Well…..if this is January 7th then we must be in Izmir, Turkey! Izmir is a really beautiful port and the bay is filled with yachts and ferries shuffling people from one side of the water to the other. Sitting on the outdoor deck for breakfast watching the birds soar through the blue blue skies and the boats skimming across the dark blue water left us both feeling very very lucky!
Izmir is built on terraces that ascend the hills around the port. It is the third largest city in Turkey and there are about 4 million people living here. Main exports are: carpets, leather, and ceramics. In addition they also have lots of agriculture but that is not a major export or industry.
As I mentioned in the last blog…..Kay had to go to the hospital in Turkey today to get additional x-rays and the plan was for Lynda and I to go with her but…..plans can change and the cruise line had made arrangements for someone who speaks Turkish to go with her so once they had Kay en route to the hospital (about 11:00 a.m.) Lynda and I took off to explore, and explore we did.
We knew we were in for a great day when, walking down the hallway outside of Kay’s room, we overheard a woman say to her husband “that’s the flower I was telling you about….the one that is travelling all around the world”. It was a not so subtle reminder that Flor has taken on her own identity and Lynda and I have faded into the background….Flor doesn’t really even need us anymore. The fact that we’re doing all the work and Flor is getting all the recognition gives us both quite a chuckle.
Turkish words we learned today are: Hello = Maraba, Thank You = Teshekoot, No = Hire, and Yes = Evitt. All of this came from Oeur, the taxi driver we secured just outside the customs office once we left the boat. We settled on a price of $75 USD for 3 hours of touring (including entrance fees) and were off on our adventure.
Touring the winding streets where there seem to be no rules at all was an adventure in itself but Oeur is an amazing driver and managed to wind his way through the maze with ease. One of our first stops was Agora and what a great stop it was! At first glance it looked like nothing more than a few columns standing in a field of broken pieces of marble but thanks to Oeur’s encouragement we set out into the field to look for whatever it was that he was directing us to explore. Oh yes…..I guess I haven’t mentioned that Oeur didn’t have any English and our Turkish doesn’t consist of much more than gobble gobble!
Agora was amazing! The name means “meeting place” and this meeting place was built in the 4th century BC. Although the sections that we could see at first glance didn’t look all that impressive; once we descended the stairs to the walkways that ran beneath the surface we were both awestruck. We wandered the paths under the perfectly intact arches and oohed and aahhed at the beauty of it all until we could hear the sound of many children arriving overhead. Within minutes they had spotted us from their posts up top and we immediately learned what it would be like to be a huge celebrity in the midst of a mob! Initially, they just called to us but before long we were above ground and in the middle of the pack with little people all around wanting to shake our hands and ask our names and tell us theirs and….well….you get the picture. As much as this may not sound like much in the telling…..please believe me when I say that it was a memory I will never forget and Turkey couldn’t hope for any better ambassadors than those kids were today.
Out of breath from our time with the kids we fell into our taksi (yes…that’s how they spell it here) and were off to Kadifekele, another ancient site that was built by Alexander the Great in 400 BC. The story goes that while on a hunting trip, Alexander fell asleep in the shade of a tree and when he awoke he liked the place so much he decided it should become the site of his fort and so it did. This stop took us to one of the highest points of land where the view of the bay was super impressive and we felt like we were on top of the world. We could see our ship far below in the harbor and it was obvious just how big the Jade is when you see her from that vantage point. The stairs up to the top of the walls of the fort were a challenge to climb but very much worth the effort. Some of them were short and narrow and others of them were soooo high that it was a stretch to pull yourself up. The site was also home to a few venders who were displaying their colourful weavings from lines strung between the trees. It was easy to see why Alexander the Great might have decided to build on this site……it really is very beautiful.
From here we were off to the bazaar in search of Darbuka drums (a Turkish drum). We found them on the second floor of a store that seemed to have a little of everything. The stairway up to the second floor was “interesting”….I’m not sure if we should call them stairs or a ladder but either way…..”interesting” is the safest word I can use in this public domain. In true Turkish culture we had to build relationship prior to beginning our barter and so after some apple tea, a few puffs on a water pipe (properly called a Nargilay) filled with apple tobacco, and a lot of chit chat with our host….we were ready to deal. As is often the case…..the process of getting to the sale was the best part of the story and in time….we came to agreement and our purchases were packaged up for us. In parting, our host pinned a ceramic Turkish eye and a little plastic bunch of grapes to our lapels. This is a traditional Turkish custom that means good luck and long life and both of us were moved by the sincerity with which they were given.
Our next stop in the bazaar was at a little local restaurant where the specialty was kebabs. In no time at all….we’d been served up a plate of delicious food that consisted of cut up Turkish bread, thinly sliced meat that had been roasted on a spit, tabouli, fresh tomatoes and some sour cream….and….there was something that looked a lot like a grilled green bean on there too. Foolishly…..I assumed that it was a green bean, cut it up into three pieces and put two of the pieces in my mouth. It didn’t take long for me to realize that it was NOT a green bean but rather a very hot Turkish pepper and there is not much you can do to still the burn once you’ve chewed and swallowed the little beast! The owner of the restaurant was hovering nearby and suggested that the tomato would help so I downed that and then put some sour cream on top and a few minutes later was back to as normal as I ever am so the story had a happy ending both in my survival of the Turkish pepper attack and in the deliciousness of our meal.
All through our meal, Oeur was sitting at a table near ours with several of his friends (he seems to know absolutely everyone here!). They were all visiting, drinking tea, and smoking….it seems that is a pretty common thing for men to do in Turkish bazaars.
Of course….no Turkish meal would be complete without a Turkish coffee afterward so….Oeur took us to another of his friend’s where we were once again greeted as guests and served coffee by the coffee runner who brought it in on a tray from another store about 20 meters away. Once our relationship building was behind us…..of course there was another opportunity for negotiation and again, Lynda managed to find something that will look perfect in her place so by the time we left…there were smiles all around.
Our three hours was long past and we were fast approaching 4 hours so decided it was time to go back to the ship. Of course, Oeur didn’t charge us any more than the originally agreed price and we were more than happy to give him a little extra for this amazing day in Izmir.
Back on the ship, we found that Kay had just returned from the hospital and her x-rays confirmed that she in fact does have a fractured shoulder so she’ll be in a sling for the next 6 weeks and then into physio after that. She had good care in the hospital and will have a Turkish story that none of the rest of us will have as a memory.
Tomorrow is a day at sea so it will likely be pretty quiet between now and the time we hit Egypt so until then……
L & L
No comments:
Post a Comment