What's Ankara like?

Anytime I meet someone new here, one of the first questions is, 'What do you like about Ankara?' Having come from heat and humidity in Penfield NY, I have to admit Ankara weather is spectacular and preferred! Days can get relatively warm, sometimes in the 90s, but it's just not oppressive because the humidity is about 17%. And, you add to that the fact that the temperature drops evenings and nights 20-30 degrees with a very lovely breeze, what more can one ask! We live on the 7th floor of a hi-rise condo complex so there's no pesky flies up here! Thus, no screens on the windows or balcony doors. Amazing!

I continue to marvel at this wonderful option for patio doors. These doors and long windows open two ways: 1) like a door, 2) or by moving the handle a bit further, it will tilt forward from the top, the bottom of the window remains almost in place. Good when you have animals, want the air, but also prefer that the pets don't get out! They like the air, you like the air, and everyone's happy! I LOVE these doors. Now mind you, it's taken me about 6 weeks to get used to operating them, (that would be the month I was here before, plus the two I've been here now again) but I think they are wonderful. A similar joy to that my daughter-in-law (I really don't like that term for her or my other one...) Judy evokes regarding fat free flavored creamer.

Let me tell you more about the view from the 7th floor, actually the 8th floor in my count, with the top being the 14th (maybe 15th depending who you talk to about this!), the penthouse condo. The first floor is 0, the European way of counting floors, but we push the 7th floor when going up. From the balcony off the living room, I see much of the city of Ankara, which houses about 3 million people, and therefore is mostly apartments and hi-rise buildings. There's a building similar to the tower in Toronto with a restaurant at the top visible from this vantage point. Also, there's the home of the President of Turkey, a low and very contemporary style design, and easy to pick out of the many, many homes built very close to one another. We are probably classified as in the 'burbs' of the city, but it is rapidly becoming congested along with the rest of the area.

In the background of this view are the hills, some of which are slowly becoming part of the city as more and more buildings are popping up on the upgrades. It's quite amazing. The dwellings go right up the mountain! Less densely populated, the views toward the airport and from the kitchen balcony reveal the lovely mountains yet untouched by construction. It's beautiful. However they have all become more brown since the rains have stopped. Green for a short while in the spring, they are now experiencing the usual dry weather and the green no longer visible.

Not too far away is a farmer's market with fresh veggies and fruits. The peaches are just delicious and David made a peach cobbler last evening. Since neither he nor Mandy were feeling well, the cobbler remains untouched as yet, not that I wouldn't like to try it! I'll wait for dinner for this tasty treat. Also close by is a small market for groceries and some home-grown produce. It's handy and the people are very nice in there. On the way home from David and Mandy's work place, but also within walking distance, the other direction has a larger produce business, and they like that place very much. And, of course, the new mall has the largest grocery store, Migros, which has many items that are not traditionally in a grocery store that we know of at home. You can buy almost anything you need in there: clothing (not the best, but good in an emergency!), bedding, car needs, shoes, all sorts of dry goods that amaze me. That mall also can be dangerous to step into as the stores are quite wonderful, and so close to home!

Ankara is very hilly, so streets are up and down, challenging when walking and pushing a stroller! And, especially after a shopping trip! The bottom of the stroller is a wonderful 'trunk' in which to store all the bags! It does, however, make it more difficult to navigate on the up hill portions of our walk. There are great restaurants within walking distance which we occasionally enjoy. By the way, the food is outstanding!

So, if you're considering a trip, Turkey should be an option on your list of places to see. There is much ancient history here, many sites that have been excavated that are spoken of in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. One thing that keeps reminding me of something Jesus said to Peter, when Jesus was washing their feet. Peter wanted Jesus to wash more than his feet... wash all of me, he said. Jesus said it was not necessary, as he was clean, feet excepted. How true that is! The streets and sidewalks are very dusty, shoes need to be left at the door or the dust gets tracked into the house. And yes, one's feet are very dirty after a walk outside.