Hello there!
It’s me again, looking for adventure elsewhere 🙂
Those following me on other accounts already know that I just started a new Erasmus experience in Turkey, Ankara. After 2 weeks in the capital, I decided to write a bit more about the city, how is it the country in its Asian side, food, habits and some interesting facts.
Before coming here I’ve been receiving “reviews” of Ankara from my Turkish friends and not only: most of them told me it is a city for students and the capital, but yet not as good as Istanbul (see Istanbul trip here). Well, the student part is true because there are a lot of universities and also a lot of pubs and clubs that fit into the student life (opened till late hours even during the week), plus a lot of nice coffe places full of youths and books.
As I arrived here in the beggining of February, the weather have been pretty cold and in my first weekend here it snowed quite a lot! Even if in Romania the temperatures are pretty similar, I was a little surprised by the -11 C in the first day and doubt the usefulness of the spring-summer clothes from my luggage. Fortunately, things are getting better now and we are starting to have positive degrees and hopefully spring its on it’s way.
From the list of popular travel spots, I first managed to go to the famous Ataturk monument and learn a bit of Turkish history. Moreover, this place is also worth visiting for the park around it and the amazing panoramic view (and of course the great pictures that could be taken up there).
An interesting fact that I found while being here is that Ankara uses the teleferik as part of it’s transportation system, thing which is quite surprising and amazing! Imagine avoiding all the traffic jam, crowded busses and enjoying the best view in the same time… all of this just for 4 TL (0.6 Euro). Had to see it with my own eyes to believe it, so I went there and had a ride while the city was falling asleep under a blanket of snow.
Further on, steps led me to the Temple of Augustus, Ulus Ataturk Heykeli and the Roman Baths which are actually very close to each other. I have to admit that I enjoyed more the area overall than the landmarks (as these are relics, parts of what they once represented), but if you are interested in these kind of spots, than it might be interesting to visit them and dicover even more of Ankara’s past.
As expected, there are aspects that could be called “typical” such as the presence of mosques and the prayers that could be heard from time to time all over the city , numerous street markets, pedestrian areas full of restaurants and terraces with deliciouuuuusss food and the language barrier (mostly young people know English, but is hard to find someone to help you just randomly on the street, even though they would like to help).
I cannot wait to discover more of Ankara, Turkey in general, their colorful culture and of course to make new friends 🙂 Keep in touch and don’t forget to follow me on instagram for more photos and opinions about what once was the great Ottoman Empire.
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