Ankara to Istanbul to the Turkish border with Greece
June 26, 1963
We got up early so we wouldn’t be discovered, hungry and
dirty. We walked up on the platform and got some Gasos (pop) and cheese
sandwiches and buns. Then we pushed the car out of the freight yard and
immediately a swarm of truck drivers descended on us, ready to help. We were towed
in proper fashion to the VW garage.
There was a cute little pink faced German technician and a
tremendously fast crew of workmen who had the engine out in no time. They
diagnosed the trouble – valves burned out and crusted with dirt and carbon. We
could have the car at 4 PM. We had anticipated a week but things work faster in
Turkey than in India. We found some kittens while we were waiting and had fun
playing with them, one tiger and one marmalade. We went and got fruit to as we
waited. About 10 AM we finally were allowed to go and got a taxi to the Cihan Palace.
We all took baths and rested a bit, went out for lunch and
got a horrible meal, greasy meat, rice and queer eggplant. There were white
tablecloths on the tables, pictures of horses on the walls, loud popular music
playing. We were all slugged and fell into bed for some sleep. We wash clothes,
wrote letters and diaries and leaned out the window watching the world go by.
It was hot. We went for the car at 5 PM but it was not ready tell 6 PM. We sat
around and watched the slaphappy mechanics running around. Then we drove around
the city a bit, explored a big sort of arcade department store and bought Patty
some good shoes. We found a little milk bar which was clean and you could point
to what you wanted in the showcase. We had good soup, milk, cheese sandwiches
and ice cream.
The middle of the night we were awakened and hung out the
window watching a “drunk opera” across the way. There was a crowd shouting and
arguing, police bustled in and dragged some drunks out, ladies leaned out of
upper windows and talked it over. It was most amusing and there were all the
standard opera types. It even looked like a Porgy and Bess set.
June 27, 1963
We got up at 6 AM and got off quickly, had hot sweet milk
and rolls at our milk bar before getting off. The road was very good. The
countryside is pretty, good fields and rustic villages. We had lunch in a grape
orchard sitting on rosebush thorns and all sorts of grasshoppers and bugs. It
was hot and steamy. This is Bythinia where Paul was held back by the Holy
Spirit from visiting so he turned to Macedonia and Europe instead. Before we
got down into the low country we passed some high timber country with sawmills in
evidence.
Then we drove for miles along the Sea of Marmara, past Ismit,
which mother remembered from stopping there as a little girl in 1937. We drove
past the harbor there and saw a submarine and lots of other ships. Real
exciting! But the streets were cobbled and it was nice to get out on the
highway to Istanbul again. We really drove fast that last stretch.
We got right down to the ferry and had to get directions for
the Mission. It was right up the hill overlooking the Straits. We arrived about
4:30 PM. Everyone was getting ready for a big alumni dinner party on the
basketball court. It is a lovely campus in a small compound with lots of walks
and trees and well-kept lawn being sprinkled.
The main teachers building is three or four stories with a huge wisteria
vine across the front, big staircases and all sorts of halls and rooms like a
maze. We went there for baths and meals but stayed in a modern lovely
dispensary building. Everyone was so kind and welcomed us beautifully. We ate
and got to bed immediately, listening to the dance band and happy sounds of the
party on the lawn right under our windows.
June 28, 1963
In the morning Mrs. Eaton got mother washing clothes in her
wash machine in the big laundry. Daddy and John took the car to the garage for
servicing. We wrote a lot of letters and got them off. At noon we ate in the
dining room with teachers and girls. The girls were taking their final exams.
This is the girls school to match the boys school in Talas. The girls are from
wealthy homes and are very Schick and sophisticated. Lunch was served on the
tables, we took our own dishes to the kitchen.
Jenny and Betty took us swimming after lunch. The water was
cold but so clear and lovely. We had to get a dinghy and row out as there are
no beaches. John got a nail in his hand from the boat.
Then we had tea and
met a bunch of young teachers from Izmir. One big tall blonde we really like,
Meg Hansen whose father is superintendent of schools in Pine Island, Minnesota,
right on the way to Byron from the Twin Cities. We had a lovely supper at the
Eaton’s and sat visiting with them on the front porch which is shaded by old
grapevines making a little room all twisted around the railings.
June 29, 1963
We got up early to go sightseeing. After a good breakfast,
lots of strawberries and that same soft mild white cheese and all the usual
things, we went off and crossed the Bosporus into Europe for the first time in
six years. The ferry is fun, and Bobby was thrilled with it. We drove to the
Hilton Hotel after we picked up the car. There is still something wrong with it
but they don’t seem to know what.
Our guide was an interesting little blonde lady. We met her
at the Istanbul Hilton. Mother went and got a peek inside but it doesn’t look
like much. First we drove into the old part of the city to see the Bible house
on some business, to get our money. We had to get out and walk through the
spice bazaar, like New Market in Calcutta. It was inside of an old building and
there was shop after shop of everything imaginable, plastic products, meat,
baloney, glassware and dishes, hats, purses, toys, snack bars, grocery items
like a bunny a it was really interesting. The Bible House was closed! It was
Saturday and we hadn’t remembered.
She showed us a huge underground cistern that had been built
for use if the city was besieged in Roman times. It was very cool down there
and tremendous, 400 Roman pillars. The only water now is from seepage but it is
2 feet are so deep and the old brick work is nicely preserved. The bricks each
had a stamp on them with the name of the cistern.
Next we visited the Seraglio. The old palace of the Kings.
It is huge, each king added to it according to his need or whim. There was
courtyard after courtyard and huge wooden doors, fancy scrollwork, decorations
on the wood and marble. There were lovely roses and daddy took some pictures.
We saw the treasury and collection of crown jewels, which are older but not
nearly as many or as impressive as the ones in Tehran. There are cloaks with
seed pearls, jeweled swords, cups and dishes in the Peacock throne which also
was not as impressive.
Then we went to St. Sophia which was the most beautiful
building I have ever seen. There were tremendous gold mosaics in the small
antechamber. She showed us beautiful green marble variegated colored pillars
from the Temple of Diana, huge alabaster earns from Rome, etc. pretty. Many old
temples had been robbed of beautiful building materials to make this church.
The delicate carving on the arches looks like lace but it is all in marble. We
were shown some pillars from Egypt carved with beautiful figures and
hieroglyphics. Another was an old monument that had been covered with brass.
When some conqueror came they thought it was gold and ripped it all off,
ruining the beauty of it. It is been turned into a mosque and there were huge
circular signs and beautiful Persian or Arabic script that look like big round
Coca-Cola signs.
We went next to the blue Mosque it was interesting but not
nearly so interesting. It really is blue inside with low chandeliers so the
Muslims can see as they worship. We sat on the soft Persian carpets in the cool
dark while she told us about it and let us meditate quietly for a bit.
We took quite a long ride along the Bosporus past what
seemed like miles of walls of the present palace which of course is not in use
as there is no king but has museums, etc. We ate lunch in a swank sidewalk
restaurant where everything was too expensive. The service was elegant, waiters
and tuxes, wine lists, lots of white tablecloths, and the view of the Bosporus
across the street. We had company of an American family with two girls we made
friends with.
It was time to leave our guide and go home. We really loved
her. John went with daddy to get a tetanus shot for his nail puncture. Mother
ironed and put away all the dishes she had washed and cleaned up. After supper
and a view of the Bosporus from the roof we showed our slides to the “family.”
They were all impressed and asked questions
June 30, 1963
Up bright and early as possible and got all packed up and
over the Bosporus by 9:30 AM. We took the Eaton’s to church with us. Oh, the
afternoon before or sometime we went with Jenny down the cobbles steep street
outside the school compound and mother had her hair cut. It was fun walking
back through the picturesque streets, cobbled and narrow.
We went to church with the Eaton’s at the little Dutch
chapel in the embassy which is used by all the Protestants for English
services. It was very small and crowded. We enjoyed the music. There was a
simple lovely wedding after the service with the reception outside in the tiny
garden. We wiggled through and kissed the bride, got our angel cake and punch
and beat it to the car. We dropped the Eaton’s office the ferry and said our
farewells.
It didn’t take long
to get out of Istanbul. We drove along the sea and kept passing likely looking
swimming places. We had a hard time finding a place for lunch as everyone else
was out picnicking anywhere there was shade. The road was quite good. We
finally stopped at a place where many others were parked. Someone came over and
shared their lunch with us, stuffed peppers, pastry and some eggplant. We could
not talk with them but their gracious friendliness was heartwarming. We took
them plate full of plums.
W
e finally found a beach where we turned in and swam. No
that was the next day! We drove past a lot of little towns with big squared,
quaint old houses, dutiful feels. At tea we stopped for lemonade at a little
place and got some chocolate, Tekirdag. From there the paved superhighway goes
off towards Edrine and we took a dirt road for the Greek border. They are
building a tremendous big road that didn’t do us any good. We passed a lot of
heavy road making equipment.
Our watches said 6 PM but it was still light so we kept
driving till we knew the border was close we camped on top of the hill and
found it was alive with big turtles. John and Bobby collected some and had fun
teasing them by turning them on their backs. Then they let them go and they all
went gravely lumbering off. We were very tired from the long drive and the
heat.
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