Third Post from Türkiye

So one correction from the last post: the title says Second Post from Turkche and Jack informs me that, turkche means turkish (the language) and that Türkiye mean Turkey (the country). And just as a bit of interest turkey the bird is hindi. So now you know. 

Last Saturday we went back to Ulus, but this time we explored the Citadel & Castle. 

Here is some wikipedia info for ya:

The foundations of the Ankara castle and citadel were laid by the Galatians on a prominent lava outcrop, and the rest was completed by the Romans. The Byzantines and Seljuks further made restorations and additions. The area around and inside the citadel, being the oldest part of Ankara, contains many fine examples of traditional architecture. There are also recreational areas to relax. Many restored traditional Turkish houses inside the citadel area have found new life as restaurants, serving local cuisine.

It is a really cool area of the city and we had fun, despite the heat and the hike.

In the wall you can see ancient blocks that are recycled from other buildings. This block has Greek lettering on it.

You can kind of see behind me where the wall went all the way over to where the flag is, and that these old houses were built right up against it. Also notice, no safety precautions whatsoever.

Sites around the Citadel.

We would NEVER actually drink this water. Trum is just pretending.

 

Some nineler (grandmas) setting up their wares.

Hey! There's a band!

You know, just go ahead and touch that artifact. No one cares. 

Old cradle turned into a planter.

 
 Traditional Craftsmen:

I heard that you can get a brass plaque costume made. The sign on our church building is made like this from brass & some friends told us they had a picture of the temple made. We are totally gonna do it!

How's about a hand made drum, or a huge bag of wool, or a concussion from something falling off that building onto your head? All good options.

Column built to commemorate Roman emperor Julian the Apostate's visit to Ankara in 362. 

Apparently storks nest on top, but not that day.

 

Hacı Bayram Mosque, built in the 15th century to honor of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, whose tomb, you

can see in the picture above. It is built right next to the Temple of  Augustus, built around 25 BC. You can see the ruins in the picture below. 

4th of July celebration at the base.

 It was meant to be fun, there was music, food and people to chat with. To be followed by fireworks.

 Instead we got rain, thunder and lightening and a wait in the gymn. We skinned out of there early, and we don't regret it, since the rain didn't stop and the fireworks got cancelled. Boo-hoo, sad.

 Here is a little fun Turkish fact for you. See these neat-o outfits you can buy for your little boy? Well, if you got one you would want it for a special occasion right? Well how about his circumcision? Yikes! That's right, this is how big boys are when they are circumcised here and how they get dressed. It is kind of a big deal, but I don't think getting to be dressed in this outfit would make the procedure any more bearable.

Second Post from Turkche

Well here we are still in Ankara! We've been wandering the streets and bumming rides off people and still we don't know how to get around this city. But someday we'll figure it out. It's just built on and around a bunch of hills and valleys so it's hard to get a feel for the lay of the land.

Anyway, how's about I share some of our adventures with you???

Our first Saturday in Turkey we decided to see a few of the famous sites in our fair city.

First up, Amitkabir (Ataturk's Tomb).

So if you don't know about Ataturk, you should read up on him. He is the founder of modern Turkey and a national hero. So his tomb is very important here, and it is a beautiful place to visit, it also has a really good museum and we had a great time visiting.

Giant map of Turkey made of flowers, yes, please!

 

Changing of the guard.

Road of Lions

 

 See, lions.

Hall of Honor

Trum is ready for his speech.

See those fine marble steps?? Well guess what, they are slippery. And can you guess who fell on them about 2 minutes before this picture was taken?? Why that's correct, it was me! And although everyone around me wanted to laugh they were quite polite and refrained. So much fun! 

Next up was a ride on the metro to Gençlik Parkı (literally Youth Park).

The metro here is super clean, cheap & efficient. But it can only run through the valleys so most people take the bus or taxi or a dolmuş (which literally means "stuffed", because they are minibuses that are generally packed with people). Anyway we decided to try it out and we got out at the park. It is beautiful with a big lake and beautiful fountains and an amusement park. 

We just took a stroll through it and then decided to head to our next stop, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations. However, as we are new in town we had to wander up and down some hills, through some markets before we found the museum. All part of the fun!

Man with his shoe shine kit.

Groovy seed roasting machine.

One of the many bustling and steep markets in the area.

This is the oldest part of Ankara, it's called Ulus. It is full of these old half timber buildings and shops.

We had to stop for some lunch and we found this great place in a courtyard. There was even a little kitty to entertain us.

 Finally we found the museum, which was awesome! And we intend to go back when we aren't so tired from wandering up and down the hills.

The museum is housed in a 15th century covered market. The building itself is amazing and the artifacts are fascinating.

 

So tired!

A bit more wandering before we went home.

Turkish Delight!

 

That was a good day!

For the rest of the week we kind of just hung around our neighborhood. Except Trum and I did go swimming at the Ambassador's residence....Fancy right? It's not really, it's basically the community pool for all the Americans working over here.

Trum as a human ring toss.

 

 I have been on the hunt for the illusive lemon Fanta, which I had the first time I visited Turkey, about 12 years ago, and I have had no luck. However I did find some delightful blood-orange soda to tide me over until I find it. And I will!!!

A thoughtful dinner by a fake waterfall...seriously don't you wish you were here!?!