It is always thrilling to arrive in a place I have never been. I spent Saturday recovering from an evening of flights and a late arrival in Izmir. In the morning, I went for a walk along the famous boardwalk to Konak Square, home of the famous clock tower. The smell of the Aegean Sea was so good! It has been a while since I’ve been to a body of salt water. It was a gorgeous day with lots of people fishing, shopping, eating, and hanging out in the various public spaces throughout the city. Izmir reminds me of its sister city Salonika (Thessaloniki) in Greece which we visited back in 2012, and they are not far apart. Reading my old blog post about Salonika, Izmir is much more pleasant. In the afternoon we met with school officials and the team to plan for the week ahead. In the late afternoon we wound our way through a huge, old market. We finished the day with an evening meal at the rooftop restaurant, Teras 1885.
The fish we ate last night was delicious. I need to try some lemon/garlic mussels that are on sale all along the boardwalk and markets. Turkish mosque architecture is my favorite Islamic architecture and I’ll be snapping a lot of photos of the domes and towers. It is more elegant and authentic looking than mosques in the Gulf Region and Central Asia.
I sense the secular culture and vibe of the city. I didn’t see many headscarves on women or skull caps on men. The city is a stronghold for the center-left political party CHP (Republican People’s Party) which is carrying on the secular traditions of Mustafa Kemel Atäturk. They are the main opposition to the ruling AK (Justice and Development) Party of President Erdoğon which is right-wing and socially conservative. I am enjoying getting to know the city.
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