Stage 64: From Cappadocia to Ankara

Unfortunately, on February 9th, we had to leave Cappadocia again. It was raining most of the time during the drive to Ankara, so we wouldn't have been able to enjoy Cappadocia as much anyway. On the way, we passed by 'Tuz Gölü', one of the saltiest lakes in the world and the second largest lake in Turkey. However, the visibility was so poor that we could hardly see it. We arrived in Ankara in the early afternoon and decided to spontaneously visit the Anitkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum, which is located on the Rasattepe Hill in a large park. This hill was artificially built as a tomb hill by the Phrygians in the 12th century BCE, and some of the artifacts from that time can now be found in the Ethnographic Museum of Ankara. The monumental complex impressed us a lot, and it was evident that Atatürk is still celebrated as a hero today. A man stood with tears in his eyes in front of the tomb, and a young couple wanted to have their picture taken with a painting of Atatürk. It was here that we could truly experience the reverence of the Turks for this man. The dimensions of the complex in the midst of an 8 million city speak for themselves. There is also a museum here, which we had underestimated in terms of size.

When we arrived at the hotel, there were surprised looks at the amount of luggage coming out of the trunk. The parts of my bike then completely overwhelmed the staff. In the evening, we wanted to return the rental car to get it over with and have more time for sightseeing in the following days. It turned out to be more difficult than expected, but in the end, we found a friendly employee of the rental company at Ankara Airport. Taking the bus back to our district Kizilay was no problem and cost about 1€. The fact that we arrived at the hotel without a rental car late at night only caused more confusion among the hotel staff, I think they thought we were a bit crazy.

The next day, we set off for sightseeing. It was quite a walk to the castle of Ankara, but the view was worth it. The castle consists of an outer ring, where people still live today (there were also tourists), and the inner part of the castle. Once at the top, you could see different facets of the city combined. Modern banking districts, high-rise buildings, green areas, small, partially dilapidated houses with tiled roofs, and charming half-timbered houses, depending on which direction you look. In general, I noticed that compared to other Turkish cities, there seem to be only a few mosques, at least only a few large ones. After a quick lunch, we continued to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which is considered the most important museum in Turkey and enjoys a high reputation worldwide. There, you can find exhibits from all periods from the Stone Age to modern times, with a focus on the Hittites. After a little snack at the Atatürk monument, we also visited the Roman ruins of the city. They were hardly visited and rather unspectacular compared to other ancient sites. But at least this relatively large area in the middle of the city is left untouched and not developed. In the evening, for once, we had dinner in the hotel room instead of going out.

The next morning, we finally had to write postcards, and then we had a small workout in the nearby park. There, we witnessed a failed rescue attempt by the fire department. A cat had stereotypically climbed too high up a tree and couldn't get down. In the end, the fire department scared it so much that it fell down from a great height, but it seemed to be fine afterwards. After that, we wanted to visit the Melike-Hatun Mosque, which had caught our attention from afar. Indeed, it was truly impressive from the outside as well as the inside! At the (men's) entrance, we met a Turkish man who lives in Frankfurt. He let us in, and we only noticed that the entrance was actually intended for men because Laura was being observed from all sides. But no one said anything.

In the afternoon, we went for ice cream in the nearby Genclik Park. The small amusement park with a Ferris wheel attached to it was unfortunately closed, but that wasn't a big deal. In the evening, we went to a fancy restaurant right next to the hotel, where many appetizers and a small bottle of Raki were waiting for us. With the main course and dessert, it cost us 600 Lira (40€). As a conclusion to our journey together, we treated ourselves once again. We ended the night with a game of billiards.

The next morning, we headed to the airport at 7 o'clock, where we unfortunately had to say goodbye again. After two wonderful weeks, a lot of adventures, and memories, it was time for Laura to take her return flight. However, the next joint adventure is already being planned, and I can't wait! For the rest of the day, I was busy assembling my bike again, cleaning it, and planning the next steps. After more than two weeks of not cycling, I will have to get used to sitting on the saddle again.