Türkiye 2021

września - grudnia 2021
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun
Our trip to Turkey this year is set for 4 months ... give or take a few days so that we can make up for family time lost in 2019-2020 due to COVID-19. Czytaj więcej
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun

Lista krajów

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  • 18,0kprzebyte mile
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  • Lot16,7kkilometry
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  • Samochód-kilometry
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  • Autokar-kilometry
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  • Karawana-kilometry
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  • Śmigłowiec-kilometry
  • Boso-kilometry
  • 122ślady stóp
  • 118dni
  • 530zdjęcia
  • 362lubi
  • Welcome to Adnan Menderes Intl Airport — İzmir, Turkey.

    Long Travel Day Ends in İzmir

    7 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    The flight from IST was uneventful and by 8:20p we were taxiing to the terminal at ADB. Once off the aircraft we walked from the domestic terminal to the international terminal baggage carousels to collect our bags and then hopped in a cab to Alsancak.

    When we visit my family in İzmir, we stay at Işıl’s apartment, which sits empty unless she or another family member is in the city for business or pleasure. It’s just a couple of blocks from the apartment building where my mom and sister live, so it makes a convenient base for us.

    Once we dropped off our bags, we walked over to mom’s place for a quick reunion with everyone … including my brother, who is also here from the US to visit family.

    Thus, our long travel day has come to an end. A good night’s rest and then back to mom’s tomorrow for breakfast with the family.
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  • Welcome to the waterfront promenade known as Kordon — İzmir, Turkey.
    Cold beverages on a warm fall morning — İzmir, Turkey.Normally a clear beverage, this gazoz is lavender & peach flavored — İzmir, Turkey.

    A Stroll on Kordon

    9 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Yesterday was a day of settling into the apartment in preparation for our 4-month long family visit. After breakfast at mom’s, we returned to our apartment to unpack and get everything put away.

    Today, we had breakfast at our place and then went to mom’s to pick her up and go for a stroll. Aylin and Deniz joined us for the outing. Eventually, we ended up sitting at a café where we enjoyed cold beverages … in this case a peach/lavender flavored fizzy drink known as “gazoz.”

    Our September arrival has coincided with more comfortable weather … no more three-digit temps to contend with, so we hope to get out for a walk every day.
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  • Turkish Stars performing the sunburst stunt — İzmir, Turkey.
    Solo Türk performing barrel rolls w/chaff — İzmir, Turkey.

    İzmir’s Liberation Festivities

    9 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Following World War I, the Greek Army invaded İzmir in May 1919. Three plus years later, on 9 September 1922, the Turkish Army liberated the city from the enemy forces. That date is celebrated as Izmir’s birthday … #99 this year.

    A few years ago, we went to the waterfront along Kordon to watch the festivities. This year, we decided to stay home … away from the crowds … COVID-19 times after all. We didn’t get to see all of the events, but enjoyed the demonstrations by the Turkish Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team — the Turkish Stars — and Solo Türk, the pilot who performs on his own.
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  • Topiary honoring Zeynep Teyze's contributions to horticulture — Alsancak ... İzmir, Turkey.

    Catching Up

    14 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    It’s already been a week since our arrival in Turkey. As is typical of our trips to Turkey, we are here to visit family, so we haven’t done much that is worthy of a footprint. That should change later this week when we leave on the first of several sightseeing getaways we have planned. In fact, we just added to our October sightseeing plans today, so I definitely should have more to write about.

    Turkey has a centralized health portal called e-Nabız. Technically, we don’t have much use for it. However, we wanted to get our COVID-19 shots recorded in the system as that will link the shots to our HES codes, which we need to present for domestic travel. We created our accounts before we left the US, but were unable to load our shot records. After doing some research yesterday, Mui figured out how to get that done through the province’s health bureau. He and Deniz, my brother, turned in the necessary documents today. Now, we just have to monitor the app and when the shot-info is uploaded, we can download our official shot cards. The bonus here is that the card will include an EU-approved QR code as well.

    While they were running errands, Aylin, mom, and I went for a walk in Kültür Park — Izmir’s answer to New York’s Central Park, if you will. We were hoping to have tea and pastries at a café in the park, but the place has changed ownership and didn’t have much to offer. So we ended up going to a new patisserie near the house instead. At least I finally got a photo of “Zeynep Teyze” in bloom … a topiary honoring a woman who emigrated from Greece to Bayındır, Turkey in 1940. In her time, she was apparently at the forefront of teaching the locals in her region about growing different varieties of flowers.
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  • Welcome to Murano's Kitchen in Alsancak — İzmir, Turkey.
    Mural's on the wall add to the Italian ambiance — Murano's in Alsancak ... İzmir, Turkey.Delicious food ... even more delicious desserts — Murano's in Alsancak ... İzmir, Turkey.

    Murano’s Kitchen

    16 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Today is Aylin and Murat’s 33rd wedding anniversary. Hard to believe so much time has passed since my younger sister got married, but there you have it. Time flies whether we want it to or not. They’ve gone off to Karaburun for the weekend, so we’ll celebrate together belatedly in October.

    In the meantime, the four of us — mom, Deniz, Mui, and I — will be heading to Bodrum tomorrow. Our bags are packed and ready to go.

    Not wanting to have left overs sitting in the fridge, mom shut down the kitchen yesterday. So, we went out to dinner. The plan was to go to Venedik Pizzeria for some Italian food. Alas, the place was booked solid with a long line of patrons waiting to be seated.

    Plan B took us to Murano’s Kitchen, another Italian restaurant just up the street. Tasty food … no complaints.
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  • Our bus has arrived ... time to get on the road — İzmir Bus Depot in Bornova.
    All settled for the three-hour+ drive to Boğaziçi in Turkey's Muğla Province.

    Off to Bodrum

    17 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Actually, we’re off to the seaside village of Boğaziçi, about 20 miles outside the better-known seaside town of Bodrum. We’re going there to spend time with Mui’s sister, Işıl, before she closes out the beach season. While we’re at it, we’ll do a few days of sightseeing. Mom and Deniz have joined us for this latter reason.

    To get where we are going, we are on a bus operated by Kâmil Koç. We’re one hour into the three-hour+ drive. All’s going well. There’s maybe 10 people on the entire bus … which can accommodate four times as many passengers. Not complaining. A low pax count is a good thing during a pandemic. Everyone is masked up … also a good thing.

    The bus is pristine; the service is good. We’ve already been offered — twice — the traditional lemon cologne used to welcome people. With its high alcohol content, it serves a dual purpose … refreshing and disinfecting. Water has been delivered to our seats; more available on demand. A cart filled with a variety of cold and hot beverages and snacks has been rolled down the aisle … tummies are happy.

    There’s in-seat entertainment, but I neglected to bring my ear buds so I’ll just pass the rest of the time reading my Kindle.
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  • View from mom's room at Yalıçapkını — Boğaziçi, Muğla.
    View from our room at Işıl's House — Boğaziçi, Muğla.Tea time — Boğaziçi, Muğla.Braving the wind on the second floor terrace — Boğaziçi, Muğla.Dinner time — Boğaziçi, Muğla.

    Got Where We Were Going

    17 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    An uneventful bus ride got us to where we were going … to Boğaziçi … in the Muğla Province. Işıl picked us up from the roadside stop in Güvercinlik, a short distance from her hilltop beach house.

    After stopping at Yalıçapkını, the nearby hotel where mom and Deniz will be staying, we headed over to Işıl’s house for a relaxing afternoon … 5:00 o’clock tea (at 3:00 o’clock) … then dinner. Despite the strong wind that came up for a couple of hours late in the day, we managed to sit outside the entire time to enjoy the view from her terrace.

    Mom and Deniz are now back at their hotel. Mui and I have unpacked our bags and settled into our room at Işıl’s place. I’m on the terrace attached to the room, enjoying the cool evening air, the twinkling stars, and the peace and quiet. I’ll read for a bit more and then join Mui in slumber. A busy day is on the agenda for tomorrow.

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    For those interested in such things …

    Dinner consisted of a couple of dishes that are cooked with olive oil and served at room temperature … rice-filled sarma (made with grape leaves); spinach; bastı (made with tomatoes and rice). Plus, pan-grilled köfte (Turkish meatballs). Of course, Turkish yogurt to accompany it all.
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  • A "we are in Bodrum" selfie — Muğlaö Turkey.
    Statue honoring those who dive these waters for a living — Bodrum ... Muğla, Turkey.Statue along the waterfront promenade — Bodrum ... Muğla, Turkey.Looking across the harbor towards the theater of antiquity — Bodrum ... Muğla, Turkey.This Greco-Roman theater dates back to the 4th century BC — Bodrum ... Muğla, Turkey.

    Bodrum = Ancient Halicarnassus of Caria

    18 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Located along the Aegean Sea, Bodrum is a seaside town in the Province of Muğla. It is situated on the site of the Ancient Greek City of Halicarnassus … where the Mausoleum of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, once stood.

    During my childhood, Bodrum was a lazy beach town filled with cube-shaped, white washed houses. Colorful bougainvillea vines climbing the walls provided delightful pops of color, making for a charming ambiance. The town has since grown in leaps and bounds. It has become way overcrowded. Unfortunate IMHO.

    It was this town that was our destination today. So, after breakfast, we set out to drive the 20 miles or so to spend our day doing a bit of sightseeing. Finding a car lot, we parked the car and walked along the waterfront promenade to get to the castle that would be our first stop today.
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  • View of the castle walls from the ramparts of the castle — Bodrum, Muğla.
    White peacocks making themselves at home amongst the ruins within the castle — Bodrum, Muğla.Deniz at the entry gate to the upper courtyard of the castle — Bodrum, Muğla.Some of the many amphorae excavated from wrecks — Bodrum Castle, Muğla.Porcupine-shaped aryballos, probably used for perfume or oil — Bodrum Castle, Muğla.Gold necklace ... Carian Princess Exhibit — Bodrum Castle, Muğla.Minaret of the mosque, converted from the chapel when the Ottomans took over Bodrum Castle.One of several artifacts on exhibit at the museum — Bodrum Castle, Muğla.Raw glass (lower left) and excavated glass pieces — Bodrum Castle, Muğla.Dove resting on the ramparts — Bodrum Castle, Muğla.

    Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum

    18 września 2021, Turcja ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    The last time Mui and I were in Bodrum was in 2013. It was a port of call on a cruise that left İstanbul and eventually dropped us off in Florida nearly a month later.

    On that occasion, we visited the Bodrum Castle, which was built in 1402 by the Knights of St John and later taken over by the Ottoman Empire in 1523. Used as a fortification for nearly 400 years by the Empire, the castle was eventually abandoned after WWI. In the 1960s, after some restoration work, the castle became the site of the award-winning Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.

    You really can’t come to Bodrum and not visit this museum, so it was our first stop today … all the more fun because it was Deniz’s first time here.

    Mui and Işıl did a quick wander through the castle and then found a café where they sat and enjoyed beverages while Deniz and I took our time, following uneven streets and staircases to visit each nook and cranny around the castle … checking out the various exhibits featuring artifacts excavated from the many ancient wrecks that are found in the waters around the area … seeking shade where we could to get relief from the sun that was bright and brutally hot.

    Despite the discomfort of the hot and humid conditions, we made the most of our visit, the ₺90 admission covered by the MüzeKart we purchased for ₺60 before we left İzmir. Yup … already ₺30 ahead of the game with the card that is good for one year, and which is accepted at nearly all the museums that are operated under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry of Tourism.
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