Wrapping Up the Family Visit

Saturday, 9 November
Alsancak, İzmİr — Turkey

My days with the family are quickly dwindling.  I have no idea where the time went.  It feels like Mui and I stepped off the plane just yesterday, but it’s actually been 5 weeks.

I squeezed quite a bit into yesterday and today, making the most of them.  Time to tell those stories.

Yesterday … started out sad as mom, Aylin, and I hopped on a bus and went to Bostanlı to pay a condolence call on my paternal uncle’s widow.

A happy photo — my cousin’s engagement party — serves to remember my uncle.  
Sadly, half the people in this photo are no longer with us.                            

Adnan Amca [amca = uncle], who’d been ill and bedridden for quite a while, passed away in January.  I had an opportunity to visit him in 2012.  While his body was failing him, his mind was still sharp as a tack.  I’m glad I had a chance to see him one last time last year.

After our visit, we took the ferry back to our side of the bay.  We got off at Pasaport, one of the two ferry terminals that services Alsancak.  On the way home, we stopped at Léone, where Murat joined us for afternoon tea.

The yellow building, which houses the Pasaport Ferry Terminal, dates back to
1884 when it served not only as a boat pier, but as a passport office as well.
[photo from my 2010 visit to Turkey]

I wrote in the previous post that our plan to go to the Human Body Exhibition was foiled by several busloads of school kids arriving at the same time we did.  The attendant at the ticket booth had suggested that late afternoon might be a better time for us.  So, we decided to try our luck before going home.

I’m not sure where or when this traveling exhibit first opened to the public.  I remember hearing about it when it came to New York City, but I was too squeamish to go.  Now I wish I had.  The first room had the skeletal remains and as you moved through the exhibit, the various systems of the body were added on — muscular, nervous, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, and so on.  Sort of like building a body from scratch.

The bodies on display are “real!”  Sure, they are processed using a technique called polymer preservation so that they won’t decay, but they are real nonetheless.  Which made it a little eerie at first, but soon I was so fascinated by what I was seeing and reading that I forgot about that aspect of the exhibit.  There’s much more about this exhibition in the link I provided above.  If you haven’t been, I highly recommend going should the opportunity present itself.

Photography wasn’t allowed, so I put together a collage of images from the web.

We wrapped up our day with dinner at Veli Usta Balık Pişicisi, one of our favorite seafood restaurants.  Forget about heavily sauced fish dishes.  Here you get grilled or steamed fish with nothing but olive oil and lemon to dress to taste.  And of course, there are a variety of mezes (Turkish tapas) to order … in other words, a feast of a meal.

  Sorry — no camera; no photos of my own.

Today …

If yesterday was busy, today was doubly so.  We covered quite a few places, starting in town and ending up in Alaçatı and Çeşme.  While the towns we visited were familiar, the places we went were mostly new to me.

My last day of sightseeing in İzmİr takes me from Alsancak to Çeşme with a few stops in between.

Our first stop was at Kadifekale [literal translation: Velvet Castle], the citadel that sits atop a mountain that was known as Pagos in ancient times.  According to historic records, İzmir — then Smyrna — was seized and rebuilt during Alexander the Great’s campaign against the Persians.  Atop Pagos at that time was the city’s acropolis.  The ramparts, built later during the Hellenistic Period, were repaired numerous times by the various empires that occupied the area during the ensuing years.  A castle town thrived within the walls for a while, but today nothing much remains of it, although excavations are ongoing.

Looking back towards the entrance through which we accessed the interior of the castle.

Although I saw the fortress sitting atop the hill daily as a child, I don’t recall ever going inside the walls.  Back then, the area wasn’t considered safe.  Things have changed since then.  The squatters have been relocated, the trash cleaned up (mostly), and excavation work is ongoing to unearth the ruins from ancient times.

the ramparts were last repaired by the Ottomans in the 15th century.

A restored tower and walls hint at what was once a strong citadel.

Built in the late Byzantine period by excavating the andesite bedrock, …

… the cistern was capable of storing enough water to meet the needs of 14,000-15,000 people.

No tourists today, so no one is working the hand loom.

Admittedly, there wasn’t much to see at the fortress.  But we were there for the views, so it didn’t matter.  On a clear day — like we had today — the citadel makes for a great place from which to enjoy the cityscape.

the road to the left leads to the airport … and to Ephesus and beyond.

Looking towards Alsancak and beyond.
The green space in the center is Kültürpark.

From this angle, I can see some of the places I’ve visited …

… such as the Salepçİoğlu Camİİ (left) and the ruins of the Agora, the ancient marketplace.
Thanks to my Canon SX50, I was able to zoom in for the inset close-ups.

From the fortress, we drove the 50 miles (80 km) to the resort town of Alaçatı.  Regular readers know that this is a town that I visit at least once on each trip to Turkey, so I won’t go into the details that I’ve written about in past posts.  After shopping at the Saturday market, we had brunch in the garden of Sailors, a boutique hotel housed in a 150-year old building.  I know I took photos, but I have no idea what happened to them, so I snagged a picture of the garden from the hotel’s website.

No pictures of the flavorful food from our brunch, but at least you get to see the setting.

Next we continued on to Çeşme, another coastal town that I’ve been to countless times.  This time, though, we went up to the Çaka Bey Monument overlook, which affords an expansive view of the area.  Located nearby was the cemetery where my cousin — the bride-to-be in the photo at the top of the post — is buried, so we also stopped there to pay our respects.

View of Çeşme and environs from the overlook.

Çaka Bey, an 11th century Turcoman commander.
Studying the naval strategies of the Byzantines during the time
he was their prisoner, he eventually beat them at their own game.

Our last stop before heading back home was the marina in Çeşme.  Although the breeze was cool, it was a beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies, and people of all ages had spilled out on to the streets to make the most of Mother Nature's gift.  After strolling for a while, we found a table at Mado, a waterfront café.  Their claim to fame is “real ice cream,” so that’s what mom and I split!

A sweet end to my last day of sightseeing in İzmİr on this trip.

And so ends this year’s family visit to Turkey.  Tomorrow is packing day — ugh.  A necessary evil for anyone who travels.  I will get the job done … but I don’t have to like it.

A Whole Week Gone By … Ending with Day Trips to Urla and Alaçatı

Sunday, 27 October
Alsancak — İzmİr, Turkey

This whole week went by in the blink of an eye.  Didn’t do much until the weekend came around, nor did I exercise the camera shutter a great deal.  In fact, the photos that accompany the words summarizing Monday through Friday are all from previous visits to İzmir ;-)

Monday … taking a shortcut through Kültürpark [Culture Park] Mui and I went to Basmane Garı [gar = train station] to pick up his ticket for a weekend trip to Eskişehir to visit his sister.  While we were out and about, we also bought a new cell phone for me as the ancient one I was using gave up the ghost.

Tuesday … Mui flew to Ankara to spend the remainder of his time in Turkey with his mother.  I spent the day getting settled in after being on the road for weeks on end … laundry, ironing, balancing the travel budget — such exciting chores.

Wednesday … a high-speed walk on Kordon [the waterfront promenade] — the first of many while I’m in town; at least that’s the plan.

Clockwise from Top Left: the outdoor waiting salon at Basmane Garı;
KÜltÜrpark; Reyhan — at the Optimum outlet mall; İzban route map;
optimum; a phaeton on the kordon waterfront promenade.

[optimum photos and İzban route map courtesy of their respective websites]

Thursday … shopping!  Not my favorite pastime, but with luggage space at a premium for the varied itinerary on this trip, I did not pack dressy clothes for the cruise that will take us from Turkey back to the US.  Hopping on the İzban lightrail system, Aylin and I went to Optimum, an outlet shopping mall in the ‘burbs.  After long hours of browsing, I managed to pick up a pair of silky black slacks, a chiffon blouse, and cute little dress booties.  We capped our outing with tea at Reyhan Pastanesi [pastane = patisserie].

Friday … afternoon tea with my cousin, Ruhan, and his wife, Cici [sweet, pretty].  Her name is actually Serpil, but the nickname Aylin gave her when she married into the family has stuck through the years.  Referring to our visit as afternoon tea doesn’t do justice to the feast with which Serpil tempted our palates.

Ruhan Abİ and Serpİl
with my aunt (who passed away a few years ago),
and their daughters, Duygu (left) and Asli.
Taken Christmas eve 1984 at mom’s condo.

P.S. [Updated in 2014] — I am especially glad now that we made the time for this visit with my cousin; he succumbed to cancer and passed away in February 2014.

That takes care of the week.  Now for the weekend — which saw us making two day trips west of the city … one to Urla, a town I don’t recall visiting in recent years; and another one to Alaçatı, a town that we visit on every trip I make to Turkey.

The mid-point marker is Urla, where we went yesterday;
the end point marker is Alaçati — today’s destination.

Saturday, 26 October …

After breakfast at Aylin’s, we piled in the car and went to Urla, a small town located on an isthmus about 25 miles [40 km] west of İzmir.  Mom and Aylin wanted to pick up some fresh produce from the Saturday farmers market first.  Then we went to Lale Katmercisi, a small eatery specializing in a square-shaped pastry that can be prepared either with sweet or savory fillings. 

Lale Katmercİsİ
[Photos courtesy of LöplöpÇüler]

The collage above pretty much sums up how a katmer is made.  What isn’t so evident is that the dough is rolled out, and spun around in the air if necessary, to render it so thin as to be nearly transparent.  Since we were having it for lunch, we opted for a savory katmer to share.  And we added an order of çi börek, a traditional deep-fried savory pastry that was introduced to Turkey by the Crimean Tatars.  Dessert was sakızlı keşkül, an almond based milk pudding … in this case with mastic gum added to give it a slightly different taste and texture.

Katmer	Çİ Börek

Admittedly, this wasn’t the healthiest of meals.  So, after lunch we followed a meandering route back to the car … to make ourselves feel better about the calories we had ingested ;-)  I don’t know that the walk helped our waistlines, but I did enjoy browsing through the antiques market with my camera, and grabbing a quick shot or two of the Fatih İbrahim Paşa Camii [cami = mosque].

From lanterns, to door knockers, to bells decorated with traditional evil eye beads.

Fatİh İbrahİm Bey Camİİ and its feline guardian.
The 16th century mosque was constructed on the orders of an Ottoman governor by the same name.

Our day wasn’t quite finished.  Back in the city, we dropped off our market purchases at home and headed to Tea & Pot, a cute tea house — and one of our favorites — in Alsancak.

I didn’t take any photos at Tea & Pot today, so this collage from 2012 will have to do.
ZEYNEP AND NİHAN (top right) are the proprietresses of Tea & Pot.

And that’s how yesterday went.  Moving on to …

Today …

Aylin once again hosted mom and me for breakfast.  One of these times I will remember to take some photos; she does put on a nice spread!  Afterwards, we headed to Çesme where we visited the market.  While mom and Aylin shopped the fresh produce stalls, I checked out the countless booths selling clothes at heavily discounted prices and came away with a couple of collared t-shirts to add to my cruise wardrobe.

If there is a theme to the blog posts I put up about my trips to Turkey it’s probably food!  That’s because there are so many quaint and cozy places where one can eat a meal, have a pastry or two, or simply enjoy liquid refreshments.  Charming little cafés, bistros, tea houses … all with a different ambiance — a personality, if you will.  There are always some new places that Aylin and Murat, together with Mom, have scouted out for my enjoyment.  Today was no exception.

After completing our shopping, we drove the short distance to Alaçatı for a late lunch at Asma Yaprağı [which translates as “vine leaf;” website in Turkish].  In operation since new year’s eve 2010, this lovely little restaurant is on a quiet street lined with houses that have second floor bay windows that are very much like enclosed balconies.

Asma Yaprağı

The proprietors pride themselves on featuring traditional Aegean recipes cooked with fresh, seasonally available ingredients and produce.  The daily menu is listed on a chalkboard, but diners don’t have to rely on it to make their selections — they can go right into the kitchen and see what’s what for themselves.

Taking advantage of the beautiful, sunny weather, we took a table in the courtyard — which had the advantage of giving me several photo ops in addition to providing a setting for dining al fresco.

We did a tapas style lunch, ordering several small dishes to share … from the kızılcık şerbeti (a lemonade type drink made with cranberry-like berries, and flavored with a cinnamon stick), to ot kavurma (braised herbaceous greens) served with yogurt, to kabak sinkonta (a regional zucchini dish), to saç kavurma (braised meat cooked in an iron skillet) served with bulgur, to pirinç yemeği (a dish made with rice, tomatoes, and peppers) … everything was delicious and sated our appetite so well that we didn’t feel the need to top off our meal with dessert.

Where to start … that’s the dilemma!

Clockwise from Top Left: Ot kavurma; saç kavurma; herbs for seasoning the
saç kavurma, kabak sİnkonta, kizilcik Şerbetİ, and PİrİnÇ yemeğİ.

What a way to top off not just the day, but my third week in Turkey!

Alaçatı Pazarı & More

Saturday — April 17

Following a good night’s rest and breakfast at A&M’s this morning (conveniently, they live just one floor down from mom), we went out to take care of a few errands. Then, with Murat in the driver’s seat, we headed to Alaçatı to check out the Saturday market.

Alaçatı is about 45 miles (~72 km) west of İzmir.
(the locations of the beach house in nearby Ardıç and the town of Çeşme are also marked on the map)

Alaçatı (AH-lah-chah-tuh) was a sleepy little village way back when I was a child. I remember going there once in a while with my dad to buy “köy ekmeği” (rustic, village bread) or get the propane tank re-filled. That was about it.

The town has since become a charming resort with year-round appeal. The streets are lined with boutique hotels, boutique cafés, and boutique shops selling everything from the latest fashions to modern art — all housed in the town’s signature stone houses. People from all around the world come here for some fun in the sun. Averaging 330 windy days every year, the town has also become a windsurfers’ mecca. Those same winds, which used to operate old-fashioned windmills at one time, are now a boon for the wind farms that have sprouted up on nearby hillsides.

Looking across the roofs of Alaçatı to one of the wind farms in the area.

Alaçatı was founded around 1850, when Ottoman Greek workers from the Aegean islands were brought to the mainland to drain malaria-breeding marshes. Later, these workers settled in the area and named their village Agrilia. When the League of Nations mandated an exchange of populations after WWI, the villagers were returned to Greece and Turks from the Balkans moved into the homes that were left empty.

The source of the town’s modern day name is not known with certainty. Some say that it is based on “Alaca At” (Red Horse). The story goes that the town’s head honcho had a red horse and the locals referred to him as “Alaca Atlı” (the one with the red horse). Over time the name transformed into Alaçatı.

Having strolled the streets of this charming town on previous visits (you'll find photos of the town here and here), this time we focused our attention on the “Pazar” (market). Sensory overload — that’s the best way to describe the experience. The long and narrow street was lined with stalls on both sides, green and red umbrellas and tarps providing much needed shade. Colorful displays of seasonal fruits and vegetables; clothing and accessories ranging from socks, to underwear, to summer dresses, to t-shirts and blouses, to sunglasses, to bags and belts; hand knit shawls and embroidered placemats; glassware, chinaware, stainless steel flatware, and pots and pans in every imaginable shape and size; plastic buckets, tubs, laundry baskets, and trash bins with smiley faces; fitted sheets, flat sheets, and comforters — anything and everything available for very reasonable prices. Food vendors were positioned strategically, tempting shoppers with sweets and other goodies. Coffee houses were filled with weary shoppers enjoying refreshments. Sensory overload indeed!

It was 3:00p when we left the market, our shopping bag filled with peas, scallions, vine-ripened tomatoes, and fresh artichokes already cleaned and ready to cook.

Murat checks out the cleaned artichokes.

We decided to get a bite to eat before getting back on the road. Wanting to keep things light, we went to Köşe Kahve (literally, Corner Café) where a selection of goodies filled the glass display case. The “kıymalı börek” (baked, flaky pastry filled with minced meat) was yummy; the lavender infused lemonade was refreshing.

Köşe Kahve is one of many cafés in town.

Tempting pastries and beverages.

Our day came to a close with dinner at a seafood restaurant on Kordon, the waterfront promenade that runs the length of Alsancak. Balıkçı Hasan (Hasan, the Fisherman) offered us a mouth-watering selection of mezes (appetizers) and yummy seafood entrées. We ordered a main course to share — steamed sinarit and artichokes, cooked in a light, citrus-based sauce. (Sinarit = dentex; a white fish found in the Mediterranean.)

I’m afraid I didn’t take my camera with me, so no photos from dinner. Instead, here are a few photographs to shed light on the “boutique” portion of the blog's title. Though my friends know better, I come across the occasional misconception that Turkey is a “closed country.” Take a look at these images I took while I was wandering around Alsancak, the neighborhood where I grew up. You’ll have to agree that there’s nothing “closed” about these very European storefronts.

Next up: Step Back into Antiquity