Day 29 – Friday 26^th September

The alarm went off again at 08:00 and after a quick doze I got up for a shower and prepared my day bag.  The weather was already hot but I had a suspicion that it would rain later today.  I enjoyed another Turkish breakfast and then waited to meet Gül.  After a short delay we met up and went to my hotel room.  Once again Gül came loaded with gifts.  I was presented with some beautiful baklava and Aryan, along with a very posh tie set.  My parents also have a very attractive vase from Gül’s parents.  My backpack will be very heavy when I fly on Sunday!

We spent a little time enjoying the baklava and ayran and then set out for the nearest telephone office.  My friend Ebru has just moved from Trabzon to Liverpool and I said I would visit her family when I was there.  However, having tried both the landline and mobile there was no response.  I can try again tomorrow…

For today the plan was to visit Atatürk’s köskü, which is the house given to him in the 1920s.  Upon arriving at the house, high above the rest of Trabzon, I immediately fell in love with its gardens and distinctive architecture.  Last year I visited the house but was not able to go inside.  This year I did go inside and was able to enjoy the sheer splendour of the decoration and furniture.  I am sure Atatürk found his time in Trabzon very comfortable!

With rain starting to fall we caught the bus back to Meydan so we could see the statues in the nearby park.  Trabzon has many hidden secrets like this park!

We decided to head back to Forum for something to eat as it was now 16:00.  Both of us felt like having kebabs and that is just what we did, washing it down with Turkish coffee along the way.  Like yesterday we decided to stay sat where we were to enjoy watching the sun going down.  Again this proved to be very much fun as we could also see people dashing to nearby restaurants as darkness fell and people were allowed to eat again!

Time was pressing on so we headed back to Meydan and said our goodbyes again.  I went back to my room to reconfirm my flights using Gül’s laptop and then headed off to bed.

Day 30 – Saturday 27^th September

The alarm went off at 07:30 and I hauled myself out of bed.  Looking out the window it looked like it would be a hot day, but I also sensed it would rain later in the day.  As I showered Gül sent a message to say she was running a little late so I enjoyed breakfast at a leisurely pace and waited for her to make contact.

Just after 10:00 we met up and went for a stroll together around the Meydan area.  Whilst taking in our walk we called Ebru’s family who said they wanted to see us immediately.  Quickly we set out to get some flowers and boarded a bus towards Karadeniz Technical University, which is where Ebru’s family lives.  The apartment was easy enough to find and Gül effortlessly slipped into the role of translator as I tried to talk to Ayla and Mehmet (Ebru’s parents).  Whilst chatting away Ayla prepared an enormous lunch for me and Gül – with it now being Ramadan Ayla and Mehmet didn’t eat with us.  Trying to eat such a huge meal took some doing and two hours passed in the process.  By the time we said goodbye it was after 15:00 and I was severely weighed down with yet more things to take back for friends in the UK (e.g. a jar of chillies, tea etc. etc.).

We headed back to the hotel room, via a local shop so I could purchase some baklava, so that I could start packing.  It is not much fun but all trips come to an end.  That said it would free up time for tonight.

We decided to head back to Forum so that I could see Gül’s other brother Erman.  We met up and enjoyed a snack together whilst getting to now each other.  Like the rest of Gül’s family Erman was very pleasant company.

After the snack Erman took me to his Turkcell office where he produced a Turkish sim card for me!  I now have my own Turkish mobile!  It was an incredibly generous thing to do and was very much appreciated.  We said goodbye and set off through the heavy rain for our last meal together.  In the restaurant we enjoyed piliç together and looked through our photos from the last four days.  What a trip!

Just before midnight I waved goodbye to Gül and headed up to my hotel room to finalise packing and try to get some sleep.

Day 31 – Sunday 28^th September

By the time I had finalised the packing and, more importantly, completed a letter to Gül it was nearly 02:00.  When the alarm went off at 05:00 I naturally felt jaded but got up ready for the trip back to the UK.

I was able to enjoy a warm shower – something I am getting used to again after Peru!  Just on 05:30 I went to the hotel reception to check out and go to the airport.  When I arrived at reception there was no one around, including Gül, so I waited to make the trip to the airport.  Time passed and daylight broke as my anxiety levels started to rise a little.  Just after 06:00 a taxi pulled into the hotel car park and we were on our way to the airport.

The journey itself was quick enough but Gül and I were both quiet.  It had been a very enjoyable few days together and neither of us wanted to part.  Due to all the extra items I was bringing home my bag was way over the 20Kg weight limit.  However, I was able to lift the bag with my foot when it was on the scales at the check in desk without the hostess noticing so I was able to avoid any penalty fees!

The time finally arrived to say goodbye and feeling somewhat choked we parted company.  The daft thing is we will talk to each other when I get home tonight!  The flight took off and landed in Istanbul on time.  Remarkably my bag was first off the carousel again and I headed towards Atatürk airport’s international terminal.  After clearing immigration and security again I waited for the Manchester flight to depart.

Fortunately the flight left on time and passed by quickly.  Turkish Airlines are a very comfortable airline to fly with and help the flight to pass quickly.  We landed on time and again my backpack was the first on the carousel!

Because my bag was out first I was just able to make it on to an earlier train than I had expected and had arrived back in Halewood by 17:00.  In the last four weeks I have been through four continents, been on countless flights and had experienced so much.  Now back at home reality started to sink in as I attacked my huge mountain of mail…

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