My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed a (well-deserved)
3 week holiday to Ankara, Istanbul and Athens. For me, it was a real holiday
whilst for my husband, it was a work holiday as well since he had seminars and
conferences in both Ankara and Athens.
Turkey is a
beautiful country – It’s clean, filled with attractive skyscrapers and full of
greenery too. The locals were not only good-looking, but very helpful and
friendly too. This is why we weren’t hindered too much by the fact that we didn’t
know the local language (Turkish).They tried to help us as much as they could
with their limited understanding of what we were trying to say.
In Ankara, we
stayed at the METU (Middle East Technical University) guesthouse.
I think this
trip has made me an amateur photographer since this is the first time that my
children haven’t been around to take photos. I want to show you some of the
best pictures (according to my baby boy) and let you be the judge of my talent
(if I have any!).
The first few
pictures are inside the beautiful METU campus. I read in a Turkish magazine
that when a baby is born, the head of the family plants a tree for the baby. I
liked the idea of this custom, however, when I asked locals about this, they
seemed to have no idea of this tradition. Plum, pear and berry trees were
common throughout the campus – I could not verify if they tasted as good as
they looked because my husband was always warning me not to do it here.
This is a 4000
year old castle which we visited. I can’t tell you much about this castle
because the guides that chose us were very young. They spoke rapid, fluent
Turkish whilst pointing wildly with their fingers at the same time. I liked them
even though I couldn’t understand them and I am sure they enjoyed my smiles and
laughter. The slopes of the castle are filled with small shops. Many of them
are run by old mama’s who are good at knitting and crocheting. One of these
mamas even gave me a bracelet to protect me from the “Evil Eye”, and didn’t
even want to accept payment for it.
This is a
picture from the roof of the castle. I enquired about some of the small houses.
Small houses in the city centre are very rare and most of them are apparently being
demolished to make way for the modern skyscrapers which are starting to fill up
the skyline.
In Istanbul, we
stayed in Hotel Hali. This hotel was in the city centre and the major tourist
attractions – the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar – were
all in walking distance. The city is very safe and we weren’t afraid to move
around on our own and enjoy the city at our own pace.
The Hagia Sophia
was once a church, then a mosque, and is now a museum.
Topkapi palace
was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans. It houses the Topkapı Dagger.
Its golden hilt is ornamented with three large emeralds, topped by a golden
watch with an emerald lid. It has a golden sheath is covered with diamonds.
Hali means carpet,
and is apt since Istanbul is famous for its fine carpets. The food is also
excellent, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Authentic Turkish delight,
baklava puddings and a variety of baked treats are highlights. I might write
another blog post on Turkish food alone.
I am not much of
a coffee person, but I tried the renowned Turkish coffee anyway. It took about
20 minutes to brew but it was just too bitter and thick for me, I could not
even finish it. The local custom in a coffee-house is that once you have finished
your coffee, you should place your cup upside-down on the saucer. This will
signal to the owner that you want her to tell you your fortune.
Turkish tea on
the other hand is an entirely different affair. Grown in the north, Turkish
teas are flavoured with fruits such as apples, berries and purple fruit (this
is the name that was on the teabag). I regret not having bought more tea home
as my baby loves it.
If you want to
know more about Turkey’s history, you should visit the Ataturk Museum. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is known as the
founding father of the Republic of Turkey that we know today and was the nation’s
first president.
I thoroughly enjoyed
my visit of Turkey. The only snag was that Turkish people love to smoke (and I
do not) as well as the fact that one has to drink bottled water since tap water
is not clean enough.
Stay posted to
hear about Greek adventure!
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