“It is always sad to leave a place to which one knows one will never return. Such are the melancolies du voyage: perhaps they are one of the most rewarding things about traveling.”
― Gustave Flaubert, Flaubert in Egypt: A Sensibility on Tour
If you can catch a sunrise …. Do! A splendid event, utterly nourishing to mind –body- soul. It’s my good fortune, that from the comfort of my tiny balcony, a partial sea/mountain view, I can witness her majesty greet each day.
The pilgrimage to the gym
I have not trained, save a few lowly days for a month, I miss training. After the daily essentials like breakfast, many cuppas and packing I march to the nearby beach at 6:30 am (not early enough though), a 15 min walk and I’m at a lovely spot on the main Datça Plajı, I take shelter behind a small bush, private and negates the sun completely. I spread a towel on the dewy sand and pebbles, I meditate, gaze, think, lie, play with two wet pooches that joined me (one stole my shoes and ran with it, the other chewed my towel and bag). How I miss having a pooch of my own. I bought some dog biscuits and food, to carry in my backpack at all times. I decided to lure one or two pooches in, I cannot own a dog now, I may not ever, but I can kinda adopt one, that would sleep outside the house, walk with me, go to the beach …etc.
I messaged Naz yesterday, Atesh seems to be doing better than I, happy within a family, a solitary hooman is not her cup of tea, I always knew that. I kept in touch with Naz, to keep tabs on Atesh of course, but also she was the only person I know in Istanbul who was “honestly” bothered by what happened to me, and helped. I did make it a point that I need no one’s assistance, still, but then I did not expect any different having lived in Istanbul and among its people for 14 months. So I dropped them all, less human baggage, nothing to drag behind, I am on a new journey, and I love to travel light in heart and soul.
I have also been inviting Naz to come visit. Yesterday I was surprised that she is actually considering joining me, her “old” rent jumped from 5000 to 15000. Now whether she will actually make the move or not, well my life experience tells me, people rarely take real steps outside what they are used to. I will do my best though.
Between me and the gym now is the length of Sevgi Yolu the scenic trail adjacent to the Plaj, where people walk, run, bike, hang …etc …
8:00 am it’s already brimming with walkers and swimmers. A few new stalls stood up, as well as a new Belediyesi Sosyal Tesis (there is the main one next to the marina). I like those places, it has a different vibe, for 5 tl you enjoy a cup of tea, and live like a real local. The Belediyesi Sosyal Tesis is also where I can catch Saiym any day, which reminds me to go check on him soon.
With relish and ease, I sip my “paket” cup of tea, engaging in the globally favorite activity of people watching, trying not to ogle too much at the athletic hot hunks running or biking.
Before I head to the gym I buy an oat and nut bar for some extra energy boost, I don’t need it of course, but ya know, fresh air inspires a sweet tooth.
I walk inside the gym to renew my monthly subscription and the price has hiked up, to 770 TL, shocked with a hint of anger, I tell them this is way too expensive and leave. I paid 560 tl last month which I have not used – not their fault – but to pay this amount of money for a tiny inadequate gym reluctant to give their clients a decent service by turning the AC on, is expensive idiocy.
However it did not ruin my day at all, I had a feeling something else will come up, I did my shopping, loaded my backpack with kilos of stuff, and decided to walk home instead. A hilly 40-50 minutes’ walk under the now scorching hot sun passes as a hike, I’ll have to contend with this now, and tomorrow is a new day!
Rewind 8 days back!
At home in Smyrna
The Dolmuş halts, in the middle of traffic y’all, with the glee of a 6-year-old, the driver shouts out something and then jumps out of the bus. At once everyone rushes to the – none open – windows smacking their noses/ foreheads on the glass. I did not flinch, it’s either a fight or an accident, either way, I’m not interested.
I get off at the city center. I had no plans but I knew Alsancak is where I wanna stay. I find a small but neat pansiyon. I book two nights (it's almost evening now) I need to shower, wash my clothes, get my hands on some internet connection to check on work as well as decide what's next ...etc
My room faces a packed, noisy alley and so I get little sleep. The room came with breakfast, and I could not be happier that for two days I will not shop/ cook and clean. A frugal spread, but combine 5 hardboiled eggs with some cheese, butter, and veggies and you are good to go for a few hours.
Breakfast check, first destination: the sea ... let's Kordon!
It’s just as difficult to imagine an Istanbul without the Bosphorus, as Izmir without its iconic promenade, stretching from Cumhuriyet Meydanı to Alsancak to Konak Meydanı. It is LOVELY, grassed, has bicycle and walking paths, and is lined with bars, cafes, and restaurants.
I strolled Kordon back and forth, savoring the sights, smells, and feels. It reminded me somehow of Istanbul, and I felt a bit nostalgic. The water here is not pristine, a little polluted, and at times smelly but beautiful just the same. I did not ask Izmir and its waters to be anything else, it is not Istanbul, it is not Datca, it is what it is and I loved it!
So how was it being in a big city after this time?
In an instant, Izmir being quite familiar felt like home, however, I have come to realize that familiarity and truth are not one and the same. I’ll just say I left Izmir with no doubt in my mind that at least for now (unless it was a vacation), I ain’t doing those big cities. However, I enjoyed my time there to the ABSOLUTE MAX.
I walked .... that's what I did. 12 hours/ full day. unguided, clueless carefree walking, interrupted only by a cup of coffee and lunch. Funny thing I was able to get back to my rooms nice and easy. It appears to me – and I have no other interpretation – that hiking has heightened my navigation skills, so throughout my trip, I will always know the location by heart and no matter how far I stray, I end up going back to my room as if I did that a million times before.
Walking is the best way not only to really explore a city but to immerse yourself in the culture. This method of travel may be weird and tedious at first, as you may feel clueless or missing out or wasting your time, but take my word for it, there is no better way to submerge in a place and drink up its vibe than to be in the midst of it even if nothing important was happening. However, there were two places I specifically wanted to visit and those were Konak old pier and Hisar Cami.
I wanted to visit the first because it was designed by Gustave Eiffel, yep, the same architect dude who designed the Eiffel Tower (Paris has been on my bucket list since I was a kid because I had this weird fascination with the Louvre, there was one time I bought tickets and booked hotels but could not go), and the Cami, because beautifully designed places of worship are a fascination of mine.
Old town Izmir/ Konak
Izmir is also where I made my only shopping throughout this whole trip. I found a cute bookstore in Konak’s old pier that sells English language books. I was spoiled for choice as there were so many titles I was looking forward to reading, I just cannot carry more than one, so I ended up buying a thriller – I dig that genre- and it was a book for one of my absolute favorite authors; Jo Nesbø , a Norwegian writer and a king of the genre, whom I read the majority of books. And the book delivers, it accompanies me throughout my trip.
One last honorable mention is a book market I came across totally by chance, I guess it's a matter of we attract what we like/ who we really are.
Of course, there was so much more to those 12 hours than what I have mentioned but I think that suffices. I left Izmir content, I say farewell Izmir, was nice meeting you!
To be continued .....