcoves radiating off it at right angles. There are big marble basins at regular intervals along the walls where you can scoop up bowls of water to douse yourself. There are tiny star shaped holes in the domes that let in light, lots of hot steam, constant sound of running water and all sounds reverberate like mad. I thought of many of my friends that can sing well and how nice it would be if they were there to liven it up. It was quite hot and while I waited on the hot slab marinating till my turn, listening to the staccato slaps of Elizabeth's massage ringing through the high stone cupola like gun shots. I was forced to get up and cool off in a stream of cold water a few times. Our "telallin" or washer took every last bit of skin off, first using a rough black mitt and lots of pressure, then a scratchy pad with soap on it, my skin literally squeaked. We had been peeled and came out all bright and shiny. It was exhausting but we both felt gratifyingly clean.

Inspite of this we still managed to do a fair bit of exploring,  discovering the small town and making friends with many of the resident cats and their 'owners'. Some ownerless cats followed us on a long walk, just wanting cuddles and probably out of boredom. We went to visit a huge old house that has been turned into a museum complete with mannequins in exhibits, beautiful old kilim rugs and original features like bathtubs in cupboards and revolving cupboards for women to be able to serve food and not be seen by strange men. it was a fascinating look at Ottoman architecture and lifestyle back before the fall of that empire.

We named these two Stripey and Fluffy