Turkey and Germany 2015: Fun in Ankara

We happily spent Monday night until Thursday morning at Casa Dengiz near Ankara. This is our home away from home in Turkey.

On Tuesday at lunch I met an old acquaintance, Altan Ozkil, at Atalim University, a private university between Golbasi and Ankara. Orhan also teaches part time at this university. I knew Altan first when he was an army office on Turkish General Staff and sent three other officers to get the master's degrees at University of Pittsburgh. Altan finished his Ph.D. with Berna Dengiz while she was at Gazi University and left the army to pursue a career in academia. We ate in the garden of the university whose campus is really beautiful - green and peaceful.

Another lovely day in Ankara - with Altan Ozkil at the outdoor dining area at Atalim University

The lovely green campus of Atalim was a surprise

On Tuesday afternoon, we met with my students from Auburn - Gokhan and Alejandro - and went to the Anatolia Civilizations Museum in Ankara. This is located in the oldest part of Ankara near the top of the hill where the kale (castle) is.

The last time we were at this world class museum it was under renovation and not much could be seen. But, this time we could see the treasures in full splendor. The best part was seeing the replica of the original Hittite statue we saw with Alejandro in Fasillar. We were probably one of the few who have view both versions as the original is located quite remotely and you have to make a big effort to see it.

One of the best museums in Turkey and probably the best museum in the world for Hittite art

A very ancient fertility goddess

Another very ancient painting

Another relic from the Anatolia distant past

An excellent and huge metal Hittite pot

A Hittite relief carving

I love Hittite art and especially the powerful lions

The Hittite rendition of a horse

Eagle men

Another of my favorite lions

The replica of the Fasillar monument which stands in the museum garden

The three of us were fortunate enough to see the real thing in a remote field near Beysehir in south central Anatolia

The museum shop was loaded with enticing objects and I bought some classy souvenirs for friends and family and a very unique necklace for myself. A modern piece but done in the style of the Otomans.

After the museum we walked uphill to the kale area. We had intended to have a drink at the Washington Restaurant there which has spectacular views. This venerable establishment, though, had closed permanently. We decided to forego the drinks and shop instead. The guys explored the castle while Randy and I shopped at the places on the old, narrow streets in the kale area. Then, Alejandro and I did more shopping in the old bazaar area just outside of the kale. This area has traditional shops such as rugs and herbs and also a few upscale handicraft shops. We headed for the latter.

That evening, one of our collaborators at Middle East Technical University, Orcun Dayibas, invited us to his apartment for dinner. He and his wife, Basak, live in a new high rise west of the city near the Baskent University campus. They live very high up with amazing views. His wife fixed us an excellent meal and we enjoyed the friendship and hospitality of the METU team.

The awesome view of Casa Dayibas

Orcun and his lovely wife Basak

The guys relax in Casa Dayibas

We had a lovely dinner - thank you Basak!

The impressive night time view from Casa Dayibas

The next day, Wednesday, first had a lunch schedule at Big Chefs near Bilkent University with Tore Fougner. Tore is a professor at Bilkent and we met him when we lived there in 2013 as he leads Bilcat, a cat rescue and care group on campus. He is also a great animal lover and a very cool guy. Originally from Norway, he have worked at Bilkent for nearly 20 years. We had a happy lunch with him and I enjoyed manti for the first and only time on this trip. Yummy!

The "Cat Whisperer" Tore Fougner

Big Chefs' manti was not homemade but it was pretty good and lots of yogurt!

That afternoon was a working session with the whole research team - both from Auburn and from METU. We met at the METU campus, a nice enough campus though some of the buildings could use refurbishment. It was a productive get together and so nice to be with each other instead of our usual Skype interactions.

From left, Levent, Orcun, Alejandro, Kaan, Sema, Gokhan, me and Halit - the team!

That evening, the Dengiz's hosted Randy and I to an outdoor dinner at the Horse Club, where Orhan's wedding had taken place. This elite establishment has a great location and a beautiful garden but the food was not so good. We did have a unique kebab - where we cooked our own. It was fun but not nearly as tasty as most Turkish food is. But, it was a beautiful evening and so relaxing to be eating outside in the perfect weather.