[Travelogue] Turkey Trip, Day 2 part 1 | Izmir, Ottoman Clock Tower and Basilica of St. John :)
By Lasmarya Hadi Purwanto - July 07, 2016
11th June 2016
Woke up at 5.30, morning call at 6, baggage pickup and breakfast at 7, and set out again at 8.
Saying goodbye to the beautiful Iris Hotel at Canakkale.
Served with great views of Canakkale Strait on the way to next city. Super in love with the scenery <3<3
Definitely not the kind of blue we get to see everyday right? :)
Our tour leader played the movie "Troy" for the whole road trip to Izmir, so that we could understand better the story line behind the Trojan Horse the day before. The road trip took several hours and we made a stop during the lunch time at Bergama Restaurant in Pergammon, and met a lot of fellow tourists from other countries who were making a lunch stop too.
After the lunch, we continued the bus ride for another one hour then we finally reached the city of Izmir. According to our local tour guide, Izmir is well-known for its beautiful and handsome citizens. He said if you want to find "bebek" (or "beautiful girls" in Turkish), then Izmir is the right place. Izmir is the third most populous city in Turkey after Istanbul and Ankara, and it is one of the most westernized cities in Turkey. The people in Izmir look more like European than Asian or Arabian. Our tour guide also mentioned Turkish like to live near sea, which is why Istanbul and Izmir are so much populated (Istanbul with the Istanbul and Canakkale Strait while Izmir with its Izmir Bay). And being in a such strategic location means the rent in these cities are higher than others.
The main tourist spot near Izmir Bay is the Ottoman Clock Tower or Izmir Clock Tower. This clock tower was a gift from a German Emperor for Abdul Hamid II, the 34th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
While others were busy taking pictures with the clock tower, we're busy playing with the birds.
*shakes head *so random
The little girl was so cute, that I couldn't help myself from recording her XD
The Turkish government built the sidewalk for the citizens to walk and cycle along the bay. How thoughtful is that, it's like encouraging the people to take more steps to get healthier. And the government are building the tram-way on the side of the bay too. With the view like that, I'm sure people will more likely to ride a tram to commute in the future. Cool idea to attract visitors as well?
From Izmir, we headed to Selcuk.
The view along the way to Selcuk!
In Selcuk, there lies the Basilica of St. John and his believed burial site. Based on what the tour guide said, St. John was one of Jesus Christ's disciple that He entrusted to save Virgin Mary and bring her to city of Ephesus. St. John lived in Ephesus till the end of his life.
"It is traditionally believed that John was the youngest of the apostles and survived them. He is said to have lived to an old age, dying at Ephesus sometime after AD 98."-Wikipedia
More about St. John, click here .
Having fun with the fellow tour members! One of the reasons why this trip has been sooooo exciting! :)
Just a few minutes from the Basilica, we were taken to a souvenir shop at the centre of Selcuk. It is called Mozaik Lokum. It sells what Turkey is famous for: Olive Oil (for cooking, skin care and even for hair!), Turkish Delight, Turkish Tea, Turkish Coffee etc.
The owner is a very friendly man, who is also super duper humorous! He kindly explained everything to us, and gave us a lot of useful information. That Turkish Delight is made in three type of qualities, the first one, or the best one, is made of honey; the second grade is made of sugar, while the third grade is the recycled version. That olive oil is really good for our health and our skin. And he also produces his own olive oil line, based on inherited family recipe. On top of everything, he gave us huge discount! Really huge!
(The owner)
(He's even willing to make weird faces with us haha)
Eittss, the day hasn't ended yet, stay tune for the part 2! See ya very soon! :)
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