Our third day in Ankara started lazily. We got up slowly. Did some domestic chores like the washing, enjoyed a rather Australian breakfast of vegemite toast and tea. G loaded us up with directions for the taksi driver and we headed out on our ow.. our first trip was to Anits Kabir, the museum that houses the tomb of Attaturk. Our limited explanation for the taksi driver actually got us there fairly easily. We had become accustomed to being screened when we went well pretty much anywhere. As a military building, that was always going to be the case at Anits Kabir. As we wandered up towards the museum we noticed the signs about what you can and can’t do , including not being able to picnic in the grounds. The museum itself is a big parade ground surrounded by the museum with a huge, mausoleum at one end. The museum contained Attaturk’s clothes, swords, pipes, books, jewels, cars and even his boat. There were plenty of paintings showing Attaturk commanding his troops in about three wars including the Gallipoli war. It was interesting to hear the Turkish version of of that conflict. Apparently the Turkish troops left the front and Attaturk asked them why they were retreating and they said they had run out of ammunition. He told them to go back to the front and use their bodies to defend themselves. Essentially it’s all Attaturk, all the time. Turkey has national service which all men have to undertake. One of the jobs is guarding the mausoleum. There are guards at attention everywhere – they look like the mime artists who pose as statues and nothing fazes them – including the Japanese (or sometimes Turkish) tourists standing next to them to get a photo. For winter (it snows in Ankara) they have glass boxes to keep them away from the elements while they do their statue impersonation.
Our next stop was back at the jewellery shop we had visited the day before to pick up my ring. Resized in 24 hours and it was beautiful. Mission accomplished, we took a stroll down the street, and visited Flamingo, and infamous pastry store where we selected a range of small biscuits. It turns out you pay for them by the kilo rather than individually so when we said we wanted two of each, we actually received 200 grams of each one. And we pretty much chose the most boring selection we could have – one had a slight cheese flavor but the rest were pretty plain. Further down the street we found the made in Turkey store our hosts had directed us to. No fat clothes of course but we did manage to find some really cheap underwear that will no doubt come in handy while we zip around Turkey on our tour.
One of the most curious things about Ankara is that you can get everything home delivered, including McDonalds. Here the small mopeds that you see bringing pizza or Chinese takeaway in American movies are plastered with McDonalds ads. It’s also a wonder the city isn’t full of really obese people – you don’t see anyone cycling or jogging either.
G had suggested a bright orange kebab shop along the shopping strip as a possible lunch destination for us. We went in and prepared to order. This was new territory as up until this point we had a Turkish speaking guide or written instructions for the taxi driver. TC sat for a while to survey how the system worked. I have to admit I get a bit lazy travelling with TC and get him to try and work out what to do or who to approach. In this case I told myself that in Turkey, the staff are more likely to look to the man. This was true in some limited circumstances but really I didn’t do it because I didn’t have to. After a few minutes of surveying the situation, TC had it sussed. You go and give your order to one guy, then a second will serve you. Except that there is a third server if you want a kebab. Apparently this is how you keep as many people employed as possible. Our order kept a few people busy as TC had a kebab and I had kumpir- a baked potato with cheese and all sorts of condiments on top including corn, pickled vegetables, meat (turkey ham) and traditionally topped off with tomato sauce and mayonnaise. I passed on the tomato sauce but it was delicious. The assembly process was worth watching- they scoop the cooked potato out and then whip it with cheese until the cheese melts and is thoroughly combined with the potato. Of course when we left the orange takeaway, we realised we had dined at the wrong establishment. The recommended orange kebab place was a block further up the road. [Let’s Face It – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – While we are in Turkey two of my fave bands – the Bosstones and the Dropkick Murphys who hail from Boston will play at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Redsox. If it wasn’t for our Turkey odyssey… Of course TC said the same about the Rugby World Cup.]
Our hunger satisfied, it was time to think about dinner- We wandered back to Flamingo and picked up a box of baklava for dessert and then headed for the butcher (well the poultry purveyor at any rate) and picked up a stack of chicken schnitzels, a favourite meal at Chez G&S by all accounts. We used the previous day’s taksi instructions to get us home and spent the rest of the day relaxing, chatting with G&S and getting packed for our early morning departure. We enjoyed a feast of chicken schnitzel and chips with G,S and their elder daughter Ms. L, who had been sick with the flu during most of our visit. Chez G&S is set up in such a way that Little Miss K has her own activities space so she ate dinner watching a brand new DVD rather than have to listen to the adults waffle on. After dinner we enjoyed the baklava and a magnificent chocolate chick pea cake prepared by our gregarious host. Once again tired at about 9.30pm, we headed to bed to prepare for our early morning departure.