Izmir View 5
-
- The area next to the Aegean Sea; the red pathway is made for walkers/joggers and is really nice.
-
- Speaking of the Aegean….there it is!
-
- So lovely! The weather was perfect too–in the mid-60s F.
-
- We simple followed the coastline toward the heart of Izmir. This statue, I think, is about the Turks’ fight for independence they underwent after WWI.
-
- Detail of a different statue. Note how a woman is leading the way. :)
-
- Kas and I stopped by the Office of Culture and Tourism. Hard to miss, considering its color!
-
- A modern part of Izmir.
-
- And an old-timey part.
-
- It’s nice when there are signs along the way too. :)
-
- Look at all the birds!
-
- Detail shot….you know me–I’m a detail-oriented person!
-
- Lovely stone work.
-
- Cute kids running around.
-
- He was bound-and-determined to get some water.
-
- It’s tiny, but lovely.
-
- Blue tiles common in Ottoman-era architecture.
-
- Since Izmir is right by the sea, there were several fresh fish stalls
-
- Yummy….also saw skinned cows heads and other body parts but I couldn’t quite stomach it enough to take pictures of that!
-
- Looking forlornly through the fence.
-
- Want to go in so bad….it looks so cool….
-
- Oh Turkey, you don’t even know the history you possess!
-
- Tee hee!
-
- Rebecca really wanted to take something home with her….this column was included. :)
-
- See that red national Turkish flag up there? Yeah, we walked to that!
-
- But first I wanted a group shot–this was the only one of us three together the entire trip. Dammit, Kas, smile already!
-
- Down the stairs and we see arches–as far as the eye could reach.
-
- Note how the wall is being held up….oh my!
-
- Really impressive. Agora was known back in the day for being a center of commerce and law; public speeches concerning a variety of daily issues were made in these streets.
-
- Random stream/waterway?
-
- Peering up through the arches.
-
- Lovely blue sky.
-
- Yeah, more pictures of arches. Deal with it.
-
- Looking at the same arches from above.
-
- Detail of the main entrance arch. I think it’s the face of some senator’s wife or something like that. I obviously took very bad notes during this trip.
-
- There were several cats at the entrance of the park. We made friends with a few of them. :)
-
- Lost and looking at the map.
-
- I left the navigating to the others and opted to take pictures.
-
- Whenever I needed a break I halted progress to take more pictures.
-
- Very small, and placed awkwardly on buildings, we depended on these street signs to tell us where to go.
-
- Always up, keep heading up….I like the strategic placement of the taxi too, but we were too cheap to pay for one!
-
- The vantage point above the city got better as we got higher.
-
- We fumbled to the top; I was gross, sweaty, breathless, and bewailed the fact that I’m a fat American. But I saw the view and was grateful for my effort. :)
-
- We basically walked and explored from the coastline straight ahead to where I took the picture–that’s quite a ways!
-
- We made it to the fortress; it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but worth the view.
-
- Fortress wall.
-
- I might just live here someday….
-
- Süleyman is in this one. :)
-
- Note the increase in children….
-
- “Watch out for them Turkish boys,” everyone warned me back home….but I find them to be quite charming. ;)
Turkish Musings 