Our Shocking Romantic Getaway

I've lived in Turkey for over 3 years now and I still find myself SHOCKED and AWKWARD in certain situations. Today was one such day:

Since Zach's folks are still in Turkey for another week we decided to take an early anniversary getaway (our anniversary isn't until Jan.) without the boys. We traveled to Kızılcahamam, a town about an hour north of Ankara, known for it's natural thermal pools. We booked the best hotel in town, thanks to a hookup from an Ankara friend in hotel management, and expected....well, I don't know what we expected, really. 

We arrived in the evening, settled into our room, and began realizing that we were staying in a very conservative hotel. The wardrobe contained a Koran and a prayer rug, the hotel has a "no alcohol" policy (no wine for us on our anniversary trip), and I stuck out as one of the few non-covered women in the restaurant. 

But things got even more interesting when we headed down to the thermal pools...

We discovered (as is sometimes the case in Turkey) that the hotel had a "Women's Floor & Pool" and a "Man's Floor & Pool."

"What? We can't even be in the same room on our anniversary trip? Can you go ask about the "Private Family Pool?" I whined to Zach.

Zach came back 2 minutes later to tell me, "The family pool takes 30 mins. to fill and costs 30 lira (the equivalent of $17)." 

Rats.

We decided to go our separate ways and meet back 30 minutes later. I entered the "Women's Floor & Pool" where I was given a locker key and forced to buy a swim cap. I was also instructed to put on my pool slippers. It was only by reading the hotel guide earlier in the night that I even knew "pool slippers" were required. I didn't bring pool slippers from home so I just swiped the flimsy white slippers that are in every hotel room in Turkey. Apparently I was the only one who didn't get the memo because all the other ladies were wearing their nice colorful pool slippers.

I changed into my swimming attire and joined about 10 other ladies in the pool area. I totally broke a rule by walking to the pool without my slippers on. Those darn flimsy white things were so slippery. I figured it was better to go barefoot and give everyone a mysterious foot fungus (kidding) than to crack my head open on the side of the thermal pool. I was by far one of the more riske' ladies at the pool, dressed in my "mother-of-two full coverage one piece" swimming suit. Most of the other ladies were wearing "burquinis" covering from their wrists to their ankles. I only got a few stares. I sat in the warm thermal pool (basically a huge, deep hot tub with mineral water) until I could sweat no more. As soon as I got out the thermal jets and fountain went off but it was pointless to get back in because all the other ladies were hogging the good spots, trying to soak up as much of that healing mineral water as possible. So, I left the pool, passed up a spot in the hamam (public bathing room where you sit on a large, heated, marble slab, and wash yourself in front of everyone else), and headed to the changing room.  It's a good thing that I didn't go under water because I would have had to stay and blow dry my hair as walking from the pool back to one's room with wet hair is forbidden. 

So, night #1 of our romantic getaway was slightly awkward, and I've got a goofy looking swimming cap to prove it.