The bustle of Istanbul felt unreal.
Only three hours by high-speed train. Yet the atmosphere was completely different the moment I got off. So quiet you couldn't hear people's voices, the buildings cozy and cute. Zero tourists. Only locals walking slowly.
I thought this might be the real Turkey.
Leaving Istanbul by high-speed train
I left the hostel early in the morning. It was raining. I thanked Seva at reception and had her write a message in the adventure notebook. I hurriedly wrote a reply in Russian on a card and headed to the station with an umbrella. I made it just in time.
The high-speed train. I somehow managed to get on.
Once I settled into the carriage, I started to worry that I might have written too much on the card. We talked about many things for three hours, but it wasn't that deep a relationship. I thought she might be put off. But then I also thought this is part of who I am, so it's fine as it is.
After a while, the conductor brought a lunch box.
A sandwich, dessert, juice, water.
I chose business class because the difference from economy was only 200 lira. No one sat next to me, so it was perfect.
Arrival in Eskişehir
The moment I left the station, I already fell in love.
ESKİŞEHİR.
This unique cozy atmosphere. It's completely different from Istanbul. A town with zero tourists, so quiet you can't hear the voices of locals. Yet the buildings are very cute. Peaceful and soothing.
There was a mosque at the end of a quiet alley.
Checked in to the hotel. The woman at reception couldn't speak English, but she was very smiley and gave a pleasant welcome.
Red roofs and a distant minaret.
After a short rest, I went back outside.
To the museum designed by Kengo Kuma
I had heard there was a museum in Eskişehir designed by Kengo Kuma, so I headed there.
An exterior of wooden louvers layered many times over.
Inside, a ceiling of wood folded and layered in every direction.
When I looked up, it felt like Japan.
The scale was very small, but I felt like I was somewhere in Japan only here. As expected of Kengo Kuma's architecture. Even the gift shop displayed items so refined you wouldn't think they were Turkish.
While walking and taking selfies with my DJI, a young person gave me a thumbs up. I smiled.
At a glassware shop in the Old City
After the museum, I walked to the Old City.
Colorful buildings, flags, cobblestones.
Even the empty back alleys were cute.
A street in the Old City.
As I walked, a salesperson at a glassware shop called out to me. "Please come inside," they said.
To my surprise, there were many glass pieces lined up inside, and in the back a young man was silently making them.
A glass mask and myself.
I remembered my grandmother recently telling me, 'It's good to wear a ring on your pinky,' so I chose a ring. Also, I picked out a pendant as a souvenir for a girl I'm supposed to meet in the future.
In the end two items for 500 lira. It was a good purchase.
Köfte and KIRIM TATAR dumplings
I went to a popular restaurant near the Old City. I ordered köfte.
Bread, sauce, and köfte.
I put it on the bread with the sauce and ate it. It was insanely delicious.
I also visited another restaurant I had found on Instagram, KIRIM TATAR. A map of Crimea was displayed inside. Apparently a dumpling-like dish is a local specialty in Eskişehir.
Çibörek. Bigger than I thought.
I ordered five but couldn't eat them all. I took two to go.
The server's fashion was great, so I tried to say 'I like your fashion,' but I missed the timing. I feel like I still can't compliment someone first. I want to be able to do it little by little.
Walking Eskişehir at night
On the way back to the hotel, a group of young people shouted at me loudly. They might have mistaken me for Chinese. Later I looked it up and learned Turks apparently don't like Chinese people very much. It was a bit of a scary experience, but I thought it's something that will inevitably happen while traveling.
After a short break, I went out again.
I walked down the main street. A tram was running, and it was really cute.
Blue street lamps and the river.
The temperature of this town.
While walking the streets, a sign caught my eye: a shop called Karakedi Bozacısı. I was curious about a drink topped with lots of cinnamon, so I went in.
Boza. I still don't really know what this is.
It came out in an egg-shaped container.
He told me 'there are three left,' so I bought one. To be honest, I didn't think it was delicious. It was so-so.
The staff member who gifted me baklava
On the way back, I remembered there was Şengöz's baklava that a friend had told me about.
Cake and baklava.
They couldn't speak English, so we communicated using Google Translate. When I said 'One slice, please,' they replied, 'This is a gift for you.'
The staff's face was a little strained, so I thought it must have taken a lot of courage. Still, I was happy they handed it to me like that.
A gift.
I ate it at the hotel. I felt it was a bit too sweet, but it was tasty. Enough to be satisfied with one.
That was a day in Eskişehir. Zero tourists, a small town with trams running. Yet the temperature of this town lingers with me.
