Izmir: hard to love, hard to leave

Turkey's Aegean coast sure does attract a lot of travellers for a lot of reasons. The apple of the proverbial coast's eye is of course Antalya, stock-full of resorts, beaches, restaurants and nightclubs. Izmir is different though. Many say it's a hard city to love, simply because it's so modern, lacking the historical charm that cities like Istanbul have a lot of.

You may not love it at first, but after a little time you'll start to see why it's such a hard city to leave. This is mostly due to one thing: the city mayor. Mister Ahmet Piriştina effectively scrapped urban developer's plans to build a free way along the coast and instead turned the area into a bustling pedestrian area. He is a man that still believes in the "little people" rather than money.

Local hero: Check
Pedestrian friendly seaside: Check
Old historical centre: "uhh..."

Not so fast on that one. I said the city is modern but there is still hope for finding a trendy and very charming café or tea house in Izmir and that's in Alsancak, the older part of the city that is currently being totally restored back to it's old charm. Actually, it really reminds me of something off of a Greek island and the new restaurants and bars planned to move in should be just the thing this city needs.

Spare a day or two to visit Izmir on your Balkan tour or if you're on your way further down the coast. Here are a few "must-have" experiences that every Izmir visitor should have:

• Jog/walk/run/loiter along the city's waterfront

• Take in the views of the Kadifekale castle (yes that's right Izmir has a castle)

• Shop at the bazaar where you'll find everything from colourful songbirds, wedding dresses, spices, grilled meats, dried fruits and glass lanterns

• Sip a Turkish coffee after an inevitably exhausting shopping trip

• Soak in the local luxuries at a hamam, for a few extra Euro you can get a massage as well

• Dine like the divine at waterfront restaurant or a small family-run place near the bazaar

I'd recommend starting in Izmir and then heading down along the coast towards Antalya and other such places. It'd be a shame to miss this diamond in the ruff, it is after all Turkey's third largest city! You can find flights with Onur Air, take a train or go the slow route... by bus. It's up to you but if you do happen upon Izmir, let me know!

[I'm convinced black and white photography can make any city look good, these all come from Ronn ashore on flickr]

Some first thoughts on Turkey

I put it on my list of resolutions so I figured I would start to think about this possible vacation destination Turkey. From what I've read so far is that Isanbul, being the capital, is the easiest place to start from. Finding out if there are cheap flights to Turkey was easy and its a good option since the buses and trains can be slow and have hold-ups at the border. In particular Sultanahmet where some of the city's major sights and monuments are located near each other. From the main square, the Blue Mosque and the Haghia Sophia are both a stone's throw away. There are thousands of years worth of history in this square kilometre alone, its incredible even though I live in Budapest at how much this area is saturated in politics, culture and world-changing events. You can just breathe history here. From here it is easy to explore the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.

I realize the more I travel that not only does the capital city not give a real representation of the country as a whole but that most of the really touristy sights also don't represent the capital city. They are mandatory to visit in my opinion, usually just to see what the hype is all about, but it is certain that tourists crowd the Blue Mosque and that they outnumber the locals at the Grand Bazaar. I like to get to know the locals when I travel and to do this I usually have to find the more outer districts of the city and lose myself in neighborhoods where English-speakers are harder to find.

Balkinology, a travel site, suggests taking a walk along the south shore of the Golden Horn from Galata Bridge. Checking out Fener and Balat will be helpful too in getting a more realistic and cultured impression of Istanbul. The city walls were built in the fifth century and it is possible to trace them along the outskirts of the city. I can't even imagine how long it took to build them and by how many men.
Another site I think is a must-see especially for art-lovers and architect admirers is the Church of Saviour in Chora which has frescoes in classic Byzantine style.Thinking about travelling again is exciting, especially to a location like Turkey which is really geographically close but can feel so exotic at the same time.