Ankara, Turkey

Merhaba - Hello!

Merhaba is the only Turkish word I learned while in Ankara, Turkey this past weekend- Turkish is very difficult to learn! Everyone I met was very welcoming and very hospitable. Even though I only saw a small fraction of Turkey, I can tell it is a special place. Ankara is massive, around 5 million people, compared to what I'm use to in Galati, about 280,000 people. There was lots to see, but not enough time or energy to see it all. I guess that means I have to go back again someday to see the rest of it!  

On my next trip, I feel I will be a pro when it comes to traveling to and navigating Turkish airports. I had to take a van from Galati to the airport, which was about a 4 hour ride. I was surprised to find the bus stop was in the McDonalds parking lot with no sign or other markings letting me know I was at a bus stop. Once at the airport, I learned the kiosks to check into your flight only open up 2 hours before your flight, and since I arrived at the airport 3 hours early, to accommodate the bus ride, I had to wait to get my boarding pass. Then, I flew into Istanbul first for about an hour lay over before flying to Ankara. In this hour, I had to get my boarding pass for the next flight, purchase a visa, go through customs, exit the airport, go to the domestic terminal, go through security, and find the gate. I was UNAWARE of most of those procedures before I got off my flight from Bucharest, luckily all the airport employees I asked for help spoke English. I eventually made it to my gate in plenty of time for my flight to Ankara, but I worried from the moment I stepped off the plane about whether or not I was going to make it. Traveling back to Romania, I had longer layovers and knew what to expect so it was less stressful. 

Despite the all the traveling issues, I had such a great time visiting my best friend there. I also loved seeing where she's lived for the past two years, and meeting all her friends I've heard so much about. She works in Ankara at an international school as a kindergarten teacher. She leaves back for the states at the end of the month, so this was my last chance to visit her there.

View of Ankara from a local cafe 

Best Friends

Ankara Bazaar

On Saturday my friend and I went to the Ankara Bazaar, the Ankara Castle, and walked through other parts of the city. The picture above is of the Bazaar with a beautiful view of the city. In the middle of the city view, you can see one of the many Turkish mosques that were everywhere throughout Ankara. One of the really cool places in the bazaar  was a spice shop that had just about any spice you could think of on their shelves. We didn't buy any spices, but the overwhelming stock of spices and the overpowering smell had me in awe. After doing some shopping, we headed up to the Ankara Castle for more amazing views of the city. 
 

Spice Shop

Ankara Castle

View from the middle of the Castle

Me as close to the edge as I dared to go. Notice the lack of railings

Drop into the castle- this does not do the height justice.

According to Wikipedia, it is unknown when the castle was built, but the Seljuq Turks occupied it around 1073. There was beautiful views of Ankara from there, and I would recommend that spot to see the many great monuments of Ankara at once. However, if you are afraid of heights, be weary.. There are no railings and you are standing on about a 3ft wide wall with a huge drop on one side and about three stories drop of castle brick on the other. Needless to say, I was afraid of me or someone else falling, but I must have been the only one because people were having photo shoots and walking around no problem.

I came to visit at a very unique time for Turkey. Protests against the Prime Minister were going on, but know that my friend and I were very vigilant of our safety and was never in danger (for those interested, I found this article helpful in understanding the recent happenings of the protest in Istanbul, and know there are many other sources available). My trip was originally planned to meet up with my friend in Istanbul, but I had to change to Ankara when the protests started. Both my friend and I were very happy with the switch because she is more familiar with Ankara and we were able to avoid parts of town that had larger protest groups. Despite all the dangers, I really liked seeing the protests. As long as we weren't around where the police and protesters met (that's where there were water cannons and tear gas- we definitely wanted to avoid those), I found the Ankara protesters nonviolent. The best way I can explain the protests is very patriotic. Everyone was wearing Turkish flags and shirts, and some even had the founder of modern Turkey- Ataturk- on them. Many were also wearing V for Vendetta masks as a symbol of rebellion against oppression. The protests are probably something I will not see again, and they are, to this extreme, very foreign to U.S. citizens. 

I hope to one day go back to Turkey because there was so much I feel I didn't get to see in my short visit. My friend was a great tour guide under the circumstances, and I loved the small dose of home staying with her. :)

Now back in Galati, I'm back to work, and officially halfway into my internship. At work, we are fully into the beginning stages of the Black Sea Project with our partners in Armenia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. Jordan and I each have our assignments ranging from press releases to creating brochures and booklets to helping set up the website. We also still have our policy recommendations to complete, leaving us very busy!  

This weekend, Jordan and I hope to visit a local winery for a tasting, lunch, and a tour!