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Turkey

    Roses, roses!

    Turkey has so many beautiful roses! They were in bloom when we came in August, and there’s so many in bloom even this month.

     

    Roses in Cappadocia, Turkey

     

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    The Atatürk Mausoleum in Ankara

    Last weekend two friends and I visited Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Atatürk was the first president and founder of Turkey. The museum was a short dolmuş ride from where we live, located just outside of Kızılay.

    Outside the memorial was an area called Peace Park. It had really lovely landscaping and flowers:

     

    Turkish flag garden display

     

    Entrance to the mausoleum was free!

     

    Atatürk Mausoleum

     

    There were traditional and ceremonial guards at the entrance:

     

    Guard at Anıtkabir

     

    Reliefs at Anıtkabir

     

    We went into the museum, but photography was not allowed. It featured items and gifts that belonged to Atatürk and had a large section about different battles in Turkey. Near the end, it had Atatürk’s library. There was so much history! I learned Atatürk adopted 13 children.

    The Hall of Honor holds Atatürk’s tomb:

     

    Anıtkabir Hall of Honor

     

    Ceiling design

     

    Guard at Anıtkabir

     

    It was an overcast day and we got a little rain, but enjoyed checking out Anıtkabir!

     

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    A Full Moon in Turkey

    Our girls and boys soccer teams had their big tournament in Gölbaşı last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The teams played hard and both won third place. We had several students named to the All-Tournament team and one of our boys was the MVP of the entire tournament.

    It was a lot of fun to watch the kids play. The weather was beautiful and when it got dark, we were treated to a full moon!

    I was able to snap a few shots of the moon during the two evening games. I’ve been learning a lot lately about photography. After the first night, I looked up the best settings for capturing the moon. Turns out, you need a very low ISO to compensate for the brightness.

     

    Full Moon Rising

     

    Full moon over a soccer field

     

    Full Moon Rising

     

    Full Moon

     

    Full Moon

     

    This was a Turkish full moon. Check out minaret silhouette of a nearby mosque:

     

    Full moon behind a Turkish mosque minaret

     

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    Children’s Day

    Every year on April 23, Turkey celebrates National Sovereignty and Children’s Day (Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı). For this holiday, “schools participate in week-long ceremonies marked by performances in all fields in large stadiums watched by the entire nation” (turkishnews.com). We had the day off, so we walked to a nearby Turkish school with some friends to check out the festivities.

     

    Turkish balloons

     

    This boy, dressed in traditional clothing, saw me taking a picture and posed.

     

    Boy wearing traditional Turkish clothing on Children's Day

     

    The morning was filled with groups of kids performing in front of their parents and community members. One group even performed Gangnam Style!

     

    Children's Day Celebration

     

    Children's Day

     

    The day had some of the best weather we’ve experienced this spring. Leah and I decided to go for a walk and we both found four leaf clovers! Leah even found a five leaf clover.

     

    Leah holding a 4-leaf clover

     

    David holding a 4-leaf clover

     

    The trees and flowers have been in bloom and Ankara is filled with new life and color. We had such a fun time on our day off and enjoyed the sunshine, performances, and flowers.

     

    Pink blossoms on the trees

     

    Tulips

     

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    An Afternoon in Ulus

    We took a dolmuş to Ulus on Saturday. David and I have been to Ulus a few times before, but Daniel hadn’t gone yet. (Ulus is another neighborhood in Ankara less than 7 miles from where we live.)

    There was a bit of rain, but it was a nice walk up to the castle. It’s the highest point of the city and free to get in. It’s fun and a little scary to walk along the ledges. There are no guard rails to separate you from the drop offs!

     

    Ulus castle

     

    At the Ulus Castle in Ankara

     

    Ulus Castle

     

    After seeing the castle, we stopped at a small restaurant. Daniel and I got manti and David got curry chicken. Manti is a Turkish dumpling… kind of like a ravioli. It is served with an olive oil, tomato, yogurt sauce. Lovely and yummy!

     

    Turkish Manta

     

    We also stopped by a store called Yöre so Daniel could pick up a few souvenirs. All of their lights and pottery are in the basement. It’s a really pretty place!

     

    Lanterns in Yore in Ulus, Ankara

     

    We have just a few more days before spring break. This semester and Daniel’s time in Turkey is flying by fast!

     

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    Visiting Istanbul with Daniel

    We had Friday off of school last week and used the long weekend to take Daniel to Istanbul. It’s about an hour flight from Ankara and a must-see if you’re visiting Turkey!

    Where we stayed:
    The first time we visited Istanbul was the New Year weekend, and our friends recommended Side Hotel and Pension. It was a very nice place, but we needed to go a little cheaper this trip. We knew we wanted to be in the Sultanahmet Square area again, and did a little searching on HostelBookers.com. Location, cleanliness, and safety were our top priorities. A place called Sur Hotel had good reviews and was almost half the price of most other options we considered.

    We were very pleased with Sur Hotel! It’s around the corner and slightly back behind the main strip of hostels, but a short walk from the square and was well-lit at night. It overlooked some ancient arches and the Marmara Sea.

     

    Sur Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey

     

    The room was quite large and had a queen sized bed, two single beds, and a private bathroom. The only strange thing was that there was nothing separating the floor of the shower from the rest of the bathroom. I think this was because of the location of the drain. (The building was built 120 years ago and last renovated in 1999, so I suppose there’s only so much you can do.)

     

    Sur Hotel in Istanbul

     

    Breakfast was included, and was a typical Turkish spread of meat, cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, pastries, and hard boiled eggs. They served scrambled eggs one morning and French toast on another. Yum!

     

    Sur Hotel Turkish breakfast

     

    The staff was all very friendly and even let us have breakfast the morning we checked in. We definitely recommend Sur Hotel and would stay here again.

     

    What we saw:
    Istanbul is such a cool city. It was a lot of fun for us to watch Daniel take it all in. Our first stop was the Hagia Sofia. This was one of the sights we missed last time. The inside of this structure is beautiful! It was first a church, then an a mosque, and now it’s a museum. The boys figured out that 2 of their dad’s silos stacked on top of each other could fit inside. The construction was remarkable, especially for its time because of the round dome on top of a square building. Even today, the dome does not require additional support.

     

    Inside the Hagia Sophia

     

    The mosaics and frescos were amazing:

     

    Mosaics in Hagia Sophia

     

    Inside the Blue Mosque

     

    Since it’s free, we also went inside the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque):

     

    Inside the Blue Mosque

     

    And of course, we had to make a visit to the Grand Bazaar! We stopped at Fez Cafe, a place we loved last time. Daniel had his first Turkish coffee:

     

    Turkish Coffee at the Fez Cafe in the Grand Bazaar

     

    We also visited the Spice Bazaar. What a colorful (and crowded) place!

     

    Spice Bazaar in Istanbul

     

    The last thing we saw was the Archeology Museum near Topkapı Palace. Surprisingly, there was an exhibit of pieces from Egypt. I found the details of the Alexander Sarcophagus to be especially well preserved and impressive:

     

    Archeology Museum in Istanbul

     

    Where we ate:
    Last time, everywhere we ate was wonderful. This time, we struck out a few times. The fresh fish sandwiches near the Galata Bridge were fantastic, though!

     

    FIsh sandwiches at Galata Bridge

     

    One of our colleagues and his friend were in Istanbul, too, and they invisted us to join them at a Korean restaurant close to Taksim Square. It was the first time Daniel, David, and I had tried Korean food. We failed at chopsticks, but the food was delicious! Also, the waffles and ice cream at Charley Temmel  in Beyoğlu are worth a mention.

     

    Other Istanbul travel notes:

    • If you fly into Sabiha Gökçen Airport, save money and take the Havataş bus to Taksim. It’s only 12TL and buses run every half hour. From there, you can take the Metro to Sultanahmet.
    • Istanbul is a tourist trap and appetizers like salad, bread, salça, and yogurt sauce are not always free. It is advisable to check and see if the meze is complimentary or not.
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