Friday, October 7,2011

We managed to drive our car out of Ankara’s Old Town without any further nervous or automotive damage, so we knew we were on a roll.  With guidance from our GPS, we drove to Anitkapir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Father of Modern Turkey. 

Ataturk, military genius and political leader is credited with the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1928 and is positively revered here and throughout the country. (Here in Turkey, it is, in fact, illegal to speak disparagingly of him!)  His mausoleum is massive, dwarfing Washington’s Lincoln Memorial and the adjacent museum chronicles his life and achievements in a reverential way.  The collection includes military and historical background of Turkey’s Great Struggle, important milestones of the Republic, and a great number of artifacts of Ataturk’s life.  While his rowing machine, toiletry kits, pens, bathrobe, uniforms, and wallets may have been of limited interest to us, the entire monument left no doubt as to the preeminence of one man’s legacy in the minds and hearts of his people. 

From the ceremonial approach, designed to suitably prepare visitors to be in the presence of Ataturk to the gift shop overflowing with portraits of the great man on neckties, earrings, plates, metal engravings and even decals of his signature (to display on your SUV’s window), the focus is on one man.  Throughout the grounds, young men in navy blue suits hover, answer questions, and generally keep order in this very orderly place. 

Now, if the rest of Ankara were only so orderly… Morning traffic was pretty much a free-for-all and we were happy to find the open road and head southwest to Goreme, in Cappadocia, our home base for three nights.  (If you’re using the map on the first post of this blog, it’s near Kayseri in the center of the country.)  We were on a four lane divided highway through some pretty deserted territory most of the way, but were struck by the large numbers of vans parked all along the roadside.  Each one had massive numbers of what appeared to be melons or hard-shell squash for sale, and nothing else.  Curious, indeed.

We arrived in Goreme this afternoon and had a chance to walk a bit through its strange landscape.  The rock formations, called “fairy chimneys” are the remnants of volcanic activity, and they appear other-worldly.  In fact, they have been used since Byzantine times as homes and churches, and they are honeycombed with cave dwellings.  Many of the hotels and restaurants that now fill the area are built right into the rocks and feature cave rooms.  We’ll be exploring much of this area -- above, in, and under ground -- during the next couple of days, starting with sunrise photos tomorrow!