Ankara [GP:Ankara], high 80s, partly cloudy

Everyone I’ve ever talked to about Ankara has told me it’s a dump. I wonder if we’re talking about the same city. Ankara struck me at first as absolutely beautiful. Well, after Esenboga Airport, which could only disappoint – both Athens and Istanbul have airports less than 3 years old, and the airport in Ankara was small, dirty, and very crowded.

Ankara is a modern city – when Atatürk moved his capital here in the 1920s, it was a tiny village named Angora (famous for wool) of about 5,000 people. Today it’s a metropolis of nearly 4 million spread over hills offering breathtaking vistas around nearly every corner. It’s modern, it’s clean, and the people are friendly.

I don’t know what I was expecting from Turkey. I knew it was Westernized and aspires to be part of Europe. I wasn’t expecting it to be THIS westernized and acting like it already is part of Europe. I’ve lost count of the number of people who told me I’d like Turkey more than Egypt. I don’t even think it’s possible to compare Turkey and Egypt – it’s apples and oranges, Mac vs. Windows, New York vs. Waxahachie, Texas.

Nice program tonight. Bummed around with Rob in search of food. Caught “Angel” with Turkish subtitles – funny. Sleep now, big day tomorrow.