Friday September 27th, 2013 Izmir, Turkey

Today we visited the port of Izmir on the west coast of Turkey. The primary attraction of stopping in Izmir is to use it as a starting point to visit the ancient cities of Ephesus and Pergamon; we'd already been to Ephesus and the reviews of Pergamon were not good enough to attract us - so we opted to guide ourselves around Izmir. We viewed this stop as an opportunity to see a normal, non-tourist Turkish city. 

The city is spread out around a large bay and the port is located at one end of a sweeping arc that comprises the majority of the metropolitan area. Even though there have been settlements on this site (it was formerly known as Smyrna) dating back 3500 years the city is actually quite modern with most of the buildings being constructed in the 20th century; Izmir is the 3rd largest city in Turkey. 

On leaving the ship we checked in at the local tourist office in the port terminal building; the ship had not provided a map for Izmir (this is a first for us, Cunard has always provided a town map for every port we've visited) and the tourist office had maps in every language, except English. We knew we wanted to head for Konak Square and the Kemeralti Bazaar, and the folks in the tourist office told us it would be about 12 Turkish Lire for a taxi or about 20 minutes to walk. 

As we exited the terminal building, we were approached by a small swarm (is there such a thing?) of taxi drivers; we tried to negotiate but they all would not budge off a price of 10 Euros or 25 Turkish Lire - this is about $15, and while this is not a whole lot of money, our rip-off radar was flashing - and so we walked. For several hundred yards after leaving the port we continued to be accosted by aggressive taxi drivers - in the end Sandra had to shout at one of the guys to get him to back off and he scurried way with his tail between his legs. Not a great introduction to Izmir.

The weather was warm in the shade and so as we began the hike, we stayed close to the long line of buildings that faced the huge, curved bay. The long cobble stoned road was lined with cafes and shops on the left and an esplanade-style walkway by the bay on the right - not a trinket shop in sight.

We walked and walked, 20 minutes went by, and we cursed the friendly and helpful tourist office employees for their "accurate" information - perhaps the people in Izmir just walk really fast? On we went, not a lot to see along this stretch. Along the way we were able to follow signs that indicated we were going in the right direction, and occasionally a shop keeper would try to tempt us into his "shopping center" - otherwise known as a small shop. After about 40 minutes the pathway turned away from the sea and we crossed a colorful pedestrian bridge over a major roadway - in the distance we could see the edge of Konak Square.

Konak Square, with its distinctive clock tower and mini mosque, is a central meeting point for Izmir's locals.

Immediately inland from the square is the Kemeralti Bazaar - this is a huge warren of winding streets lined with shops and stalls selling everything that the people of Izmir might need; food, shoes, shirts, shoes, jewelry, shoes, pants, shoes… Kemeralti is NOT a tourist market (like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul) this is a place where the locals really do their shopping - we were rarely hassled by the store owners and had a hard time seeing any other tourists. 

We finally found a cafe (Lesmire Cafe) that looked appealing - off a quiet little side alley, trees for shade, beautiful Turkish tablecloths, and friendly staff. The waiter recited the list of drink possibilities in perfect English, but when we questioned him for some details, we realized the recited list was probably the extent of his vocabulary - not to worry, through some pointing and verbalizing we got what we needed. It was so relaxing to sit in the shade, in this authentic Turkish cafe and enjoy a good cup of coffee - then as an added bonus the Muslim call to pray started with the haunting calls of the Imam from the local mosque.

My coffee came with a curious chocolate spoon, very tasty but not very functional; Sandra had Turkish tea which she reported to be excellent. I also noticed a small safety pin on the side of my plate which had a tiny ceramic "evil eye" and fish attached to it - thinking this to be a nice little extra trinket I put it in my backpack as we were preparing to leave. 

Just then, the lady who was running the cafe appeared and was most insistent that I pin the little trinket to my shirt - all of this was conveyed without speaking a word of English. Not wanting to cause a major diplomatic incident, I complied and attached the safety pin to my shirt pocket. In a similar fashion, Sandra was instructed to attach two of the trinkets to her blouse, at the shoulders.

Having apparently now met all of the conditions for leaving, we wandered back into the bazaar - once out of sight we removed the pins, since we had no idea of their significance.

Who knew Turkey had the equivalent of Greggs the sandwich shop / bakery chain that is so prominent in the UK? The smell of fresh baked bread, and other goodies, was irresistible - so we didn't. A beautiful array of tasty fresh-baked items was on display at the Simit Care shop; we ordered a bagel-like item that was filled with cheese and warmed in the oven - noticing the fresh baked goodies and the line out the door, it was at this point that Sandra drew the analogy to Greggs.

Strolling through the streets eating our snack was a great way to finish our visit to Kemeralti Bazaar.

We didn't feel up to the 5km walk back to the ship, so we decided that, despite the cost (within reason of course), we'd get a taxi back. Again we were quoted 25 Turkish Lire; we made sure this was the firm price - with no adders, and it covered both of us - then we hopped in for the ride back to the port. Despite what the Cunard information had indicated, most of the taxis we saw did not have meters - so it's always best to make sure the price is settled before you get in the car.

A nice touch from Cunard, an attendant meeting you on the dock with a drink of cold water…