Left the hostel and got 1 of my 2 nights prepayment back. Left one night's fee on the table, but was anxious to get to the And Butik Hotel. Walked around some after packing and ran into the wild college kids from last night. They were all hungover but still friendly.
Took some shots of the view - or lack of view - at the hostel in modern downtown Ankara.
Took a cab up to the castle - it dates back to before the Romans, who conquered this region of Turkey. Some remains still exist.of their monuments, baths and amphitheaters. The castle area - maybe 1/4 mile on each side - was the old, original Ankara over 2500 years ago and today 4 million residents reside around original Ankara. I am now staying in a hotel inside the outer walls of the castle shown below. There are two Roman arch gateways for entrances.
Arrived 15 minutes before the 1 PM call to prayer. The mosque 50 feet from my bedroom dates back to about 1000 AD and is the oldest in Ankara. Walked down the hill about 1/2 mile to another mosque - larger, better maintained, more decorative and the second oldest in Ankara. Took my shoes off, went inside and took lots of pics.
Stopped on my way back to the hotel and spoke with Hasan. I like him and will include a pic of him on Sunday before I leave.
Walked the narrow, steep, windy streets below the Castle and went into dozen of stores and shops.
Carpet stores, art stores, junk stores, food stores - everything that caught my eye. Spent 45 minutes in a carpet store speaking with the owner, who spoke excellent English. Could easily have spent thousands and only bought one rug. Really liked the little 15"x24" silk rugs that were about $350.00. Would make a nice wall hanging, but have no more wall space.
Came back the hotel and spoke with Haydar, the hotel manager, in his 30's and who lived in NYC for a year studying English. Met his wife and 7 month old daughter, his mother in law and his 7 year old nephew.
At the 4 PM call to prayer, went to the mosque across the street and took some pics. Took about 100 pics today.
Haydar offer me a homemade Turkish dinner dish - tomatoes, peppers and egg stir fried together - but before eating I walked down the hill twice to the lower mosque looking for the store that sold beer. On second trip finally scored, thanks to Hasan's excellent directions. Did quite a bit of hill walking today. God is great, beer is good........
Speaking of beer - bought several EFES, a Turkish Pilsner - 1/2 liter for $2.00 each. Drank one with the tomato dish and watched the sunset.
Haydar dialed the TV into the Bloomberg network - sometimes in German, sometimes English, sometimes in Turkish. Sometimes in English is a compliment to music from the jambox and the iPod. Cannot stream Pandora overseas.
Is now 7:56 PM, dark, and the last call to prayer can be heard blaring from the minaret speaker 50 feet from my room. I have dreamed of experiencing this moment for many, many years.
The view from up here is phenomenal. 360 degrees, over 20 miles distant in places, hundreds of thousands of dwellings and hundreds and hundreds of 15 to 25 story tall apartment buildings.
Was up until after 3 AM, then awoke around 6:30 AM and have been on the go since my eyes opened. Thank goodness I moderated the vodka last night. Could have been a very long day, but was a very enjoyable day.
Tomorrow is a Muslim religious holiday and almost all the shops and stores below the castle will be closed. Would have liked to explore more, but there is nothing I really need and more importantly, want to carry in my bag for the next 95 days. Will use the day to chill, read, catch up on some jet lag adjustments. I have not slept more than 3 hours straight for over 5 days now.
Now 8:15 PM. Was told that morning call to prayer is at either 4:45 or 5:00 AM. As it is my birthday tomorrow, I will make believe that Happy Birthday is being sung to me each time there is a call to prayer. An unbelievable present that means more than any western, material gizmo.
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