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Türkiye 2023

September - October 2023
A 48-day adventure by Two to Travel & Ahmet Read more
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  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 3

    Got Where We Were Going

    September 5, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Two days of travel from the USA to Türkiye via Canada ended this evening when we arrived at the apartment we use as our home base in İzmir.

    We took off from IST in the rain … and wind. Not sure that either was the reason for the 30-minute delay, however. It seemed like garden variety rain to me … but who knows what the radar may have been showing.

    The droplets that obscured our vision as we rolled down the tarmac could not withstand the take-off speed of the aircraft. Thus we got a clear view of the coast as the plane climbed up to altitude. Through cloud banks we went … to be greeted by puffy clouds and blue skies once the aircraft leveled off.

    A 45-minute flight … and we still got a full blown meal. I abstained, but Mui accepted the tray … laden with all kinds of goodies, including a salad topped with beef brochettes and grilled tuna as the main course. Oh, and a tres leches cake for dessert. Of course, the cockpit announced that we were beginning the descent into ADB almost at the same moment that the tray was set in front of Mui. No leisurely meal this one.

    A beautiful sunset accompanied our landing at ADB … the tarmac damp from recent rains, but the sky otherwise clear and dry.

    Another 30 minutes to walk to baggage claim and grab our bags. And then we were in a cab, rolling towards Alsancak … the neighborhood where the apartment is located … and where my family lives.

    After dropping off the bags and refreshing ourselves, we walked the 10 minutes it takes to get to the condo building where my mom and my sister & brother-in-law live. A happy reunion ensued … with the bonus of having my brother there as well.

    Now to get a good night’s rest. I think we deserve it after a trip that was nearly 5,500 air miles long.    Read more

  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 5

    Free Transportation

    September 7, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 79 °F

    Par for the course, since arriving in İzmir Tuesday evening we have been spending most of our time with family ... at my mom's condo. When we are not there, we are settling into our home base a few blocks away and running errands all over the city.

    One of those errands took us downtown this morning to pick up an "İzmirim Card." This is a contactless smart card that can be used to pay fares for all means of public transport in the city, including buses, trams, metro, and ferries.

    I've had one of these cards for years. What made the one we picked up today special is that because I have reached that "magic age," I no longer have to pay to ride public transportation in İzmir. No need to top off the card or worry about whether there's enough money for a ride anymore. Just tap and go. 😁    Read more

  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 6

    Practice for 9 September

    September 8, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 79 °F

    Caught the Türk Yıldızları (Turkish Stars) — the 6-man Turkish Air Force demonstration team — practicing again for tomorrow’s 101st anniversary of İzmir’s liberation from Greek forces on 9 September 2023 … and the culmination of the Turkish War of Independence.Read more

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  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 7

    İzmir Culture & Arts Factory

    September 9, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    This is how the "Factory" we visited today is described on the website ... "The İzmir Culture and Arts Factory is a new meeting place for residents and visitors of all ages and a new generation culture and art center that will shape the cultural and artistic landscape of the city."

    Meeting up with the family, we started our day with a leisurely walk to the "Factory." Those of us who have achieved the "magic age," were given free admission tickets ... the rest purchased their "MüzeKart," which might as well have been free since admission to the "Factory" alone is TL 200 (~$7.45) and the Türkiye-wide annual museum card (for Turkish nationals only) costs TL 60 (~$2.25).

    We started off with breakfast at the Simit Sarayı ... a café on the grounds. A selection of pastries and Turkish tea got us off to a good start and gave us the energy to wander several of the buildings to enjoy the exhibits.

    The "Factory," which opened in April 2023, is housed in the buildings that were re-purposed from what was once the Tekel Cigarette Factory. The 140-year-old facility is an important part of the city's industrial heritage and I was happy to see the grounds put to good use.

    Exhibits in the museum run the gamut from archaeological finds and ethnographical pieces to paintings and sculptures. There are several libraries housed in the buildings that we did not get to today, including the Turkic World Music Special Library. Cultural and art workshops are also held on a regular basis. And there is an open-air movie theater as well.

    With so much to see, methinks multiple visits may be required to do the place justice.    Read more

  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 7

    Celebrating İzmir's Liberation

    September 9, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    The liberation happened 101 years ago ... and brought to an end the Turkish War of Independence. But the events of 9 September 1922 are an important part of the city's history and the day is still celebrated joyfully every year.

    With a new strain of the Coronavirus rearing its ugly head around the world, we opted to watch the aerial performances by "Solo Türk" (the single aircraft F16 demonstration) and the “Türk Yıldızları” (Turkish Stars) team demonstration from mom's terrace instead of joining the crowds on the waterfront as we did in 2017.    Read more

  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 11

    Art @ Ahmet Adnan Saygun Art Center

    September 13, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    The three siblings — that would be me and my brother (Deniz) and my sister (Aylin) — took the light rail today to go to the Ahmet Adnan Saygun Art Center clear across town in İzmir’s Güzelyalı neighborhood.

    We went not for a concert or stage production, but to see a couple of exhibits … all interesting and different from each other.

    Münir Yücel’s “54 Years of Adventure” featured semi-abstract canvases that take the viewer on the spontaneous journey that inspired him to create the pieces on display.

    İrfan Ertel’s “Enlightenment from Our People” featured 66 portraits of Turkish men and women who contributed to the enlightenment of the people during the building period of the Turkish Republic.

    Cüneyt Gürbulak’s “My Dreams at the Tip of My Finger” featured fingertip paintings he created of his dreams on his phone in Instagram Stories. I found this last exhibit particularly interesting, but the glass in the frames made it impossible to get decent photos of his work.

    The final exhibit featured some of the costumes worn by Türkân Şoray, a Turkish movie actress/writer/director. Posters from some of her movies were also part of the exhibit. That I had seen some of the movies as a little girl made the exhibit all the more interesting.

    We wrapped up our outing with lunch at Ülver Teyze … a café/bakery that has a variety of savory and sweet pastries on the menu. Yummy!    Read more

  • Türkiye 2023
    121
    Day 15

    Mui’s Getaway

    September 17, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    While I spent this week in İzmir with my family, Tuesday morning Mui hopped on a bus to Bodrum, a resort town in the Province of Muğla. He stopped 12 miles short of Bodrum, however. His actual destination was the Village of Boğaziçi, where his sister (Işıl) has a beach house.

    Swimming and sunning; R&R-with-a-view from the terrace of the house; a couple of handyman projects; a drive to Bodrum for a bit of sightseeing; quiet family time with his sister. Before he knew it, the days and hours of the reunion visit had passed.

    He returns to İzmir tomorrow.    Read more

  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 15

    Dinner with School Friends

    September 17, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    When I went to the Ahmet Adnan Saygun Sanat Merkezi with my siblings earlier this week, I ran into Yeşim, a friend and classmate from grade school. Pure luck. I had last seen her in 2017 … another chance encounter.

    When she mentioned that a friend/classmate from school, Şahika, would be in town for a night before returning home to Geneva, Switzerland with her husband, Massimo, and a friend, we immediately planned a reunion dinner at Sakız Restoran.

    A delightful reunion … many reminiscences … lots of catching up … delicious food … good wine. A night to remember. Hopefully, next time we have a chance to meet up again, they will get to meet Mui.    Read more

  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 16

    Breakfast at Léone

    September 18, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    This morning, after a routine lab visit for Mom, I joined Aylin and her for a delicious bite (or two, or three) at Léone, a favorite patisserie & boulangerie in Alsancak.

  • Türkiye 2023
    Day 18

    Across the İzmir Körfezi We Went …

    September 20, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    … for dinner tonight … hosted by Aylin and Murat’s son (my nephew), Hakan, and his wife, Serenay.

    Since Murat’s car could not accommodate all six of us, Mui and I took the ferry to get across the körfez [bay] on one of the many boats that ply the waters throughout the day. Deniz joined us for the 15-minute ride from the ferry landing in Pasaport to the landing in Bostanlı. The adult fare is ₺13 (just under .50 cents at the current exchange rate) … for those of us who have reached the “magic age,” however, it is free 😊

    A short 5-minute walk from the Bostanlı ferry landing found us at the apartment that Hakan and Serenay moved into this summer. By 7:00p, we were sitting around the table … partaking of the delicious mezes set out on the table … toasting everyone’s good health with rakı (Turkish Ouzo, if you will) and wine. The wrap up was a yummy brownie that Serenay had baked for the occasion … sorry, neglected to get a photo of it.

    The ferry schedule is such that on the return from Bostanlı, we took a boat to the Alsancak ferry landing instead of Pasaport … a ~15-minute walk from our place. It was good to stretch our legs and burn off some of the calories ingested at dinner 😉    Read more

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