An unscheduled day at leisure in Ankara. Was meant to be on the day train to Adana but for reasons outlined in the Istanbul blog I’m having to take the night train departing this evening.
I really am the only guest in the hotel. It’s like a Scooby Doo hotel. I once had to put a colleague up in a hotel on the outskirts of Frankfurt (as there was a major Messe and no rooms available anywhere) which we nicknamed the Scooby Doo hotel for the pretty much the same reason. Except this hotel has electricity.
Typical Turkish breakfast is laid out before me but spend the rest of the morning trying to eradicate beeswax from teeth and gums from the honey, which is….delicious.
Anitkabir is the first port of call. Ataturk’s Mausoleum – he being the founding father of modern Turkey. Mausoleum stands at the head of three sides of colonnaded arcades. Slightly reminiscent of Nazi architecture or a set straight out of Indiana Jones. Armed guards stand on pedestals one hand behind their back resting on their bayonnets just in case any Japanese tourists decide to get leary. A local family have photos of their three children with one guard. The youngest is crawling all over the pedestal and the guard’s legs and handling the rifle (alarmingly close to the trigger) but the guard remains static. They depart. Look back to see the guard heave a huge sigh of relief and we give each other a knowing look. He grins.
Inside the mausoleum it really is like an Indiana Jones set. High ceiling, wall mounted wrought iron torches, electrically lit, dark marble. Single sarcophogus sits centre at one end. The actual body being entombed 7m below.
Underneath the mausoleum building lies the War of Independence Museum. Full of Army recruits learning about their history by the looks of it. Quite extensive and a few panoramas with sound effects.
Walk along the Avenue of Lions to the access road and ask security if I walk down will I be able to hail a taxi. Yes. Continue walking fifty yards and met by two more security. They ask if I’m after a taxi. Yes. Told to sit on a bench in the much needed shade of a tree. Few minutes later a taxi arrives. They’ve only radioed down to the security entrance on the main road to flag a taxi which has then been allowed up the driveway to pick me up. How great is that. Can you imagine that happening in the UK?
Short hop to Ankamall shopping centre. Need some boot laces and biros. It’s like Nottingham’s Victoria Centre but without the asylum seekers. Not very busy and has the usual UK shops including an M&S.
Visit Haci Bayrami Camii mosque – he being a Muslim saint who founded a dervish order. It’s 15th Century and seemingly a place of pilgrimage given the amount of people milling about including a long queue of women waiting to enter. The security guards use a concertina metal barricade to herd the masses in like cattle.
Through the backstreets the buildings are very Alpine looking. It’s “old” Ankara being reconstructed but seems sterile just like Doha’s reconstructed souk.
Taxi to hotel and the first taxi to try and rip me off. Told it’s TRL20. I say 10. He replies, “20….10…20…10…”. He gets 10.
Find a small photography shop selling postcards so enter to buy one I’ve chosen from the outside stand. The owner says, “It’s OK…..on me”. Blimey – a free postcard (to the recipient – I’m spoiling you!). Post office is 300m down a steep hill and there’s a long queue when I arrive. I don’t do queueing. By a bit of motioning that all I want is a stamp a local shoves me to near the front of a queue and a young lady further allows me to take her place for a quick stamp. Judging by the state of the post office, I’m not convinced it will find it’s destination.
Steep climb up the hill the way I’ve just come and stop to buy a loaf of bread, cheese and crisps for dinner on the overnight train. There are three types of “Dairylea” on offer in the fridge and not knowing which is best pull all three out and place them on a counter and ask a fellow shopper which is best. She gives the thumbs up to one which I take.
Arrive station an hour before departure and discover train is already at the platform and can board. Cabin has air-conditioning, wash hand basin, minibar (with water, cherry juice, chocolate and Twiglet things) and a pair of disposable slippers. Wash hand basin will be handy at 3am when I need a pee (too much information and you’re all going “Ugh – disgusting”).
Train departs at 2005hrs and purchase a couple bottles of Efes beer and settle in for the night.
Dinner for one and a night at the movies. I know how to live. Spread “dinner” out on a pull out table. It’s only when the train breaks suddenly that the table rolls back into it’s recess scooping everything on it…off. Everything moves in slow motion and it’s like one of those arcade machines (I’m regressing to my youth in the 80s) you fed with 2 pence coins – you had to keep feeding the moving tray it until a coin pushed a load of other coins out into the winnings tray. Well it’s like that but with bread, Dairylea, crisps, cup of cold beer. Except it’s not a winnings tray. It’s the floor.
I’ve not moved so fast for a while.
Final night in Turkey. It’s surprised me how friendly everyone is, I’ve not been hassled, I feel very safe, I’ve not been ripped off – on the contrary, I’ve found people to be exceptionally generous. But, like Boxing Day, I’ve had my fill of Turkey. It’s all a bit “samey” and apart from Istanbul it’s not quite Turkish Delight.
Anitkabir – aerial view
Anitkabir
Colonnaded arcarde
View from Mausoleum entrance
The youngest is now under control
