2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip - Day 37, Izmir Foodie Experience But Sadly No Pictures Yet

Since we arrived yesterday, food has been a central focus. We started off with a lovely return to our love affair with Turkish Kebap (grilled food) for our first dinner at our hotel. It continued with a great breakfast. Then we drove to the third largest city in Turkey, Izmir where we did a combined visit to the old town bazaar district and food tour. It was a very nice day. Pretty chill with some good experiences, food, and photo ops.

If we were concerned about being in an Islamic country during the month of Ramadan, our fears were totally misplaced at least as far as this part of the country. Think of this area on the Aegean as being California...very liberal and secular. There is very, very little evidence of the religious focus we saw say in Jordan.

I actually have quite a few pictures to show you but unfortunately the internet here is exceedingly slow AND I can't access it from our room. I have to go to a common area that is outside. It's going to take a couple of hours for me to upload the pictures. As it is already fairly late in the evening, I've decided that I am going to adopt another strategy for doing the posts. When I get back from our touring tomorrow, I will start uploading today's pictures as soon as I get back. That should work but I will be running a day behind. Hopefully my editor will not assess me a fine!

2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip - Day 36, Moving On To Turkey

Wife and I are now in the little village of Kirazli outside the town of Kusadasi (there should be a little squiggle under the first 's' which makes the sound 'sh' but I can't find how to do it on Blogger. We are at the Ephesus Lodge Boutique Hotel which sits among a region of incredible fruit and produce growing and is a skip and jump from the historic city of Ephesus. We are going to be here for a week. The couple the run the hotel are also guides and are going to be taking us all around the Aegean area of Turkey.

Wife and I have been looking forward to returning to Turkey ever since our first, passionate visit to Istanbul three years ago. But the turmoil in the region, and security concerns caused us to avoid doing so. Then my partner in travel, The Count, went back a year ago and pronounced all the fears of the past as dead on arrival. So we added Turkey to our list for this trip.

In anticipation of coming after our experience in Jordan, I thought it would be prudent to find out what protocol was for being a good visitor during the Ramadan fasting season. I was told to not worry. Most people did not fast and there would be no problems eating or interacting with people.

We flew this morning from Thessaloniki the the nearest large city, Izmir flying on Turkish Airlines and connecting through Istanbul. Hats off to Turkish Airlines. Efficient on and off boarding. On time departure and arrival. Got to use my Star Alliance privileges to both get on board early and use a club. There was real honest to God food on both flights even though they were just over and hour long.                                                             

The Istanbul airport was nothing like Jordan. There was hardly a head covered woman in sight. Nor when we got to Izmir did we feel we were in a conservative, Islamic place. Our hosts when we arrived to the hotel treated us to a glass of wine when we arrived and were unpacked which they partook of as well. So much for expectations.

We ate dinner at the hotel and had our first 'kebab' of the trip. Kebab, as I've related previously just means 'grilled'. In this case it meant grilled meatballs. Wife and I have a love affair going on with real Turkish 'kebab' and this reminded us of why.

We start touring in earnest tomorrow. The internet at the hotel is not particularly good so pictures may be a bit sporadic.

2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip - Day 35, Recovering In Thessaloniki

We were so wiped out from the exertions of yesterday that we did a cursory few hours wandering around in the area near our apartment...and of that we spent about 40% of our time sitting down and eating stuff! After the photographic pyroclastic flow yesterday, I was lacking in inspiration today. Nor did I want to spend hours on the computer editing.

The Rotunda

This is a signature monument in Thessaloniki that was closed yesterday and is literally around the corner from our apartment

It as built in the 4th century right around the time of Constantine the Great as a monument and is only matched by the Parthenon in Rome in size

It was converted to a church shortly thereafter as the Eastern Roman Empire morphed into Byzantium

Its wall mosaics are early Byzantine and date from the 4th to the 6th century. You can tell by the themes that they are more imperial glorifying than religious as are ones that come later.

Approaching the Rotunda from the Arch of Galerius

During the Ottoman period it was converted to a mosque

The tower is the only remaining minaret in Thessaloniki

Entering the Rotunda

Detail of the mosaics

Also right across the street from our apartment was this church

It is not considered one of the 'famous' or 'significant' ones

But it was pretty cool nonetheless

Next we headed to the harbor to find the White Tower

But first we decided to have a coffee/hot chocolate/pastry break

We were looking for this specific pastry that people in Kalamata had said was a specialty

This isn't it but it was still yummy

We thought they were already filled when we ordered them

We thought we couldn't finish them all

We finished them all

The 'light of enlightenment' shines on our coffee and hot chocolate

The smaller one is a 'double Greek coffee with medium sugar', my go to coffee in Greece

 

The White Tower is another landmark

An Ottoman era defensive work, it was the scene of a massacre of Christian Janissary troops the rebelled during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820's 

It got its name because they had to whitewash the building to cover the blood stains...or so the story goes

By now our enthusiasm and energies were flagging

We ended up at Aristotelous Square

There were many very nice pillars there whose pictures didn't make the cut yesterday so I redid them

Using TripAdvisor we found a place for lunch

We were in the mood for seafood

It was good...not great but good and not expensive

The bread was excellent

Nothing wrong with the greens but the dressing was generic international balsamic overkill

Best dish of the meal by far

Fried potatoes with bacon and onions

Somehow the bacon was neither too fat nor too greasy and the potatoes stayed crisp

This rather insipid looking mass of over tomato flavored sauce hid a really nice, tender piece of octopus that I quite enjoyed

Wife had grilled sea bream

As always grilled fish is a good bet and this was very tasty

They gave us complimentary dessert

The pastry was just okay but there was a little jar of Greek yogurt with some dried cherry preserves that was really good. Unfortunately I did not take a picture

After this we staggered back to the apartment and chilled the rest of the day

BUT

SIGNS OF THE WORLD 

I'm sorry. I'm not sure if I really understand the concept of 'Angry Bread'

And what is 'Art Food'?

Do they give you food and you make art from it?

Is it food you are just supposed to look at?

Clearly I'm missing something

2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip -Thessaloniki Iron Man/Woman Day Photos

An epic day of picture taking

We went so many places I could not keep track of them

So I've assembled the day's experience into categories

 Wife - Photo Ninja Warrior

Prepared to take on the Challenge

Determined Guide

Named after a warrior

Ready to lead us forth

Cat

Not giving a shit

Old Stuff

Byzantine and Ottoman Era Fortress

Late Roman Empire 

Victory Gate

I came

I killed a bunch of people

I took the rest as slaves

I'm great

Let's have some games

Praise the Lord!

A Roman/Greek Theater

Must be three days since we've seen one...will NOT go through withdrawal after all

 

Byzantine Churches

Ottoman Hamams 

Muslim Saint Tombs

Locked out as we were many places because it was a national holiday

 

Vistas

Cityscapes

See the big old building?

Our apartment was just to the left and a bit toward the top of the picture

Cat not caring in the slightest

Thessaloniki is awash with color

And awash with washing

The love affair with Orthodox church art continues!

Some of the oldest in the city...note the Christ without a beard...a rarity

In catacombs, guides lurk

And a different style presents itself

The complete church experience

 

A cat who cares

And birds take notice

Studies of balconeys

Studies of art on the street - intentional and otherwise

 

A different kind of artist at work

Who consoles us during our rain delay

Thessaloniki

An incredible city

A tableau

A feast for the eyes and the mind

But before we go

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

Suspect this is NOT authorized by the Church