Sazova Park
This park was incredible! It's huge - one half of it had a small-ish zoo, a science centre and a museum. In the other half there was lots of green space, a lake, a train that went around the edge of the park for visitors to ride, animal-themed slides and a full size fairy tale castle and pirate ship.
We visited a couple of times in the late afternoon/early evening, once it had got slightly cooler, and loved it. Sadly we didn't get chance to visit the castle or ride the train but we did get to visit the zoo and go on the pirate ship. Most of all we just enjoyed the green space and lack of traffic noise!
Across the park from the pirate ship
Of course we were expecting to find a huge fairy tale castle (with the different turrets and towers modelled on specific towers located in different Turkish cities) in the park...
Drinking tea
There were lots of small children's parks in Eskişehir, usually with a small grassy area alongside and some picnic benches. We went to the nearest park one evening and there were three older ladies sitting at a bench, drinking tea that they'd brought in flasks from small traditional tea glasses and we were invited to sit down and join them. It was very kind of them and some nice Turkish practice for us. Even if I get questions on whether I was likely to have more children! (Diplomatic answer: yes I totally agree that children are a blessing from God but my baby is only 2 months old, it's a bit early to be thinking about that right now...)
Staying in a house and quieter streets
We stayed in an actual house! And the streets were quiet enough that children were able to play on bikes out on the street. One evening we heard quite a bit of noise outside. When we looked, we saw that the road further down our street was completely blocked by cars, and there was a small group of people playing instruments for some sort of celebration.
Sunday
We visited a local fellowship on the Sunday. A couple of students entered at the same time as us. When I was chatting to them after I found out that this was their first time ever attending a service or setting foot in a fellowship building. They were students from other cities completing a summer programme in Eskişehir so had probably taken advantage of being away from their families to come. They left with a couple of books and we have been praying that they find the way, the truth and the life. It's such a privilege to see people walk into such a building and attend a service for the first time, for them to be able to watch what goes on and hear the Word opened and explained. And this is despite everything they've been taught and brought up with because something has stirred in them and they are searching for the truth. God is at work in this country!
Cool air
Less humidity and cooler temperatures at night.
Tram conversations
Pretty much every time we took the tram anywhere we ended up chatting to someone. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Turks from Eskişehir didn't have as strong an accent as we thought they might, which helped our understanding!
Kent Park
At the other side of the city was another large park. The River Porsuk, which runs through the city, also runs through this park. And, during summer, they have an artificial beach with specially built "sea" area (in reality, treated water). I always find visiting a beach full of Turks fascinating from a people-perspective. Usually in the normal life, most people dress more conservatively than you'd find in the UK but when it comes to the beach, there's usually lots of women in bikinis. But then there's also women wearing swimwear that still allows them to be covered up, grandmothers lifting their skirts slightly to paddle in the water...
This is part of Kent Park, with the artificial beach and water area on the left and the River Porsuk running round on the right. Needless to say, I didn't take this photo...
Çiğ börek
This is a traditional food found in Eskişehir that was brought to the city by Tartars. Apparently the city still has a minority of Tartar people living there. It's a thin layer of minced meat and wrapped in a thin piece of pastry (called yufka, which is a little bit like filo pastry) to make a crescent shape. Although the name kind of translates as 'raw pastry', they are deep fried and after cooking, puff up quite impressively. I think they're best thought of as a type of thin, deep fried Cornish pasty. A normal portion is 5 pieces, which sounds a lot but as they are so thin, you need a few to fill you up! Çiğ börek is usually eaten at a çiğ börek evi (çiğ börek house), which is a casual restaurant where there is no menu because literally the only food served is çiğ börek.
Çiğ börek, which is often served with a spicy red sauce
