20. We are here

Well, I made it to Turkey but my checked luggage decided to take a slower route. I am not alone in this predicament. Ferrell Jr., John and Jacque are also missing their luggage. Once again, I mentally thanked my (Great) Aunt Edie for sharing her travel tips. Because of her, I packed a shirt, my hat and jacket in my carry-on. I should be good for at least a day. Ernestine has sweetly offered to share her clothes if mine decide to delay our reunion further. Thank you, Ernestine! You are kind!

Some new friends - Jimmy and Darlene

The Sheraton Hotel hosts political dignitaries. Past guests have included Queen of England and President Obama. The security is impressive with dogs and mirrored searches under cars. We are in close proximity to the Turkish President's complex.

Our first home away from home.

The tower provided nice views.

Entry through a security check point.

Nightly piano performances.

Orhan on Ankara: 
Ankara has old and new sections. At 4+ million residents, it is the second largest city in Turkey. Unlike Istanbul (Orhan's words not mine), the city is well organized. 99% of the population is Muslim. 90% of those are Suni Muslim which is the more liberal path. There are 85,000 mosques in Turkey.
The last 15 years have been filled with social and political changes. We saw a HUGE, beautiful water park. Previously it was filled with illegal squatters. The government built high rises to house the people who had lived in these slums.
Mass transit is provided by privately owned blue mini buses. There is no set schedule. When the bus fills up, it leaves. You hand your money to the person in front of you. They in turn pass it to the front. Change is handed back in the same way. These bus drivers are almost a social class unto themselves. They use certain facial expressions. They all support the same soccer team. It is a good business but requires a lot of money ($1-1.5 M) upfront to procure the operating license.

Some observations:
Beautiful green parks with at least one fountain in them. Lots of people were using them. Orhan noted later that Ankara is famous for its parks.
A large communal garden in the ditch bordering this main road.
Reminds me of Southern California - only greener
Laundry drying on the balconies - believe me, I was tempted to join the club.
Similar stores are grouped together - car dealerships, toy stores, bicycle stores, etc.

The bicycle & motorbike shopping district

Dinner as the sun set at the Sheraton:
- lintel soup with lemon
- baked chicken with veggies
- flan a la mode (the ice cream was served in a chocolate box)

Sharon and Dave are ready to eat.

We gathered for our first meal at the Brasserie One, a Sheraton restaurant.

My table mates for the evening and our artistically plated food.

I didn't anticipate doing laundry this early in the trip. But that was the first order of business when I returned to the room. I slept pretty well = only woke up a couple of times.