Ankara -- Katrina -- Week 6

Im starting my last week at TOBB, and it's crazy to think that I've been here for 6 weeks already. Last week I went to dinner at a friend's house, attended yet another birthday party (this one was in the garden outside the dormitory, with cake), went out for drinks and karaoke, and had a few amazing breakfasts. 

My friends took me to a bar in Tunalı on Wednesday where we ordered a drink called "Sex on the Grass" (totally worth it) and also ate lots of fresh fruit with our drinks. Afterwards we met up with some of the other Americans and did karaoke at a different bar. We listened to a group of guys sing a song that is famous because of one of the Turkish basketball teams, and also a song about tomatoes, peppers and eggplant (Domates Biber Patlican).

 Friday morning my friends and I went to Hamamonu, an older part of the city, for Turkish breakfast. It was really hot and many of the restaurants had automatic water sprayers (like in the produce section of the grocery store) to help customers cool off. Like at every Turkish breakfast, I ate so much delicious food and drank about 6 glasses of tea. At this breakfast there were several different egg dishes that they brought out one by one. After breakfast we walked around Hamamonu and took pictures and shopped a little bit.

Despite being full, my friend and I ordered a waffle (yes, that is a waffle under there) at a cafe in Hamamonu, about two hours or so after we left the breakfast place. 

 I made plans with my friend Berat for Saturday, which he told me would be a visit to the Anatolian Civilizations Museum and maybe a "city tour." What actually happened: I met Berat at the bridge in Sıhhiye at 12, and we started our 20 minute uphill climb to the first museum, the Rahmi M. Koc museum. This museum houses a collection of pieces relating to industry, transportation, technology and so on. There is a large collection of model trains, as well as of rifles, computers, typewriters, cameras, and engines. There was also an old apothecary in the basement.
Afterwards we went to the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, one of the most famous museums in Ankara. The museum houses artifacts as old as 8000 years ago, from the Hittite Empire and so on. Many pieces were very well preserved, and the exhibit was really cool. The middle of the museum is an old Ottoman Hamam (bath), with high domed ceilings and ventilation.

 After the civilizations museum and lunch, we went to the Uluncanlar Cezaevi Museum, which is a museum in what used to be a prison for Turkey's political prisoners in the 1970s and 80s. There were many wax figures in the cells and barracks depicting prisoners, and many photos of political activists and prisoners.

After our 5 hour museum trek, we spent some time in 50 Yıl Parkı, a beautiful park overlooking Ankara.

Sunday unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but I went to Konutkent (a neighborhood) to visit my Turkish professor and her sister and mother. The neighborhood is absolutely beautiful and I met a few of their neighbors at a block party, and everyone was so welcoming. My professor had prepared breakfast for me, and everything was wonderful (I also tried mulberries for the first time).
I've been working on my gift list, everything I see for sale in Ankara is tempting (Fenerbahçe jerseys, leather bracelets, Turkish delight, scarves, everything). Im going to Izmir this weekend with a friend of mine, so I might pick up some stuff there too. Hopefully I'll avoid getting too much sun on the beach this time.