Day 6 Ankara

The Turks know breakfast. I should've been born a Turk. That's what I thought when I saw the spread this morning at the hotel. I didn't take any pictures (that's for tomorrow) but let me just give a few details: 4 kinds of olives; 4 kinds of cheese; 4 kinds of bread rolls (with sesame); several fresh fruits, dried fruits, nuts and oils. Half a dozen jams, fresh and prepared yogurt, cold cereals, sliced meats, and...not sure. Coffee, tea, juices...and the piece de resistance: a fresh honeycomb, held up in a block for you to cut of a section. Holy frijole. Amazing. I can't wait til breakfast tomorrow.
Today we had a really good Turkish lesson, followed by a lecture from a polisci prof on Turkish politics from the late Ottoman period to now. She was brilliant. We were drooping by the end (when I say "we" I mean my colleagues. I am among the few who are invigorated by political science lectures. And this woman knew her stuff, and she delivered her lecture in lovely, professional English. I was impressed on many levels.)
Then we went to Ataturk's mausoleum. I have to digest this trip a bit to record my impressions. I don't want to sound too "American". It's important to keep 20th century Turkish history in mind before offering commentary. I jotted down some thoughts today--much to think on.
Dinner was good but pricey. Don't wish to talk about my band-aid purchase debacle (19 lira--'nuff said).
The attached picture is of a crane that was used to build a pretty modern building recently. Apparently all was going great until they realized they were almost done with the building and couldn't get the crane out. It's been years and the building's never been used. Can you believe it? I feel like this can't be the whole story, but I don't know how to contradict it. Anyone??