After the breakfast in the morning of Saturday, the 29th of September, we, three volunteers, decided to take the taxi and to go to Chios harbor, from where we left for our trip by ferry to Cesme. When we arrived at Cesme, our friend from Turkey was waiting for us.
We bought tickets for the next bus (10 lira each way) and in less than an hour we were driving to Izmir. Also included in the price was water to cool our thirst and a Turkish soap opera on the screens above the seats – that was our Coach – shock.
The way to Izmir passed very quickly, less than 45 minutes, about 90 kilometers, without any break, on the fast highway.
Izmir welcomed us with the infinite heat from the sky and crowded screaming natives. After a short walk among the market with its slightly kitschy clothes, shoes, counterfeit perfume and fragrant food stalls (tasting various fruits included), taking pictures and not necessarily nice conversations with natives who didn’t understand English so well we knew: We are in Turkey.
The next thing we wanted was to go to the city center and the great bazaar, but ironically we didn’t know how to get there. Luckily, we had our Turkish friend who first invited us to come for the traditional Turkish coffee in her house. Strenghtened by the strong black liquid we went out with her on a journey around the city, a place 1000 times more crowded than Chios. Streets over streets, no crosswalks, no lights or order, horns, screams – oh how we loved it.
Izmir turned out to be a thoroughly modern city, and being the third-largest city of Turkey, it is not a city to get bored of quickly. We didn’t notice there were a lot of tourists. They only seem to appear on the airport and the railway stations.
Together with Begum (our Turkish friend) we went to the restaurant “Panorama”, which gave honor to its name, providing us with an amazing view over all the city. The newer metropolis and the place of the old town were beautiful, with elegant modern hotels, restaurants and glazed skyscrapers. Such a typical European city. Since it was a restaurant, Panorama also gave us the opportunity to try the local cuisine, full of flavor and aroma with meals like for example the lamb kebab.
After lunch we went to the city center. Through the magnificent promenade we got to the main square in the heart of Izmir – Konak Square with a small blue-plates-tiled mosque. Walking down the bay we saw fishermen, Turkish families resting and enjoying the shadows spend by the palm trees, and all kinds of street-dealers, selling exactly everything.
From the main square, we walked into one of the side streets, and soon found ourselves in a place that we were looking for, a big bazaar – Kemeralty. It is not a bazaar which can be compared with the bazaars in for example Istanbul, but the amount of shops and stalls was enough for us already. It proofed to be a labyrinth of narrow streets, tradition and kitsch. The Atmosphere which prevailed there was something fascinating, something which will stay in our memory for a long time. In this place you can buy everything, from kitschy clothes, cheap shoes (not the best quality of course), common items, Turkish souvenirs and carpets. Each street had its own flavor. The smell of ground coffee, the smell of roasted peanuts, the smell of herbs and leather goods (with a very good quality if we might add). What surprised us was that the sellers were not so insistent as in other places we knew like Egypt. No hard sell for any price of their goods trying to prove that they are just the finest.
In the evening we stayed in one nice bar and ordered the “awfully sweet” Turkish coffee. Tasting licorice (or rather seeping it through our teeth) we observed two men at the next table finishing their parties of a very popular Turkish game: A variation of “Merels”. They were moving white and black discs over the board, but we couldn’t decipher the rules of the game.
Sadly time was passing so quickly. After shopping we decided to search an exit from the market. After a little wandering and thanks to Begum we were able to reach the bay of the harbor, from where we went to the hotel to rest.
The next day was in a hurry. It was time to return. Analysing timetables about the bus to Cesme we decided to take one at 15.30. Having no confirmation if our timetable was accurate, we set our hope into the public transport, taking another bus to the West bus station. With the help of our friends we got there just in time to buy tickets to Cesme. Seeing our bus already on the platform and the departure time approaching, we quicked the pace. Luckily we managed right in time.
Happily and full with the impressions from the Turkish metropolis we were advancing to Cesme. This time with a very polite and surprisingly little-English-understanding driver we reached our ferry. After a small meal we said goodbye to Turkey and sailed to our Chios, with the heat on our skins and the warm memories in our hearts.
To see all the pictures go into our gallery!
