Ankara, the capital of Turkey
Leaving Kapadokya behind we headed to Ankara. The journey to Ankara was quite eventful. Our bus driver missed our exit and adamantly refused to turn back. While we were supposed to be in Ankara by midnight, we did not end up in Ankara until 1:30 after having to stop on the side of the expressway and catch 4 taxis to Bilkent University. After settling in and taking a 'short sleep' we headed to Gordeon where Midas's tomb is located. King Midas, many of you may remember, is one carved into history for his famous Golden Touch. We didn't get to see his actual coffin, but we did get to see where he was buried.
Why isn't his burial site made of gold? This is the wooden structure the King was buried within.
Here is the man-made mound fit for a king.
Why isn't his burial site made of gold? This is the wooden structure the King was buried within.
Here's an interesting fact that only recently was discovered: the tomb of King Midas has been dated to be earlier than his time! There aren't even academic papers discussing this potentially controversial issue. Instead, Professor Kent Sams argues that the tomb was constructed for King Midas's father, King Gordeas. After Gordeon we headed downtown. While we were having dinner we became engaged in conversations with random Turks. One of the conversations was incredibly fruitful as it led us to Ankara's famous mosque, Kocatepe (ko-jah-teh-pay). Built and finished in the 80s and in the center of a secular nation and capital, I expected an incredibly modern mosque without the extravagance visible in the edifices of most mosques. However, I was quite surprised when I saw Kocatepe become visible on top of a hill. It was enormous, larger than any other mosque we had visited, and just as beautiful.
After Kocatepe we strolled through the streets looking for a bar to watch the Eurocup finals where I hoped Germany would take the championship. To quench our thirst and in honor of our viewing of the Eurocup in Europe, David and I decided to purchase this:
Impressive eh? Well, to my disappointment Germany did not win the championship but it was a good game. The next day we visited Ataturk's Mausoleum and the Museum of Anatolian Civilization.
The picture above could be mistaken for Lincoln Memorial, instead it is where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, is buried. The entirety of his mausoleum includes every aspect of his reign from his alphabet reform to his impact on the forestry industry. I was definitely impressed with how thorough the exhibits were. Next stop was the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations where an enthusiastic professor from Bilkent University led us through the exhibits at an information-overloading pace. The exhibit included items from millenia ago. Yet again we are faced with artifacts and excavations without much knowledge reaped from these findings. Why were there so many figurines of supernatural humans? Why was there such an overwhelming amount of bull-like figures decorating homes? 
The museum was interesting...to a certain extent, especially after learning of the earliest discovered depiction of intercourse. Ha. It was very interesting to hear and see how the government had set up the museum to include so much artifacts as "Turkish." After breaking from so much in the past 70 years it seems a little ironic that the museum would embody so much. To end on a lighter note I came across some school boys while I was exploring. They wanted me to take dozens of pictures, but here is the best one of them.
That night we took a sleeper train to Istanbul where some of us did not go to bed until 4:30 AM. We decided to partake in festivities rather than sleep. We're only in Turkey once!
Modeled after the Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet
After Kocatepe we strolled through the streets looking for a bar to watch the Eurocup finals where I hoped Germany would take the championship. To quench our thirst and in honor of our viewing of the Eurocup in Europe, David and I decided to purchase this:
Impressive eh? Well, to my disappointment Germany did not win the championship but it was a good game. The next day we visited Ataturk's Mausoleum and the Museum of Anatolian Civilization.
The picture above could be mistaken for Lincoln Memorial, instead it is where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, is buried. The entirety of his mausoleum includes every aspect of his reign from his alphabet reform to his impact on the forestry industry. I was definitely impressed with how thorough the exhibits were. Next stop was the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations where an enthusiastic professor from Bilkent University led us through the exhibits at an information-overloading pace. The exhibit included items from millenia ago. Yet again we are faced with artifacts and excavations without much knowledge reaped from these findings. Why were there so many figurines of supernatural humans? Why was there such an overwhelming amount of bull-like figures decorating homes? 
The museum was interesting...to a certain extent, especially after learning of the earliest discovered depiction of intercourse. Ha. It was very interesting to hear and see how the government had set up the museum to include so much artifacts as "Turkish." After breaking from so much in the past 70 years it seems a little ironic that the museum would embody so much. To end on a lighter note I came across some school boys while I was exploring. They wanted me to take dozens of pictures, but here is the best one of them.
That night we took a sleeper train to Istanbul where some of us did not go to bed until 4:30 AM. We decided to partake in festivities rather than sleep. We're only in Turkey once!
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