Olive oil.

On our way down the coast, we stopped at an olive oil factory. For me, it was to be an interesting visit because the production of olive oil seemed to reflect the story of Turkey, 2011. Just as the country is a fascinating mix of modern technology and old, traditional ways, so is the production of olive oil.

Luckily we arrived at the same time as a load of freshly harvested olives, picked by hand, as it has been for hundreds of years. The olives were packed in sacks and hauled to the factory by that old farm standby, the tractor. Here they are being unloaded (below).

Now the modern technology took over. The next thing that happens is they are weighed on a giant digital scale. I didn't take a photo. We all know what a scale looks like. For anyone on a diet (that's me), they're the stuff of nightmares. So; no scales.

After being weighed, the olives are washed and then crushed to produce the oil. Then the oil is filtered and then stored in massive stainless steel tanks. Working on the theory that we have all seen at least one tank of some sort or another, I didn't take any photos there either. Too boring.

Below- one of the filtering gadgets.

Then- the bottling (below).

After all the modern technology and shining stainless steel, the labelling dept was a bit of a surprise (below); just a solitary woman sitting in the middle of a sea of bottles, diligently affixing one label at a time- by hand. Not a conveyor belt or machine in sight.

And here's the finished article. We got the chance to try and buy. Lucky us! The oil was delicious and the bus weighed quite a bit more by the time we re boarded, having each bought at least one bottle. Lovely stuff!