I am sitting in a cafe along the Aegean sea listening to Nelly and wondering how did I get to be so lucky. There are families around me enjoying a lazy Sunday and eating a traditional Turkish breakfast of olives, cheese, bread, vegetables, and tea. It definitely reminds me that my family is far away and I won't see them until January. I really miss them and I want to meet our newest addition, Isaac. I know that time will pass quickly and I will see them in January. But I must say that the honeymoon has worn off and the winter is soon to set in. I have another trip next weekend and then I will probably stay put for a bit until I go home.
I traveled to Izmir this weekend with an American colleague for a few days. We left on Saturday morning and are returning tonight (Sunday). I must say, it is really nice to be able to fly around for $100 or so. I love the ocean (or sea) and want to go there any time I can. The water relaxes me and reminds me that we live on a relatively small planet. Izmir is about 585 km southwest of Ankara. It is a warm, welcoming city that sits along the Aegean sea. There is a beautiful boardwalk with many cafes and restaurants along the sea. People seem to really enjoy life and relax, especially on the weekends.
We stayed at the Hilton Izmir, which has breathtaking views of the bay. They seem to have decent security as soon as you enter the hotel along with several people standing outside just watching. I know that the terrorism is up a bit here and I don't often think about it, but this morning I was thinking about it while I was drinking a coffee in the lobby. Although there is a metal detector and several security personnel, it still feels like a soft target and could be easily attacked. The warnings from the embassy keep running through my head about "stay away from popular tourist areas" and "stay in places with identifiable security measures in place." I know this is reality, but I can't live my life in fear. Life goes on and I need to live. So, I will move around with caution and pay attention to my surroundings.
We visited several beautiful places here in Izmir. We had a chance to see the Clock Tower and also see the city the top of the bluffs. It was breathtaking. We visited a bazaar that had nearly everything from Islamic clothing to lingerie to food. I took a lot of pictures of the foods offered because the abundance of fresh food is just overwhelming to me. I know it seems like all I do is eat based on my pics, but I do other things too. I guess they are just not as interesting to me as the beautiful food. I was able to find beautiful cinnamon sticks and whole cloves today at the market.
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| fresh seafood everywhere |
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| fruits and nuts |
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| cheese |
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| Turkish delights |
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| baklava |
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| Clock Tower |
I love getting things to drink here because they always give you some sort of delicious nibble. With my wine last night, I received mixed nuts, chickpeas, and some sort of crackers. I ordered a latte in the hotel and I received some pastries, one with black olives and the other one with walnuts. Then, with my french press coffee today, I received a hazelnut chocolate.
I have been on the hunt for coffee maker for the past few weeks. Everyone here seems to enjoy instant coffee, but I seriously need the real stuff. One of my friends sent me a picture of a "coffee machine" he found at one of the local stores, so I think I should have one very soon. Then, I will need to find coffee, which is harder than I thought. Coffee is available here, but it is ground really finely, so I need to find whole beans that I can grind myself. There are beans at Starbucks and I am hoping they will grind them for me.
I guess that is all of the adventures for now. I will have more next weekend! :)
