From Istanbul, my friends put me on one of the cushy buses that goes across the country so I could see Erzem, a friend I had met while working in Spain.

Erzem’s family is from a small town near the border with Bulgaria, but she had been living in the country’s capital for the past several years. I was excited to meet up with her and to see a bit more of the country that was honestly impressing me at every turn.

Public buses in Turkey are nicer than most in Spain, as well as cheaper. They give you full tea, coffee or soda service, little snacks as well as water when you need it. They generally set you up with televisions on the back of your seats, and some buses have WiFi as well. Also, if you’re a solo traveler, you can sit alone in an aisle seat, as many of the buses have that option on one side. It made the 6-hour bus journey much more enjoyable.

When I got into the station, I found Erzem and her father waiting for me and they drove me to their home and offered me a delicious Turkish meal with homemade fruit juice as well as tea and coffee.

Erzem explained the next day we would see a museum, visit a famous neighborhood as well as a castle. While in Ankara, her family treated me like an honored guest, going out of their way to show me their city and make me feel at home.

Erzem and I went to the museum honoring Ataturk, the famous Turkish leader who everyone seems to love. There are pictures of him all over the city and both her brother and dad have his name tattooed on their arms.

We walked through his mausoleum and museum, saw the changing of the guards, and then headed on to Hamamonu, a really cool restored neighborhood where we drank Turkish coffee which we watched them make using sand. Later, we checked out the artisan craft stalls and Erzem gave me a beautiful necklace with a corn poppy pressed inside from a local vendor.

Later, we braved the heat and hiked up to Ankara Castle, which offered sweeping views of the city and then tried gözleme, a type of Turkish flatbread that usually has potato, spinach or cheese. We ate ours with potato and drank two ice cold black lemonades.

After checking out the crowded main street of Ankara and buying a bus ticket for my trip to Cappadocia, we hung out at a beautiful local park until Erzem’s parents met us for dinner. We had kokorec, which is basically a spicy sandwich of lamb intestines and was great with a cold beer.

After a great day, Erzem and her family often sit out on their balcony, listening to the Call of Prayer and spending time together sipping tea and coffee. They made me feel so welcome and gave me a little travel companion for the road, a crocheted dog that Erzem’s mom Özlem made. (You can follow her crocheting instagram here)

The next day, I said goodbye to Erzem and her family and headed on to Cappadocia. I hope one day they will visit me in Texas or I can see Erzem in another part of the world.