Merhaba,
Randal has begun the serious work or plotting our 3 month passage to England and getting DoraMac in shape for us to actually go. As I type this he and our friend Rick are working on something in the engine room that required a quick trip to the hardware store. I’m doing my usual daily laundry, cooking (some,) and cleaning (because when the sun hits the dust on the stairs it’s rather embarrassing when there are visitors on the boat.) The nice thing about travel away from the boat is that there is no cooking or cleaning! Marmaris days are T-shirt warm, but nights are still cool enough for flannel sheets and a blanket or two. The weather is really quite perfect.
Hopefully Boston is getting back to normal. The Red Sox doing well will certainly give folks something to cheer about.
Ru
Ankara Trip Day 1 Report (part 1)
Our first day of travel started bright and early in Marmaris when the minibus collected us at 6:30 am for the drive to Bodrum airport where we would catch the morning flight to Ankara. In Ankara we were met at the airport by a driver with a spiffy clean, well-stocked minibus. There was bottled water in the small cooler, an outlet for an electric kettle, and fixings for tea and coffee. The minibus even had a wifi connection! Our driver Ayden was very knowledgeable about the cities and towns along the way; plus he was warm and helpful and a super driver.
Our first stop in Ankara was an early lunch before we set off for the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara Fortress and Ataturk Mausoleum.
Let me say right off that ancient, Hittite, Greek, and Roman history is not my thing. I loved walking around the sites themselves, but I’m just not a museum person when it comes to most ancient artifacts. So though I visited the museum for a quick walk through, I spent most of my time on the lively streets up near the Fortress.
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Some folks went directly into the Museum of Anatolian Civilization. I joined the group that followed Taṣ up the hill to the castle neighborhood. After sitting all morning and eating half a cheese pide at lunch, I needed physical exercise more than I needed intellectual stimulation.
The ones that got away… While I was off doing my own wanderings, Randal visited this shop and almost bought a carpet but buyer and seller couldn’t agree on a price. |
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Saatli Kapı (Clock Gate) “The most interesting part of Ankara to poke about in, this well preserved quarter of thick walls and intriguing winding streets took its present shape in the 9th century AD, when the Byzantine emperor Michael II constructed the outer ramparts. The inner walls which the local authority is slowly rebuilding, date from the 7th century.” lonely planet Turkey |
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Taṣ pointing out the information about Ankara Castle. |
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http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ankara-castle-not-preserved-but-a-must-see-in-the-capital.aspx?pageID=238&nid=18083 is a great human interest article about the castle and the still lived in neighborhood that surrounds it. |
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The constant and ongoing renovation taking place on the castle walls and within the castle walls.
Castle walls entrance with its few souvenir shops at the far end.
Construction workers were happy to pose |
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View from the Washington Restaurant where we were allowed to visit their roof top dining area to take some photos. “1923’s … Having worked at Karpiç Restaurant, until 1940, which was the only protocol restaurant of the period and frequented by Atatürk in 1923, Şişman Kardeşler gained privileged experience in the restaurant service and management, from cuisine and food culture to protocol service and food servicing manners. 1940’s … Their experience and success in providing service for Atatürk and protocol members of the Republic of Turkey have resulted in assignment of Şişman Kardeşler for cuisine and service requirements of the protocol dinners thrown by the Embassy of Turkey in the USA, in a manner to represent Turkish cuisine.” http://en.washingtonrestaurant.com.tr/ Washington Restaurant Review “An institution in Ankara, the Washington Restaurant was established in 1955 with the money the owners raised while working at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C. The restaurant remained in Kizilay until 1992, and then spent the next 14 years in the citadel before heading back to Kizilay. Now installed in a two-story house in Gaziosmanpasa, Washington remains true to the menu that has drawn politicians, journalists, and artists for more than 50 years.” Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/ankara/D39937.html#ixzz2RBuZGy95 |
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Our walking group dissolved as we each went our own way. I was attracted by both the felting and the old Ottoman building.
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Upstairs was the showroom. |
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Some colorful samples. |
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I loved the hats, the windows, lace curtains, floor.. |
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And the original ceiling from the 500 year old building. |
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I wandered back down towards the museum through the crumbling but still lovely neighborhoods.
White-washed walls, wooden windows and balconies, and stone walls totally capture my imagination. |
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The outer castle walls and the path to the park were inviting, but I felt compelled to make a quick visit to the museum so alas, another road not taken. |
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The streets below the castle were filled with small shops and restaurants which I was able to visit for a short time after racing through the museum in no time flat. |
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These were interesting. |
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Three bags full…. Not sure where this wool goes as there was no apparent carpet weaving happening anywhere we visited; much to Randal’s and our friend Dave Murphy’s disappointment.
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Gourds and spices galore. |
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Museum of Anatolian Civilizations |
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This Buds for you. |
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I believe these are the original Hittite statues from The Sphinx Gate. Originally erected in Alaca, they are now housed in the museum. We visited Alaca the following day and saw the reconstructions in situ. More about Alaca and Çorum, the land of the Hittites in later emails. |
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My nephew teaches some classes at the University of Pennsylvania so I found this sign worth a photo. |
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Our next stop of the day (and the next email) was the complex that houses Atatürk’s tomb. |
