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 …
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 (and Izmir uses the iconic …
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 are much less historic. So if shopping isn’t your thing (we’re most definitely not …
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 remains unaffected by …
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 …
Memories from our time in Izmir: there are a lot of them. Food more than played it’s part by way of the söğüş, Çeşme kumrusu and the stuffed mussels. In between meals, we also managed a bit of sightseeing. Of course, we couldn’t go to Izmir without taking many photographs of the famous Izmir Saat …
We know that Turkey is famous for its street food and Izmir is a great city to be in if you’re looking to sample lots of street food treats. When we first visited, we were in the city for six short days and were on a mission to eat, eat, eat. Purely because so many …
Istanbul’s Beyoğlu area has the famous Istiklal Caddesi – a pedestrianised stretch of shops and eateries and swarms of people weaving their way to their intended destination with varying degrees of success. It’s a feature of the city, just as Alsancak’s Kıbrıs Şehitler Caddesi is for Izmir – except, we’re working on a much smaller …
Today is Cumhuriyet Bayramı (Republic Day) in Turkey, so this post seems quite apt for the occasion. Republic Day commemorates the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the first leader. For today’s post we’re heading back to Izmir and to Alsancak train station. And how does this relate to …
When we were staying in our apartment in Alsancak in Izmir, you can imagine how pleased (excited) we were when we woke up on the Sunday morning, opened the patio doors and we could hear the clanking of delivery trucks and traders shouting their prices. Regular readers of this blog will know we have a …