As I came to a couple of mornings ago, it sounded like the fate of the world was hanging on the outcome of an epic swordfight happening below our window. Turns out it was just a construction crew noisily installing rebar in preparation for the foundation of a new structure that will one day replace the pile of rubble next to our building. The day before, we had left Areopoli, Greece at 6:30 in the morning and had driven four hours to Athens to catch a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. An hour into the drive, the sun rose and turned the sheer, rock faces of the mountain range before us pink and orange, and the sight of the Grecian landscape in this perspective calmed us somewhat as we anticipated a full and difficult travel day.
Our original plan for visiting Turkey was to spend a week in Istanbul and fly to Izmir for the purpose of touring Ephesus, but travel warnings issued in October by the U.S. State Department changed all that. As United States consular officials pulled their families out of Istanbul, other Americans were warned to be on their guard, and we had to make some decisions. The warnings were specific to Istanbul where there’s been a lot of political unrest lately, but areas along the coast seemed to be stable enough, and we decided to continue on to Turkey but to change the itinerary. We flew from Athens to Istanbul, then took another flight to Izmir where we’ll stay for five days and hopefully spend Thanksgiving touring ancient Ephesus, a city built three thousand years ago, rich with history, and containing some of the most complete and impressive ruins in the world.
We landed in Izmir after dark, eight hours ahead of our family and friends back home, and walked out of the airport with a long taxi ride ahead of us and managed to get a car with a driver who had no clue where our destination was located. He was persistent though, and with the GPS on Deveny’s phone and a lot of pointing and shouting from the backseat, we pulled up in front of our building about an hour after leaving the airport. Our hostess, Ceyda, buzzed us in, and we ascended three flights of stairs to the largest apartment we’ve had so far on the trip which included a living room, dining room, parlor, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a big bathroom with a washing machine. Ceyda gave us a quick tour then left us to get settled after a long day. We discovered that she provided a five liter jug of fresh water and big bowl of fruit in the kitchen, and we enjoyed some juicy tangerines at the kitchen table while we reviewed the house rules spelled out on a laminated placard. One of the rules stated that wearing shoes is not permitted in the flat, but there are slippers provided for guests, and I’ve already grown fond of these:
Izmir is located on the coast of the Aegean Sea and is the third most populated city in Turkey. From ancient times until the establishment of the Turkish Republic in the early twentieth century, Izmir was known as Smyrna, ruled over the centuries by the Lydians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, and Ottomans with all kinds of war and upheaval in the process. Other than visiting Ephesus, the goal during our time in Izmir is to venture out a little every day and try to get a feel for the local culture. Our apartment is located one hundred meters from the ferry port, so we’ll be able to travel easily to see the sights in the main districts of the city.
During our first full day in Izmir, we slept late until the sound of the construction crew forced us from sleep, got a load of laundry washed and hung up to dry, and spent mid afternoon walking the streets of our neighborhood. We ate lunch at a KFC down by the ferry, and while it wasn’t quite like the US version, it was still delicious and helped us get out of our travel induced funk. We wandered around a huge pedestrian bazaar packed with shoppers and found our way into a specialty store that sold many forms of candy, dried fruits, and Turkish delight, which seems to come in many forms primarily consisting of candy rolled in marshmallow. The manager spoke English fairly well and asked if I would like a complimentary cup of Turkish coffee while my family selected their treats. Of course I said yes, and after I consumed a small cup of the strongest coffee in the galaxy, for the next couple of hours I saw colors as I had never beheld them, heard conversations from far away, and tried my best not to behave like a squirrel running from tree to tree.
We needed supplies for the rest of the day, so we found a small grocery store in the bazaar and managed to locate most of the things we needed except something for dinner. At the meat and cheese counter, we saw bins full of tortellini-looking things, and we asked the butcher about their filling. He spoke no English, but he made horns on his head with his fingers which could have meant goat, sheep, or dragon, but as we made horns on our heads and said “moo”, his eyes lit up, and he started mooing as well. The product is called manti, and we loaded up on enough for dinner along with a container of garlic infused yogurt and a bag of fresh olives, and our mooing butcher friend gave us all samples of beef strips that had the consistency of playdough and tasted like they had been cured with tar.
We found a video for the authentic preparation of Turkish manti, and we cooked a hearty supper from our provisions and topped the dish with melted butter and paprika. We felt good about our excursion today even though we stood out in the crowds as obvious non-natives since most everyone here is brown and we are very white. Were we hyper sensitive due to the state of the world and our western appearance? Yes. Will we continue to feel apprehensive during our time in Turkey? Yes. Will we do our best to experience a new culture and its history despite our misgivings? Yes. Thankfully, our apartment is a wonderful place of refuge, and we’ve already grown accustomed to the well worn but cozy feel of the place. The walls in each room are painted in different shades of light pastel colors, and all the trim and doors are painted a rich glossy cream. The tiled floors have Moorish patterns, and there are colorful rugs placed in the center of the main rooms. It gets a little cool in the bedrooms at night, but there’s an armoire full of thick blankets which we’ve stacked on the beds. The washing machine looks fairly new, and it’s rigged to drain right into the bathtub—I don’t think builders could get away with that in the States. Like everywhere else we’ve been on this trip, there’s no clothes dryer due to lack of venting and the strain on the fragile electrical systems, but we’ve become accustomed to hanging our things up to dry like everyone else.
Our homemade Turkish meal
On our second day in Izmir, we got moving a little earlier, and after the kids completed some school assignments, we decided to tackle the ferry and visit another district across the bay. The guy at the ticket window understood us fairly well, and in a short time, we had our tickets in hand for less than a dollar each. The big ferry boat cut through the choppy water of the bay easily, and we enjoyed views of the entire harbor area during the smooth twenty-minute ride. We disembarked in the Konak district and walked straight to the clock tower which is a famous landmark in Izmir. From there we walked about a mile through tightly packed market streets that looked like an Indiana Jones movie set. Once again we were the center of attention and just about every head turned in our direction as we passed by. Finally, we reached our main destination: the huge Roman Agora which is now an amazing open air museum. After a couple of rowdy school groups left, we had the whole complex to ourselves, and we had so much fun touring this incredible place that exhibits ruins stretching back 2500 years. We learned a lot about ancient Smyrna and its importance to the empire and how it was subject to major earthquakes including a big one in 178 AD which sent the city into major decline.
Clock Tower
We bought a few spinach-and-cheese filled pastries for snacks before making our way back to the ferry, we and managed to catch a boat just before it left the dock. After a little rest at the apartment, we ventured out one more time to find something for supper and bought some delicious food from vendors and spent only seven dollars in the process, including dessert. Our confidence is building every time we go out, and we’re hoping to visit a couple of other districts before leaving in a few days. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving back home, and we’ll be touring Ephesus while America takes a break to give thanks. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday - I love the food, the long weekend, the football, and time spent with loved ones. Deena, Joseph, Deveny, and I have many blessings to count while on this trip together, but we’re also thankful for our beloved family and friends keeping up with us and praying for us while we’re away. So, from all of us, we wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings…from Turkey.
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