Monday, 8 October
Today was taken up with errands for our upcoming side trip. (I took the pictures interspersed below when I went to Basmane to purchase tickets. The harsh mid-day light didn’t lend itself to good photography; hence the B&W treatment of the photos.)
My early childhood was in one of the penthouse apartments of the hotel in the forefront.
at the time, the hotel, which overlooks the Basmane Entrance to Kültürpark (Culture Park)
was owned by my paternal grandfather and was named Ṣınlak Saray.
Every trip to Turkey in past years has involved a side trip outside İzmir — usually with mom, Aylin, and Murat. This year, mom and I will be going by ourselves. Initially, we were going to join Mui and his mom and head to eastern Turkey. But the situation on the Syrian border forced us to look for alternatives.
Basmane Garı (Train Terminal) dates back to 1864-1866. It was most recently renovated in
2006 and re-opened to passenger service in 2009.
Mui headed to Antalya yesterday with his mom and aunt — he’s calling it his “Golden Girls” tour. Mom and I considered joining them, but decided we wanted to go somewhere a bit cooler. After much discussion, we came up with a two-part plan that will take us first to Kütahya, a city neither of us has been to before; and then to Eskişehir, where we will meet up with Mui for a few days while he is visiting his sister.
The Gar is the terminating station for trains coming into İzmİr from different parts of Turkey.
Once we decided on the destination(s), I started researching transportation options. In the end, a bus/train combo looked like it would work best for us. We picked up the bus tickets for the first leg of our trip this morning from the bus company’s local office in Alsancak. In the afternoon, I walked over to Basmane to pick up the bus tickets that will get us from Kütahya to Eskişehir. While there, I also stopped by the gar (train terminal) to buy our train tickets. Total transportation cost for two: 222.50 TL (approx. $120); that’s pretty good for one all-day bus ride, one hour-long bus ride, and an overnight sleeper train.
This fountain sits in the center of Basmane Meydanı (Square) across the entrance to
Kültürpark (Culture Park); the words that circle the world describe İzmİr as
the "Pearl of the Mediterranean.”
Taking the shortcut through Kültürpark, I returned home to tackle the last part of our travel plans — accommodations. Mui’s sister is a professor at Anadolu University in Eskişehir; she’s made reservations for us to stay at the guest house on campus. I made reservations (via Expedia) at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kütahya. So, with that final detail handled, all that’s left to do is pack our bags and get going on the 10th.
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Kültürpark provides a nice shortcut from Basmane to Alsancak.
The dolphin fountain is near the Basmane entrance; the statues of Atatürk and İnönü (the first and second presidents after Turkey became a republic in 1923) stand just inside the Lozan entrance.
So, while my day wasn’t particularly exciting, I did get a lot accomplished, and enjoyed a nice long walk in the process.
I am not sure why, but there is something special about riding a train.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know everything was so black and white over there. :)
ReplyDeleteGood idea with the teasers - that is if you don't mind driving us crazy. :-D
ReplyDeleteAaah yes, the teasers ... that's what happens when I am on the go all the time with little time to write the words to go with the posts ;-) The story of this visit to Turkey will eventually unfold.
Delete[re-posted fm email]
ReplyDelete...I send an email then,
And heave a sigh ;))
Save travels, have a lovely time.
“My heart is warm with the friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing,
Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going.”
Edna St. Vincent Millay