We arrived from Munich on a sunny afternoon in Izmir. After clearing customs we picked up our vehicle - a very nice Nissan Qashqai with deluxe everything. Driving to the city center we settled in at the Swisshotel, a five star property in the middle of the city with very close proximity to the shore. We had a garden view room which was quiet and peaceful. The first thing we did was take a swim in the pool and relax with the other holiday guests around the blue oasis.
We met Ozgur and Fatmanur Kabadurmus after some wine in the Executive Lounge and headed for dinner which involved a pleasant walk on the kordon, the seafront. Waiting for us was very old friend Fatih Tasgetiren and some of his students. We enjoyed lamb and wine and then took a taxi home.
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| With Fatmanur and Ozgur in the Swisshotel gardens |
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| On the kordon of Izmir |
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| Sunset over the "Pearl of the Aegean" |
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| At dinner with meze and salad |
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| Always happy to be in Izmir and to be reunited with former students |
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| Fatih never changes |
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| Carving the roast lamb - this was the first of two lamb dishes - wow! |
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| Fatih brought several students and we enjoyed getting to know them a little - we also had a good sea view from the table |
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| Our dinner spot - recommended for eating well in Izmir at a beautiful seaside location |
The next day was an active one with an excursion to Cesme, about an hour away, after breakfast. Students Gokhan Ozden and Alejandro Teran met us at the Swisshotel and we drove to Cesme where we boarded our traditional boat. This boat took us to three stops for swimming and one was an island (Donkey Island) where we could walk around. The Aegean was perfect to swim in - cool but not frigid. When not swimming we lounged on pillows on board and soaked up the sun and the sea air. We met a Canadian medical student from north Ontario, Adrian, and adopted him for the day. Lunch was fresh grilled fish (grilled on the beach) with salad and Efes beer.
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| Our ship for the day |
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| Alejandro and Gokhan hang out before the sailing trip begins |
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| Lounging in our appointed ship location on huge pillows |
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| Gokhan jumps in - I only went the safe way down the ladder |
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| Alejandro emerges from underwater after his jump in |
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| The crew fries fresh fish (and chicken) on the island near the first stop |
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| Lunch on board - pretty delicious! |
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| Alejandro and I enjoyed Efes to go along with lunch |
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| The clear water at the third stop - the "Donkey Island" |
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| The gang with the ship in the background at Donkey Island |
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| These sweet donkeys are a feral group left from olden days and are now corralled and cared for |
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| Combining a sea trip with animal viewing is a good combination for me |
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| A lone goat was also with the donkeys |
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| The beach on Donkey Island |
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| Swimming from the beach |
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| Randy didn't swim but he still enjoyed the day |
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| Because it was too windy we could not go to our planned fourth stop of a large island cave but instead the crew turned off the motor and let us cruise by sail only for a while |
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| Putting up the main sail |
Returning to Cesme we drove to a nearby village to meet Yunus Alp, who was driving from Didem to Bursa, for dinner. We dined on kebap and wine in the garden finished by kunefe in the garden (for the men). A really nice evening especially meeting up with Yunus. The evening was capped off with yet more food (second dinner) in the garden of Gokhan's father's townhouse in Izmir. His stepmother fed us kisir (my favorite salad), borek and desserts and we enjoyed the nighttime coolness. Traffic even at midnight was heavy getting back to the city center since it was a Sunday night and we dropped Adrian near his hostel before heading to our hotel.
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| At dinner - kebap and salad and pilav and bread - the standards |
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| Canadian visitor Adrian was a nice addition to our group for the day |
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| Yunus is such a special friend! |
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| Keyif |
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| The garden setting was perfect even if the kebap was not the finest |
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| Gokhan with father and stepmother at Casa Ozden |
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| Second dinner of kisir, borek and desserts including an amazing tiramisu |
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| My favorite - this time in a stylish molding - kisir - bulgur salad |
The morning was relaxed - I had a meeting with the hotel staff and Fatih to discuss our upcoming conference bid and then Randy and I walked around the downtown to stretch our legs. I got my dusty black Crocs cleaned up very nicely from a street shoe shiner. We drove to Yasar University where I had a meeting with the Rector (along with Fatih and his colleagues and Gokhan) while Randy caught up on campus with former Auburn student Omer Ozturkoglu. After the business, we relaxed again in the Executive Lounge before heading for dinner.
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| Along the kordon |
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| Selfie at the clock tower |
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| Randy got a snack of doner and ayran from a street stand |
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| The friendly guy who shined my Crocs (who knew that Crocs could be shined?) that spoke my bad Turkish to |
Monday dinner was an Auburn University reunion of sorts
with Gultekin Ozdemir and his family driving up from Kusadasi where they
were vacationing. Gokhan had arranged a big table overlooking the sea
at Bostanli Pier and the setting was glorious. We ate fresh fish and
chatted energetically.
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| Proud father Gultekin with his pretty wife and daughters drove up from Kusadasi |
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| Fatmanur and Ozgur |
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| Hipster Murat Fadiloglu from Yasar University |
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| Fatih enjoyed himself as usual |
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| Happy to see Gultekin after more than two years |
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| The Ozdemir ladies - Ayse, Ayca and Eda |
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| Thanks to Gokhan for arranging a perfect place and negotiating a good price |
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| I enjoyed the reunion immensely |
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| Family portrait |
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| Sunset from Bostanli Pier - beautiful! |
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| Auburn reunion dinner at Bostanli Pier in Izmir |
The next morning, after another fantastic breakfast buffet from the Swisshotel, we drove to Casa Kabadurmus for a look around this young couple's new place and to pick up Alejandro, who had spent the night there, for the start of our road trip westwards.
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| Casa Kabadurmus can be found on the top floor of this Izmir building in the Bornova district |
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| The happy couple in their immaculate living room - expecting a daughter to join them in another month |
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| A parting drink of fresh lemonade before heading out from Izmir on the balcony at Casa Kabadurmus |
