Anitkabir – Day 8

Rob, the girls and I caught an early bus into the city and walked over to Anitkabir, Ataturk’s mausoleum. The list of rules, once we were allowed in, was a mile long. As some type of ceremony was starting, we were ushered into the museum so we wouldn’t get in the way. The first hallway of the museum was dedicated to Ataturk’s possessions, including his rowing machine. The second hallway was filled with portraits and 3-D scenes from the battles for Turkish Independence. The third hallway recounted the numerous reforms made by Ataturk. I can’t imagine the amount of change that the Turks went through in those years. New government, new alphabet, new measurement system, new policies on just about everything from clothing to names!

Once we left the museum, we visited the mausoleum, watched a movie, had a snack and headed back to the bus stop. Rob and Chloe headed out to buy water and snacks at the campus store.

In the evening, we headed out to dinner at an on campus apartment of a friend from grad school. We had a wonderful time learning about his life here in Turkey and enjoying a home-cooked Turkish meal!