A Wedding in Ankara

(Published in Turkish Daily News http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=93542

The year 2008 began for me with two firsts: I went to Ankara for the first time, and I went there for a Turkish wedding.
In fact, the groom was from Holland, but the bride was from Ankara.
The ceremony took place at the 125m tall Atakule Tower, which has a revolving restaurant at the top.
It was not very different from a Christian wedding, except the couple made their marriage vows in armchairs instead of standing.
The groom wore a tuxedo and the bride wore a long white dress with a veil. Afterward they danced together, then the guests lined up to exchange kissesand have their photos taken with the couple.
For me the adventure began with an overnight coach journey from Istanbul. I could not sleep but was so excited I was not tired the next day anyway.
The bride's relatives gave me a traditional Turkish breakfast in their home, including delicious homemade jams and honey.
After that the groom took us sightseeing. We visited the Atatürk Mausoleum, the ancient citadel and the fantastic museum, which has many items from theHittite, Byzantine and Ottoman eras.
It was a very cold day with snow on the ground. In the morning it was below zero. In the afternoon it got up to two or three degrees.
We had a big lunch of soup, cheeses and meatballs at the home of the bride's parents, then took taxis to the Atakule Tower.
An English guest and I had left some things at another relative's home and had to get them first. When we arrived at the tower we went to the restaurant but could not find the wedding. After fifteen or twenty minutes looking, we found it and hurried in just as the ceremony began.
My attempt to kiss the groom almost became a wrestling match, as I got mixed up over which side!
Many of the female guests then went back to the hairdressers - for the second time that day – and changed their clothes.
The rest of us went directly up to the restaurant to eat, drink and dance. There was also a Turkish belly-dancing performance.
My plan was to stay at the tables and admire the view. But when the bride came and got me to dance I could not refuse. I managed to step on the bride's dress a number of times.
The strangest part of the evening came at the end, when the bride and groom led us to, of all places, a soup kitchen.
The next day I took a train back to Istanbul. It was cheaper than the coach, YTL 25, and a little more comfortable.