Turkey's For Life
Fethiye, Turkish Food, Slow Travel Turkey
Today, 9th September, is the day that Izmir commemorates Independence Day. So, as we're thinking all things Izmir, and trying to work out when we can fit in a little return visit some time in the not-too-distant future, we thought we'd have a look back at previous visits. Because Izmir is a city …
Continue Reading about Why The City Of Izmir Should Be Added To Your Travel Itinerary
Anyone who visits Harrogate is always told they must go to Betty's Cafe & Tea Rooms. When we visited Harrogate, we dutifully took ourselves off to said tea rooms. Can't tell you if it was a pleasant surprise or a disappointment because it was an age ago, but I do remember wondering why these …
Continue Reading about Going To Izmir? Well, Of Course You’ll Go To Sevinç Pastnesi
Yes, readers; if you are not a football fan, never fear. There is no need to glaze over and stop reading. This is not so much a match report as another tale of the under-prepared travels of Barry and Julia; it's just that the setting happens to be a football stadium - Alsancak Stadyumu - and we …
Continue Reading about Karşıyaka – Fethiyespor: The Alsancak Stadium Experience
We're very fortunate that travelling on a budget is made much easier for us by the fact that we both love to walk. In Izmir, apart from catching a local bus from the otogar into Alsancak, we walked everywhere. Sitting on the Aegean Sea, Izmir's a breezy city, so late summer ambles (we were there …
Continue Reading about Izmir – Karşıyaka – Bostanlı – A Circular Coastal Stroll & Sail Of The City
Sat at the foot of Kadifekale, sandwiched between the hillside and the streets of Kemeraltı is the ancient Izmir agora. When we wrote about the Lycian and Roman ruins of Xanthos, we said that around many of Turkey's archaeological sites, modern daily life continues. Nowhere is this more evident …
Continue Reading about Why Was I The Only Person Inside Izmir Agora?
This time last week, we were telling you about how we got ourselves happily lost in the warren of streets that is Izmir's Kemeraltı. Many of the streets are covered with mesh and vines to keep them shaded, so it's even more difficult to get your bearings because, at times, you can't see any of the …
Continue Reading about A Piece Of Historic Izmir: Kızlarağası Hanı
We've made this comparison before, but for us, when it comes to size and personality, Izmir is to Istanbul what Manchester is to London in the UK. Izmir is completely different to Istanbul. But it's impossible not to make such a comparison. Both cities link their opposite shores by ferries …
Continue Reading about Izmir: Losing Oneself In The Maze Of Kemeraltı
In the Izmir seaside neighbourhood of Alsancak, there's a famous, pedestrianised shopping street called Kıbrıs Şehitleri Caddesi. Filled with high street stores, restaurants and patisseries it's Izmir's answer to Istanbul's Istiklal Caddesi, though it's much less crowded and the high-rise buildings …
Continue Reading about Izmir: The Side Streets Of Alsancak – Sokakta Hayat Var
Each city has its own personality, with qualities that either attract or repel the visitor, and if you've read our previous posts on Izmir, you'll know we were very much attracted to the Aegean city. It's a confident city without being cocky or in your face. It's surrounded by mass tourism but …
Continue Reading about Izmir Sevgi Yolu – A City’s Walk Of Fame
We'd been in Izmir for four days and still hadn't made it to one of the sights on our list of Izmir Must-Sees - Kadifekale (the Velvet Castle). Racing around, bagging sights is never really top of our agenda when we go somewhere new - but Kadifekale sits on top of a hill (of the same name), …
Continue Reading about Exploring Izmir: The Hike To Kadifekale
