- So we're at Dalaman Airport. And in this video, we're
taking you to the capital. (upbeat music) - [Both] Welcome to Ankara! - So I'm in the Kizilay area of Ankara. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey. And it has been since 1923. It's a very cosmopolitan city. And there's around 5 million
people that live here, which makes it the second
biggest city in Turkey. Second only, of course, to Istanbul, which has about 15 million. Its position in Central Anatolia makes it a key trading post, and it has been for thousands of years. It's well-known as a center of commerce, embassies, banks, and
government buildings. It's an important education
center with huge universities. And because Ankara is around
950 meters above sea level, that's about 3,000 feet, it makes it a lot cooler here than it is in the south of
Turkey and the touristic areas, which is one of the reasons
we came here in August because the temperature here
is only around 30 degrees. Whereas in the south,
it's more like 40 degrees. There is a huge metro underground
system, as you can see. And it carries 300,000 people a day with 56 stations. (upbeat music) But we found it quite confusing. And although they have told us you can use your credit card to pay, which is the same on the buses apparently, and there are thousands of
buses going all over the city, we found it much easier
just to jump in a taxi and tell them where you want to go, and they're not expensive. So this is the new railway
station with a high speed train that goes straight through to Istanbul. And we're going to Eskisehir here today, which is 146 miles away in
one hour and 26 minutes. And it's only 43 1/2 lira.
That's about four pounds. So we bought our tickets at the station, but there is actually
an app for your phone. So you can buy your
tickets online if you want. And it's got USB charging
ports between the seats, and also it's got 220
mains plug socket as well. - This is the first time I've ever been on a train in Turkey. - And you're going backwards.
- I'm going backwards. But it's got more leg room
than you have on the airplane. - Well, there's also radio stations if you got headphones. Very quiet, isn't it? - Yeah, it's lovely. Ooh, did you feel it? - Yeah, tipped sideways.
- Like a mini rollercoaster ride. - Let's have a look around the city. (upbeat music) There are dozens of
statues around the city. Many are in the lovely parks. (upbeat music) So I've done quite a few wildlife films, and filmed birds in Turkey, but I've never seen
swans in Turkey before. Although I don't think these are wild. (upbeat music) And it's a lovely place
to just sit and relax. (upbeat music) You don't have to go far in Ankara to find a nice quiet spot
away from the traffic. And this park is that Abdi Ipekci Park. But probably the most popular
park is the Genclik Park. (upbeat music) And if you want a bit of fun, you can always come to the
Luna Park, the fairground! (upbeat music) But my favorite park has to
be this one, Kurtulus Park, where you can actually
hear the birds singing. (birds singing) (upbeat music) So what about hotels? Well, if you look on the Internet, there are hundreds of hotels. And different agencies
give different prices. Anywhere between 20 and 50 pounds, you can find a really good hotel between three star and five star. So, and we weren't quite
sure where to stay. So we decided we'd stay
in two different hotels. So the first one was this, the Gordion, which is in the Cankaya region, where quite a lot of life here with restaurants, and bars,
and pubs, and stuff like that. And then we came to this
one the Divan Cukurhan, which is a very special hotel. And it's right opposite
the castle entrance. And as I was saying how
special this hotel was, this is basically a restored inn or (speaking in foreign language) as they used to call
them, from 16th century. So it's a museum in itself. And some of the pieces
which are around the hotel are museum pieces. (upbeat music) And it's only about 50 pounds a night, which we thought for
this sort of class hotel, I mean, it's graded as a boutique hotel, I thought it was pretty special. What do you think, lovey? - It's very nice. The bathrooms are lovely and spacious. It's like having my own dressing room. That's your half. This is my half. (chuckles) We need one at home. - So it's beautiful light in it here, but it really is like "Night
at the Museum," isn't it? (scary music) Joking aside. This is one of the most interesting hotels we've ever stayed. There are even books in the drawing room written by the owner, Rahmi Koc, who is among the top 1,000
richest people in the world. He restored this building, and the antiques on display here are only a tiny part
of his huge collection. From the hotel, there's
actually two museums you can get to without even going outside. And this is the Safranhan
or saffron museum, which is just fantastic. Me being an engineer originally, I just think this is wonderful. It's got engines, it's got old cars. There's printing presses. Some of the things are just unbelievable. Not only are these amazing
pieces of engineering, but they've also been
fantastically restored, virtually brand new condition. There's even a petrol pump. And just when we thought
we'd seen everything, we went into another part of the museum where there were more classic cars, one of the first cameras,
one of the first televisions, one of the first electric vacuum cleaners, and hundreds of other artifacts. There was even some of
Ataturk's personal clothing. Beautiful, old cine cameras, to think what we're using now. In 1960, when I was born, that's what they were
using as a calculator. It's got to be the best private
collection I've ever seen. Just incredible. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk known
as the Father of the Turks. This highly respected man
changed so much in Turkey, and saved Turkey from
being carved up by Britain, Greece, and Europe after
the First World War. He was the founder of modern Turkey, and still held in high regard even now, 83 years after his death. Statues of him are all over Turkey, and the children here still
sing the "Istiklal Marsi," which is the national anthem,
every morning at school in respect of him. When he died in 1938, the people built a
modern mausoleum for him. It has thousands of visitors every year, and his legacy still lives on even today, 83 years after his death. The most famous place in
Ankara has to be Anitkabir, Ataturk's mausoleum. (dramatic music) I don't know how much
stone is in this building, but it must be at least a million tons. (dramatic music) (feet tapping) Look at these gates. I mean, these are solid bronze. I like it. They must weigh a ton each. But this is the mausoleum,
the main building. And I thought Ataturk was
in that block, but he's not. He's actually in a room
seven meters below, which you can only see
through a TV screen. But what a building, look at that. (dramatic music) What a great honor this
must be for these guys to guard Ataturk's tomb. (dramatic music) At the side of the mausoleum is a museum, and it's well worth
waiting in the queue for, because inside are artifacts
from Ataturk's life. But the most fantastic thing
for me were the paintings. They are incredible. (slow dramatic music) And in a building above the cafe, there are the beautifully
restored Lincoln cars that Ataturk used. So this is the famous Ankara
statue, the Victory Monument, or what the Turks call
the Ankara Zafer Aniti. It's got Ataturk sitting on his horse, but unfortunately, it's
being restored at the moment as you can see. And right opposite here is the War Museum. So on the 23rd of April, 1920, Ataturk signed the
documents in this building, probably the most important
building in Turkey to make Turkey a republic. This could be the most
important room in Turkey. This is where Ataturk signed
documents to make Turkey the Turkish Republic. - There's lots of shopping
centers around Ankara, but this is probably the most
well-known, it's Atakule. (bright music) - I wouldn't say this is
the best shopping area. It's got all the posh shops in it. And the actual tower that
we were keen to go up, is closed for renovation work, but there are some really
good restaurants in here. A pity about the tower was closed. - Yeah, that's a shame because
we've come all the way here. - We've come all the way
here to go on the tower. - But that shows you should get your facts before you start out. - Oh, yeah. Going up. And although we didn't
do any shopping here, there are plenty of things
to feast your eyes on. (bright music) They've even got a cinema in this place, and you can have a luxury
seat in the cinema, or even get a ticket for a bed. That's luxury for you, isn't it, eh? - I'm all ready for the cinema. I do have one request though, I could do with another pillow. (chuckles) - [Man] You want some popcorn as well? - That would be very nice. Thank you. - [Host] And we found a
great restaurant for dinner. - There's plenty on the menu.
Lots of lovely deliciousness. - They call this place?
- Luigi's. - Luigi's?
- Yeah. Luigi's, yeah. - [Host] Is it Italian food? - I would think so, yeah. So I've only got to the soups so far. There's too much choice. - [Host] And if you want
the fantastic city view, you need to book a table in advance. (bright music) - Everyone said the
Ankara is the best place for trying a simit, so
we're going to try one. (upbeat music) (host laughing) It's very cheesy. - Very cheesy?
- Yeah. It overwhelms the simit,
that big mouthful. - [Host] So how does
that compare to a simit that's sold in the streets in Fethiye? - Exactly the same. (host laughs) - Is there a difference then?
- No. - Yeah, you're right. - Ankara is renowned for its simits, but-
- They're no different to anywhere else.
- They're no different to anywhere else. They're all just a simit.
- Lovely. - Yeah, yeah, they are.
They're all lovely. - So this is Kizilay, renowned
for its shopping area. So let's go shopping. (mellow music) - [Host] Actually, we found
shopping great all over Ankara. And prices are generally
cheaper than the touristic areas with a lot more choice. - This is the best way to shop,
buy a suitcase and fill it. - And there's many well-known
international shops like The Body Shop and Marks & Spencer's. In fact, I asked the
store manager and he says, there's five Marks &
Spencers here in Ankara. Have you bought another bag? - No, I bought a chimpanzee. (laughs) - [Host] What's in it? Chimpanzee. So it looks like Trudie's
been shopping again. Oh, no. How are we gonna
get that in the suitcase? - I'll have to buy
another suitcase. (laughs) - We've stayed in three different areas while we've been here in Ankara. And we found that probably
the best nightlife and the best restaurants
are in the Cankaya region. We had a pleasant surprise
on our first few days while we were staying
at the Gordion Hotel, as we found a street not far away, that could easily have
been the center of London. Bestekar Caddesi is a street, which is only a couple of
hundred meters from the hotel, had a great atmosphere and
enjoyed by all age groups. We certainly didn't feel out of place. So our first night in Ankara,
and this place is buzzing. The nightlife is just amazing. And everybody's out
eating in the restaurants. We just come into this
very Turkish restaurant, and ordered this fantastic
meal, ah, it's just lovely. Lamb chops. (singing in foreign language) (upbeat music) It was a great atmosphere and being enjoyed by all age groups. I knew there was a lot of pubs in Ankara, but this place is mental. (singing in foreign language) Although originally, we were going to stay in
just two hotels in Ankara, when we came back from a
short trip to Eskisehir, we decided to stay a few days longer, and we stayed in a slightly
different area of Cankaya, closer to Kizilay. This is a bookshop street, Olgunlar Caddesi. And there is also a couple of pubs and good cafes in this street too. And this is also the
street where our hotel is, the great Western Plus. (speaking in foreign language) I've got to say there's some
really nice pubs around here. (speaking in foreign language) Cheers. And just a few hundred
meters away from here are the lively bar streets, like this one, which is Karanfil Sokak, which is clove street in English, which is a pedestrianized street, but here's a lot of fast
food restaurants down here. But this is not just any fast food street, and one place stood out, the
(speaking in foreign language) or Hatay Sofrasi because of
the fantastic food on display, and the unusual chef. Very good? - Really tasty. Very, very tasty. (speaking in foreign language) - You must come and see
this guy. He's a performer. I never saw a chef like him
before throwing food about. We found lots of places to eat
and drink around this area. And most of the pubs
served great food as well. And I think it's worth mentioning, in general, the prices here are around 25% cheaper
than the coastal resorts. And in amongst all the
pubs and restaurants, you'll find occasionally,
if you look hard enough, a traditional little restaurant that plays Turkish music. (singing in foreign language) Well, there are hundreds of museums, and in two weeks, you
can't cover all of them, but we're gonna show you a couple of the most interesting ones. It's rich history dates back to the Bronze Age and Stone Age. And it's been an important
Hittite and Roman city thousands of years ago. And the most important artifacts
from those fantastic sites are in this museum, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. (light upbeat music) 1300 BC this was carved. Such a long time ago. So this is the Paintings
and Sculpture Museum, or the whole place is
the Ethnography Museum. And I'll be honest, I wasn't even gonna bother coming here 'cause we've been to so many museums, but just look at the buildings, fantastic. I haven't even been in
yet, but I tell you what, there's a fabulous view of
the city from up here as well. (light upbeat music) And in the Paintings and Sculpture Museum, you get the red carpet treatment. (light upbeat music) That's quite an interesting museum. It's not very big, and most of
the art in it is modern art, but there are one or two things which are really interesting. But it's not on a par with
the Tate Gallery in London. Kocatepe Camii. Well, it's not one of the oldest mosques, but it looks like one of the biggest. (chanting in foreign language) Of course, you can't come to Ankara without visiting the castle. Inside the walls are quaint,
restored houses and cafes, and a few people trying to make a living from the fragile tourism at the moment. (gentle music) And be aware it's a bit of
a walk to the top. (exhales) (gentle music) But certainly the best view
of the city is from up here. (speaking in foreign language) Since he was seven years old, and he learnt it from his dad
but he's really a student. (speaking in foreign language) Around the outside of the castle are dozens of interesting shops, and people making and
selling assorted crafts. (gentle music) So just opposite the Koc Museum
entrance is a passageway, and there's a little cafe bar in there, and a few little shops,
but it's originally part of a (speaking in
foreign language), an inn. And traders or merchants
traveling through Ankara would have bought their goods
to here, stayed the night, put their horses in a stable next door. And over the years, it's been used for
several different things, but this little coffee
shop, the owner says, was probably a little
room where they stayed. - At the back of this passageway, there's this lovely area where
they've got arts and crafts. (gentle music) - Some of the little shops
here have very unusual crafts. She's repairing old bits of wooden things and makes them into other
things for like the home, you know. (speaking in foreign language) And these ladies are making mosaics out of very tiny pieces of porcelain. (speaking in foreign language) This one, for instance, they
make it out of pieces of glass. They cut tiny pieces of glass out! And this lady was making
fine glass jewelry and fine glass pottery. (gentle music) And also selling her friend's
knitted teddies as a sideline. Be aware that most of the shops and cafes around the castle area all
close up in the evenings. So that's it from Ankara. - Don't forget to like... - Subscribe. - And hit the notification bell so you don't miss where we go next. - [Both] Thanks for watching! (gentle music)
