Day 12 - Tourism in Ankara

Our final full day in Turkey spanned both Ankara and Istanbul and we didn't have any business items so there was more opportunity to do some tourist things. Professors Toppel and Alpin had organized some stuff which was nice so that we didn't have to think and figure things out on our own for the last day.

From 2010 Turkey

Ataturk Mausoleum - This is a memorial tomb dedicated to the modern founder of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He is such a national hero to the people of Turkey and this monument reflects that. Picture George Washington multiplied by 100. The mausoleum was well done and they have military guards similar to those at Buckingham Palace in the UK (they don't move.) We did get the opportunity to see the changing of the guards. They are in different uniforms for the different branches of the military (Navy, Air Force, Army...)

From 2010 Turkey

From 2010 Turkey

Museum of Anatolian Civilizations - After the mausoleum we headed over to this museum for the rest of the afternoon before catching our flight back to Istanbul. This was definitely a cool and well designed museum with tons of ancient artifacts from the area. Probably most interesting though were the buildings the museum was in, which were build in 1471. The museum covers history from the Palaeolithic Age (8000 BC) through the Roman and Byzantine Period.

From 2010 Turkey

From 2010 Turkey

We were pretty much free to explore the museum at our own pace even though we did have a guide with us. But a few of us ventured outside to the courtyard, attracted by the sound of roaring fighter jets. Since Turkey's independence day was happening in 3 days, the military was preparing for the festivities. We saw hundreds of military personnel practicing their marches (many streets were closed and traffic was horrible), tanks, jeeps, and the Turkish equivalent of the Blue Angels. Military service is mandatory (18 months) for males in Turkey.

Later that day we took the bus to the Ankara airport, which was huge, new, and surprisingly empty. I'm guessing they built it for future capacity. The flight back to Istanbul was pretty uneventful except for one person arriving at the airport only to realize they'd left their passport back at the hotel. Somehow they were able to take a taxi back to the hotel and still make it on our flight. In Istanbul we were just staying at the Radisson Hotel by the airport on that last night since many of us had early flights back to the US the next morning.

After some confusion with the hotel shuttle, we finally made it there although some of the students gave up and took a taxi.

Neville, Harsha, Caroline and I had one final dinner at the hotel, which turned out to be one of the more expensive dinners on the trip. We were shocked at the prices, especially considering that their outdoor seating in the courtyard was directly in the flight path and the food was only so-so. We were all pretty sad that the trip was coming to an end. We ate and basically had an early night.

I felt like I bonded with the people on this trip in a way that just isn't possible when you're in a classroom setting. Even the people I've worked with on group projects as part of the MBA program don't feel as close as the people I travelled with for two weeks. I've often felt that the networking aspect of a part-time MBA program is one of the weaker parts (as compared to full time MBA programs) but between the LInC cohort and this study abroad trip I feel that I've built some lifelong friendships.