Ankara

Back to the roots.
This large city (4.5 mio inhabitants) not only was a stepping stone on the Silk Road at the time, but it is also home to some of my roots. With Baba (my grand-father) as an invaluable guide, we dove into the history and cultural heritage of the capital of Turkey, which took this honour away from Istanbul – symbol of the exhausted empire – when Atatürk founded the modern Republic in 1919. It is also a good occasion to get together with family and to pay a visit to a former colleague of mine, Basak Avcioglu, conservation supervisor at WWF-Turkey (see her interview).
Too green to be good.
On the way from Ankara to Cappadoccia, we are thrown “into the green”. Anatolia can rightly be called the “wheat cellar” of Turkey, as testified by these endless wheat fields all around us. Ironically, these wide open plains have left no place for wildlife to shelter and thrive. As a sign of hope, starks are back again. As if they were to give us another chance. Sometimes we pass the ruins of a caravanserai, reminding us of these courageous merchants who were riding their horses through Anatolia, on the Silk road, and used to find shelter and hospitality within these walls.
(VB)

One Comment

  1. Selmin

    nice posting Valerie. I wanted to wish you a great happy Birthday where ever you are in China or Laos ….. Hope everything is well with you guys.
    Love and Kisses,
    Sipahi’s

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