Our first day in Ankara, Pelin and Turan Abi took Noel and I to Anıt Kabir, the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. It is quite the impressive complex, with towering monuments of marble and stone from quarries in each region of the country. A long walkway lined with 24 lion statues in the Hittite style led us to the main courtyard with halls housing Ataturk's cars, boats, personal belongings (including his taxidermied dog, Fox) and the tomb of his right-hand-man, Ismet Inönü. After wandering hall after hall of Ataturk memorabilia, oil paintings of the revolution, and panoramas of independence battles, we finally entered the mausoleum. It was impressive, with a 4 story-high ceiling, decorated with golden mosaic; however, quite austere after the grand build-up. We snapped some photos and completed our tour.
Then we went to Turan Abi's office and enjoyed a delicious lunch of donar (thinly sliced meat like Arabic shwarma) sandwichs and ayran (sour yogurt drink, like Kefir). After, we wandered around the Kızılay, a popular pedestrian mall full of shops, street vendors, restaurants, etc. Turan Abi took us to his friend's 'oud shop, where he hand-makes 'ouds and qanuns (a Middle Eastern instrument similar to a small harp). He showed us how he fashions and carves each section of the instruments and puts them together. Then Turan Abi performed a few songs for us, including a very beautiful Sufi piece.
That night, we had a wonderful iftar (breaking of the Ramadan fast) together and then Noel, Pelin and I went to see "Salt" at the cinema near her house since they were showing it un-dubbed; a real treat for us! In Turkish cinemas they still take an intermission break half-way through the film. It caught Noel and me off-guard, but I liked it because it not only gives you a chance to get refreshments, but you can discuss the movie thus far. I think they should bring the "intermission" back in the U.S. Just a thought…
Pelin was in the process of applying for jobs during our visit (since then she's been employed by Gazi University - go Pelin!!) so she stayed at home to work on her presentation while her father took Noel and I to the oldest district of Ankara, called Ulus. We wandered around the bazaar, through winding, narrow streets of shops crammed full of fabric, shoes, metalwork, glassware, souvenirs, etc. We wandered up a steep hill at the top of Ulus, entering through the citadel walls built by Byzantine rulers in the 9th century. We stopped at the oldest mosque in Ankara built by Seljuks, Alaadin Camii.
After, we ate a late lunch, and saw more sights in Ankara - from the original parliament building, to the grand "Youth Park" with its fountains, amusement park and cafes, till we finally made our way downtown to meet back up with Pelin. Our friend from Tucson, Keri, who happened to be traveling in Ankara also met up with us. We went back to the Kızılay street to eat dinner at a restaurant specializing in Iskander kabap.
We then headed back to the Youth Park, where we watched some traditional Turkish Ramazan entertainment. Although we couldn't really understand, it was still entertaining. We rode a few of the rides in the amusement park (FUN!) and enjoyed some ice cream cones. The guy who sells the ice-cream has a whole schtick he performs, where he uses a long pole to scoop out the ice cream and pass the cone to you, only to flip the cone away or upside down every time you reach for it. It's hard to explain, but it was fun. :)
We took the next day pretty easy, packing a preparing to leave at 6pm, me for Trabzon on the North coast of Turkey and Noel to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. We made a few trips to the mall, as Noel was looking for a pair of new jeans. It was hard for me to resist buying a new wardrobe - Turkey is known for their amazing textiles and clothing - and with good reason!!! It's any shop-a-holic's Mecca.
All packed, we said a sorrowful goodbye to the family - arriving at the bus station ironically as Pelin's brother, Emri, was arriving from the South. At least we were able to shake his hand before we were on our way.
The bus to Trabzon/Tbilisi was the worst thus far. Everyone on the bus was Georgian, so Noel and I were even more isolated than when we were surrounded by Turks. We were struggling to communicate with the extremely volatile attendant, when by some stroke of divine intervention, the woman sitting behind us started speaking to Noel in perfect, unaccented Spanish. She was a Georgian named was Nuna, and she had been working in Barcelona for the past 4 years. It was great being able to communicate with her, embarrassed as I was with my poor performance in Spanish, and she helped us communicate with the two other ladies sitting across the aisle from us. One of them, Marie was a good 3rd or less the size of the other, Layla. They were very interested in us, and also in helping Noel brush up on the little bit of Georgian he could dust off from the far-reaches of his memory, They spoke of "Chacha" - the famed Georgian moonshine, and together we poked fun of the Jekyll and Hyde attendant, Guli. By the end of the ride, they felt like old friends, shared language be damned.
At some point during these hours together, I decided, screw it - I'm having way too much fun with Noel and if these ladies are any indication of how fun Georgians are, I want to go to Georgia! So I paid the difference to the driver, and that was it, I was off to Tbilisi with Noel!
Photos from the top:
1. Turan Abi playing on his 'oud; 2. Pelin and me at Anıt Kabir; 3. The lion walkway; 4. Turan Abi and Noel at Inönü's tomb, Ataturk's mausoleum in the background; 5. Ataturk's boat and car; 6. Posing outside Ataturk's mausoleum; 7. Ataturk - R.I.P; 8. 'Oud decorative piece, hand-carved; 9. Music shop; 10. Bazaar goodies; 11. Nuts and fruits galore!; 12. Narrow street in Ulus; 13. Door of the Alaadin mosque; 14. Citadel walls; 15. View of Ankara from the citadel; 16. Downtown Ankara, Ataturk statue; 17. Ataturk-era building, now a hotel; 18. First Turkish Parliament building; 19. In Youth Park posing next to Ramazan decorations; 20. Youth Park; 21. At HD Iskander restaurant with Pelin; 22. Amusement park at night; 23. Getting ready to ride!; 24. Ice cream time; 25. The BEST Turkish family (Turan Abi, Gülay, and Pelin).
