hi all,
Iyi bayramlar! Happy holidays. The whole of Turkey (or at least the ones that are not self-employed) has had the last week off of work. For me it was extra happy, because Phil came to visit me again.
This time we did less sight seeing, and more relaxing. And (important!): sinterklaas had found a way to drop of his gifts even in the heart of Istanbul. With two other Dutch girls (from Utrecht even) we had a nice diner at the terrace, a sinterklaas-first for me.
But, all good things come to an end and so I have eaten my last pepernoot already and Phil is back home. But I realised that, eventhough I am missing you all a lot, I am happy that I am not going home myself yet.
So, with Phil gone, and most of the exchangestudents out of the country for dazling bayram-trips (Syria, Kuweit, Black-sea, Cracow) I decided that I too was entitled to an adventure and what would be more fitting when your house has no heating or hot water: I went to the local Hamam (see picture). It was a tiny place, with one room for undressing, which also housed the registar and had the two hamam-ladies having breakfast in it. I decided to not go completely naked, which I later, when other girls started entering, found out to be a perfect guess. I washed myself for a while, with nice hot water from a bucket, while sitting on a big hot stone in the middle of the small hamam. Then the friendly, big and (almost) naked lady came back in and ordered my friendly to go lie down on the hot stone. She completely scrubbed and washed me and I got an amazing oil-massage. All without a word of English, but she was nice and I decided to just surrender. It was an amazing experience, and it has both a modern and an ancient feel to it, because it is such an old and elaborate ritual, while at the same time it also resembles a modern spa. After one and a half hour I was outside again, reborn!
With this being my warm-adventure, let me tell you about my icy-cold adventure: a day in Ankara. Every Turk I know adviced me against it, but I wanted to see the capital. I decided one day would be enough and bought a night-train ticket there, to buy another one for the night of the morning I arrived. Ankara was less boring and depressing than everyone had told me, but it was so much colder than I expected! Dian, I forgot your head, so I immediatly had to buy a new one, not nearly as nice as yours, but otherwise I would have lost my ears (and mind) I think.
Well, thanks to my ever-loyal Lonely Planet, I managed to see 2 interesting museums, the biggest mosque in the country and Ataturks mausoleum. The mosque was facinating, cause it was huge and busy (a 3-double funeral and friday-afternoon prayer) and very new. I never saw a mosque with its own parking-garage underneath.
Ataturks mausoleum was also impressive. On top of a huge hill it is surrounded by all sorts of memorial buildings and a huge underground museum about the War of Independence. Considering all the poo-haa that he is usually surrounded with, his actual tomb was beautifully simple in a big empty hall.
Then I figured I had seen enough, had walked enough and was cold enough, so I got my self a big cup of hot chocolate and read my book on the history of Turkish nationalism in the starbucks.
Now I am all ready and rested for my last 3 weeks of school. 3 weeks! My parents are coming for Christmas and Sara is coming for New Years. I am very excited for all of this and hope they will fall in love with Istanbul as well.
Then, the 24th I will already be heading home again. I know I will be ready then, but for now I want to try and really make the most of these last weeks.
I wish you all an amazing Christmas and New Years where ever you are going to be,
bayram-greetings from here,
xx sacha