International K9 & Horse Club: "A Sunday outing"...

Due to popular demand... my blog will be prepared in English and Turkish from now on...However, my mom's Turkish (when it comes to writing) is not that great so sorry in advance for the gramatical errors!

Yoğun talep üzerine, bundan böyle bloğum İngilizce ve Türkçe olarak hazırlanacaktır...Yalnız annem Türkçe'yi o kadar güzel yazamıyor ve şimdiden yaptığı hatalar için özür diliyor!

Hi everyone!

It has been a while since my last post, sorry about that! But, I cannot begin to tell you how BORED I have been for the last month! If you read some of my other posts, you know I live in Istanbul and the weather here has been pretty bad. Sure it's the winter I realize that as my mom is always putting on a different coat before she takes me out as it has been very rainy and lately (for the last week or so), it has also been snowing! Now, this doesn't hold much meaning to me - I'm not concerned about the weather - but I do realize that it has been affecting my social life!

Uzun zamandır sizler için bir yazı hazırlayamadım - özür dilerim! Ama, son bir aydır ne kadar SIKILDIĞIMI anlatamam! Daha önceki yazılarımı okuduysanız, ben Istanbul'da yaşıyorum... eh... şimdi de kış ve havalar çok kötü... soğuk olmak dışında, bir de sürekli yağmur yağıyor ve son zamanlarda buna kar da eklendi! Benim için bu fazla birşey ifade etmiyor açıkçası, ama annem her dışarıya çıktığımızda değişik bir kiyafet giydirerek çıkartıyor. Hava durumları benim derdim değil ama sosyal yaşamımı kesinlikle etkilediğini fark ettim!

You see... my mom has really spoiled me! Before the winter season, besides our normal morning and evening walks, she would take me to restaurants and other places she went and we would be outside for hours! Now, I'm basically stuck at home most of the time! I can't wait for the "old days"!

Annem beni çok şımartı ve eski günlerimi mumla arıyorum! Kış sezonu başlamadan önce, sabah ve akşam gezmelerimiz dışında, annem beni değişik restoranlara, vb götürürdü ve böylece saatlerce dışarıda vakit geçirirdim. Şimdi ise, tam tersine sürekli evdeyim ve ahh... o eski günleri çok anıyorum!

However, this situation changed this past Sunday (January 22)! For a change, it was a lovely and sunny day although it was still cold. My aunt Meltem called my mom in the morning and said they were taking Arman (my mom's 10 1/2 year old nephew) to International K-9 & Horse Club (www.k9horseclub.com) to go horseback riding and asked whether we would like to join them. I listened intently as mom spoke to her on the phone... mom has been sick on and off for the last week and she told her she wasn't up to it, but asked them if they would take me along! Thank god my aunt Meltem said sure!

Çok şükür bu "sıkıntılı" günlerim Pazar günü (22 Ocak) değişti. Şansıma, Pazar günü, soğuk olmasına rağmen güneşli bir gündü. Annemin kardeşi, Meltem teyzem aradı ve dediki hava güzel olduğu için Arman'ı (annemin 10,5 yaşındaki yeğeni) International K-9 & Horse Club'a (www.k9horseclub.com)  at binmek istediği için gideceklerini ve bizim de gelmemizi istedi. Aralarındaki konuşmalar geçerken, ben de büyük ilgiyle dinledim! Annem son bir haftadır hasta olduğu için, katılamayacağını ama isterlerse beni götürebileceğini söyledi... ve çok şükür Meltem teyzem tabii ki dedi!

My aunt Meltem, her husband Ibrahim and Arman came and picked me up at around 1:00pm and we were on our way! I'm used to them and like them alot, so I had no problem going with my mom. In fact, I had stayed at my aunt's house a few times when my mom went away on vacation last year...

Meltem teyzem, eşi İbrahim ve Arman saat 13.00 gibi beni gelip aldılar ve yola koyulduk! Ben onları çok seviyorum ve annem olmadan onlarla gitmek benim için hiç zor olmadı. Hatta, geçen sene birkaç kez annem seyahatte gidince onların evinde kalmıştım.

International K-9 & Horse Club is located in a place called Hadımköy. The car ride was long, so I know it's not very close to our house. My mom had gone there before (before I started living with her in May), but this was my first time and I wasn't sure what to expect.

International K-9 & Horse Club Hadımköy'de... araba yolculuğu biraz uzun sürdü dolayısıyla bizim oturduğumuz mahalleye yakın olmadığını anladım. Annem daha önce gitmişti (ben onunla yaşamaya başlamadan önce - Mayıs 2010'dan beri annemin yanındayım) ama benim ilk gidişimdi ve neyle karşılaşacağımı bilmiyordum.

The minute we got out of the car... I knew I would like this place because it's very big and lots of places for me to roam and sniff!

Arabadan iner inmez burayı seveceğimi anladım çünkü çok büyük bir yer ve gezecek ve koklayacak çok yer vardı!

Me and Arman

 

"Posing" for my Aunt Meltem @ International K-9

I found out that Arman had come here many many times to go horseback riding in the last two years and has gotten quite good at it. However, they mainly come during the spring and fall when he can ride outside...when they can also sit outside and soak in the sun...

Son birkaç yıldır Arman'ın buraya gelerek at bindiğini ve bu sürede iyi bir binici olmaya başladığını öğrendim. Genellikle daha iyi havalarda K-9'a gidiyorlar ve Arman dışarıda biniyor... ve bizimkiler dışarıda güneşli havanın keyfini çıkartıyordu.. 

Outdoor horseback riding area at International K-9

Outdoor eating & drinking area @ International K-9

However, now that it's cold, Arman rode indoors and we watched as he did .... also met some of the horses at the stalls... and made a friend... a labrador...My mom says I'm a mild-mannered dog and make friends easily as I don't bark at my furry friends and just want to make friends!

Fakat, şimdi havalar soğuk olduğundan, Arman içerideki manejde ata bindi ve biz seyrettik... aynı zamanda atları ziyaret ettik ve bir arkadaş edindim... bir labrador. Annem benim çok iyi huylu bir köpek olduğumu ve kolay dost edindiğimi her zaman söyler ve yandaşlarıma hiç bir zaman havlamam ve hırçın davranmam.

Arman horseback riding

After Arman's riding session, we headed indoors to Hara Restaurant... which is located in a two story building...

Arman ata bindikten sonra soğuktan kaçmak için 2 katlı bir binada olan Hara Restaurant'a gittik...

Hara Restaurant

We decided to sit upstairs because there was a fireplace, but I did notice that there was an open brick oven on the first floor (yum.... food for me too!)...

Üst katta oturmaya tercih ettik çünkü şömine vardı... ama yukarıya çıkarken, birinci katta açık fırın olduğunu gördüm ve sevindim... demek benim de yiyebilecek yemekler vardı!

Aunt Meltem and her husband Ibrahim

Aunt Meltem and me

Brick oven at Hara Restaurant

Everyone had gotten hungry (including me and I usually don't eat when I'm out!), so we ordered food. My Aunt Meltem says that the food here is quite good and the prices very reasonable. They have a selection of appetizers (changes daily) and salads along with grills (köfte - Turkish style meatballs, chicken, etc.) and pide (pastry stuffed with cheese.. meat, etc.). I see that they opted to order apps and salads and grills for Arman and me. Also, Ibrahim likes to drink wine (just like my mom) and he says the wine he had was not only very good, but very reasonably priced!

Bu kadar temiz havadan sonra herkes açıkmıştı (ben dahil - ama genellikle ben dışarıda yemek yemeyi sevmiyorum). Teyzem dediki buradaki yemekler gayet güzel ve bir sürü meze (her gün seçenekler değişebiliyor), salatalar, pideler ve ızgaralar var. Kendileri meze ve salata ısmarladı ve Arman ve bana izgaralardan... Ayrıca, aynı annem gibi, İbrahim şarap seviyor ve çok güzel bir şarap söyledi ve fiyatı da - yemekler gibi, çok uygun olduğunu söyledi...

Goodies at Hara Restaurant

Then we hung out for a while longer... I met "another" friend... his name was Pumpkin and he's 3 years old and a really cool dog! ,We had pictures taken together, but they came out blurry so mom didn't post them. Then we walked around a little more and it was time to go home...

Yemekten sonra biraz daha takıldık.. keyif yaptık ve bir arkadaş daha edindim... onun adı Pumpkin ve 3 yaşında erkek ve gayet "cool" bir köpekti. Beraber resim çektik fakat flü çıktığı için annem buraya koymadı. Sonra dişarıda biraz daha gezdik ve eve dönme saati geldi...

This is Pumpkin

Walking with Arman

I got back home at around 7:00pm and believe me when I tell you, I totally crashed about 10 minutes later and headed straight to my bed! It was a long day, but it was a GREAT day with my family! International K-9 & Horse Club is a great place to go for kids, adults and your 4 legged family members! You can go horseback riding - walk around  - have something to eat. You can also visit the dogs (strays too) that also live at K-9...But, the next time we go, I want my mom to come too!

Saat 19.00 gibi eve döndük ve eve girdikten 10 dakika sonra çöktüm! Uzun bir gün geçirdim ailemle ama SÜPER bir gündü! International K-9 & Horse Club hem çocuklar, hem yetişkenler ve benim gibi diğer aile fertleriniz için hoş bir mekan! Ata binebilirsiniz, etrafı gezebilirsiniz, yemek yiyebilirsiniz ve orada kalan köpekleri de ziyaret edebilirsiniz. Ama, bir sonraki sefere annemin de bizimle gelmesini istiyorum!

Till the next time...

Bir sonraki sefere kadar hoşçakalın...

Luka

International K-9 & Horse Club
Karaağaç Köyü
Hazerfen Havaalanı yolu üzeri
Hadımköy - B. Çekmece
Tel: (0212) 857 80 16

"Play Date" at Lucca with my gal pal Mia and our moms Dani and Ceyda!!

Hi everyone!

First, happy happy New Year to all my friends out there! I hope all of you have a wonderful 2012 with your owners and families and enjoy the good life - just like me!

It has been a while since my last post, but soooo much as happened. If you read my last post, you know that I got sick and had to wear a stupid bubble on my head - which I had to wear from December 13 to December 25! Let me tell you - that wasn't fun at all! But, mom was happy because I was a good trooper and didn't really complain - the only problem was I had a tough time eating my bones with "no paws" - but guess what? Just a day before I had it taken off, I got the hang of it and mom took a video... so before I get into my real article subject - I wanted to share that video with you!

After I got the bubble off, mom thought I looked a bit scruffy, so she took me for a haircut and bath at Animallia on December 30, so that I would look good for the New Year! Of course, at the same time she got me another new outfit!!! She's really on a roll, but justified the purchase because it was on sale at the Pet Shop at Animallia and cost her 30 TL (since I have no concept on money, I believe whatever she says!)

My "new" outfit - pre New Year's Eve

Also, my grandma knitted me an outfit as a New Year's gift - but unfortunately, it's a little big and will be altered, but I really like the colors  - don't you?

Grandma's New Year's gift...

If you are a first time visitor to my blog, let me tell you who my mom is... she also has a blog and it's http://danislogbookdestinationistanbulbeyond.blogspot.com and if you visit her site, you will notice that most of the times when she posts articles, she has a tendency of going off tangent instead of getting straight to the point! Well, she has a habit of doing the same thing on my blog! What can I say, it's her way!

Now...let's start on the topic for this blog!

I have been living with mom since May 10 (if you want the whole story, read my first blog) and she has been taking me out to lots of different places every since!

One of the first places we went to was a restaurant/cafe called Masa at IstinyePark... When we got there and sat down, a woman - her name is Ceyda... came over to our table to introduce herself and to meet me. She also as a Maltese and was at Masa with her: her little girl's name is Mia.

Mia and me at Masa (left, right) May 2010

So, that's the first time I met Mia... I was 7 months old then and Mia was 3 months old! Since we were both Maltese Terriers, our moms exchanged numbers and we said that we definitely needed to get together again!

Unfortunately because of everyone's crazy schedules we didn't get a chance to get together until yesterday - January 5th!!!

My mom texted Ceyda the night before and told her we were going to Lucca (yuppeeeee!) as it was going to be a lovely sunny day and because she felt bad that she hadn't taken me out in a long time. Ceyda and Mia were free too, so we set up our "play date" for 2:00pm.

Lucca (www.luccastyle.com) is one of my mom's favorite places and has also become mine! Well, our names are pronounced the same way too - and the meanings are pretty much the same.. that is "light, illumination" or to brighten someone's life! And... we both do!!!

Lucca (Bebek)

I know it appears that mom's constantly plugging this place, but she has been a regular ever since it opened about 7 years ago - loves their food, service, the crowd.. and they are dog friendly! And.. although it is cold, you can sit outside under the new heaters they installed this winter and let me tell you, it's like an oven!

Mom and I first took a long walk in Levent and in Bebek before we got to Lucca at 2:00pm and Ceyda and Mia were running a little late and arrived at 2:30pm! So, I just hung out and waited for them to arrive...By the way, it's always a good idea to make a reservation at Lucca - whether you go during the day or night because it is very difficult to find a table and that's exactly what mom did!

Soaking up some sun @ Lucca

This is Mia and her mom Ceyda...

Ceyda (left), Mia (right)

Isn't she adorable???? Mia is 11 months old now and she too had on the cutest outfit... here she's in her tshirt... but she had on a pink coat with a hood too which she took off at Lucca!

At first, she was a bit shy when she saw me and because she's been "fixed" (I don't know what that means), she was a little anxious with my overtures towards her! But, after a while, she allowed me to snuggle up to her and mom shot a short video...

Mom and Ceyda caught up and Mia and I got re-acquainted, and just hung out until it was time to leave. Mom had one of her favorite dishes.. Grilled Salmon served with broccoli and mashed celery root (absolutely delicious and better than mashed potatoes she says!) and Ceyda wasn't really hungry so she just ordered their herbed French Fries.

Of course the subject of pet supplies, clothes etc came up during their conversation! Ceyda mentioned this website where you can get all sorts of accessories for dogs and cats. It's called Petza "For Cool Pets" (www.petza.com.tr). Although the heading is in English, the website is in Turkish only. Mom visited the site today and it's the best one she has seen until now. The selections are so vast and most of the items are reasonably priced - so I know for a fact that she will definitely be ordering me all sorts of items from there - god help me!!!

We left Lucca at about 4:30pm and took a walk up along the Bosphorus because Ceyda had a meeting she had to go to at 5:30pm and after sitting for hours, Mia and I got bored and we also had to take care of our "business"!

Then..mom being the photography buff and freak, handed her camera to someone and had them take a picture of the four of us to capture the moment by the Bosphorus in Bebek!

Ceyda & Mia (left); Mom and me (right)

We had a wonderful afternoon! It was great seeing Mia again and when we said our farewells, we decided that we would definitely get together more often in 2012!

Now... it's time for me to go to bed... it's late...

Till the next time!

Luka