A traveller's reflection: 2016 Aegean Sea Trip: 02 Izmir, Turkey

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Tuesday, 26 April 2016

2016 Aegean Sea Trip: 02 Izmir, Turkey

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions..."

(Konak Square, Izmir)

Day 02: Friday, 15 April 2016

Izmir, Turkey

Izmir is a city on Turkey’s Aegean coast. Used to be known as Smyrna, it was conquered by Alexander the Great and the Ottoman Empire, and retains landmarks from its long, rich history. It is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia and the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is one of the most westernized cities in Turkey. İzmir's metropolitan area extends along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir and inland to the north across the delta of the Gediz River, to the east along an alluvial plain created by several small streams and to a slightly more rugged terrain in the south.

(Welcome to the city of Izmir)

(Passing the suburb of Izmir)

(Highway entering the busy city)

(Driving to the attraction sites)

(A busy port for containers and ferries)

(The view of the city from the harbour)

(One of the many monuments along the water front)

(A highway leading to nowhere)

Konak Square, Izmir

Konak Square is a busy square at the southern end of Atatürk Avenue in the Konak district of İzmir, Turkey. The square is the busiest part of the city, as Konak is the main place of İzmir. The square is named after the Vali Konağı, the Governor's Mansion of İzmir Province, which is located here.

Most of this busy square is occupied by the Governorate of İzmir Province, the City Hall of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the Central Bus Station, and the Yalı Mosque. At the center of the square is the İzmir Clock Tower, an old landmark built in 1901. The square is also near Kemeraltı, İzmir's major bazaar district. At the southern end of the square is the Cultural Centre of Ege University, which includes an opera house, a music academy, and a museum of modern art.

(Konak Square detail maps)

(The many attractions around the square)

(The Izmir Clock Tower)

(The Yali Mosque)

(Izmir City Hall and Municipality Building)

(A Turkish bagel stall)

(Local scene: a homeless man)

(Monuments and sculptures around the square)

(Konak Square Metro Station)

(Shaded pathway around the square)

(Peaceful picketing in Konak Square)

After visiting Konak Square, we had an early lunch at Yusuf Restaurant which has a nice view of the city and the sea. After lunch we continued our journey to Kusadasi about an hour drive from Izmir.