Beypazari

 

Ankara is the world's most boring city, a city of dust, ugly buildings and nothing to do, yet, 1 hour away from Ankara sits the adorable town of Beypazari, the perfect escape from the misery of Ankara. Home to carrots, silver jewelery and all sorts of spices, Beypazari makes for a great afternoon excursion.  Yadi and I frequently visit, setting out mid-morning from Ankara in search of a tasty Turkish breakfast, complete with fresh village bread, jams, honey, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, menemen and, of course, Turkish tea. We normally finish breakfast with homemade baklava. The perfect place to go for breakfast is along the small river just outside of town where a number of little restaurants have set up home.

For those who seek to make Beypazari a full weekend excursion, Yadi and I recently stumbled upon a brand new hotel located on the hills outside Beypazari. The hotel is called "Doganbey" and it's super cute: log houses with fire places and balconies which make for a relaxing night away from the noise and dust of the big city (www.doganbeyturizm.com). They serve a tasty breakfast and the price for one night is not bad at all, I believe the owner said 130 lira for an entire rustic cabin (unfortunately, we both forgot to take pictures of this wonderful hotel).

In addition to tasty breakfasts, Beypazari is nice to wander through. The traditional ottoman architecture is a relief to eyes injured by Ankara's bland architecture and the village people are friendly and welcoming. Sample some carrot juice and some carrot lokum (Turkish delight), check out the numerous silver shops, and take some pictures. Wander through the narrow alleyways where villagers hawk their wares from table clothes and scarves to any type of household good that you can imagine - and the prices are cheap! Yadi and I love it there and you probably will too!