It’s hard to believe fifty years have passed since I first walked the streets of Ankara, a college student on break with waist length hair and a backpack stuffed with 6 weeks of “essentials”. The city was simple, yet magnetic and foreign. My traveling companion, a multi-lingual American expat, was my guide/translator/cultural ambassador. He made the introductions and so began my love affair with Turkey.
Mornings rang with the sound of vendors calling out “Simit, taze simit!” (vaguely like a sesame encrusted bagel), the aromas of warm bread and rich, dark roasted coffee. It was early spring, days were still cool. In the chai houses, men played endless games of backgammon.
Kızılay was the heart of everything — a bustling crossroads in the center of the city.
Great post! I’m going to share this with a friend.