After a tiredness from Saturday, I woke up with a forced air. On the one hand, the promises and excitement felt, on the other hand, the warmth of the bed.
I look at the clock with one eye while having breakfast. I have to leave as soon as possible or I will be late.
After eating the torrential rain of the previous day, it is a pleasure to encounter a sunny weather.. The bus arrives without delay.. I am in Alsancak at the end of a 40-minute journey.
We are at Chios Island Cafe, which takes its name from 8 miles away from Çeşme.. Our guest from Istanbul and our friends from Izmir are chatting in a pleasant way.. I realized that I was in the right place with the sound of “Buğra is coming”.
A few more guests are added to the pleasant chat and the conversation gets longer. We say let’s set off before it gets dark and rainy.
The goal is a short Izmir Tour in a short time to realize. After the route drawn in the minds, exiting Chios Island. After walking for a while, we take the first left turn and come across Notre Dame Church.
Those who hope for a Sunday mass and visit hopes for another spring.. Because almost all of the churches, which are outnumbered in İzmir, unfortunately did not accept visitors.
After reaching Alsancak’s famous Cyprus Martyrs Street, we start walking by observing the surroundings.. Those who want to enjoy the sun on Sunday are walking in Alsancak.
The first place we will see according to our itinerary is Kızlarağası Inn.. For this purpose, we take a taxi and get off in front of Konak Pier.. We look towards Konak Pier from the entrance of Fevzipaşa Street and talk about the past of the building.
We start walking towards the Kızlarağası Inn with great excitement.. After a few photos we took in front of the old buildings on the road, we come to the Kızlarağası Inn.. While we were about to turn our backs to the inn with the word “closed” of the security guard who was playing backgammon, our sister Enise said, “A friend came from Istanbul, can we take a quick look?” We find ourselves inside the inn with the question.
The quiet state of the historical inn, built in the first half of the 1700s, is illuminated by our curious eyes.. Once again, we are lucky enough to come across the only quiet day of the historical place, which is impossible to step on due to the busy weekdays.
We realize that we are wrong when we think that the silence of Sunday will also be reflected in Kemeraltı.. We are having a hard time amongst the crowd who are in a rush for holiday shopping until we reach Havra Street. Havra Street, where cheap shopping is made, became thin after the decision to expropriate it with the “Agora Restoration Project” and the disappearance of many shops.
While walking with the smell of fish, I begin to describe our next stop, Agora.
I have a habit of taking every guest who comes to Izmir to Agora. Agora, which I had the chance to encounter in primary school, is one of the rare historical areas in İzmir that we can reach on foot. disruptive. At the end of the street, at the intersection of a park and street and Agora, we see Agora Coffeehouse in the middle. The police are constantly observing at the door with the uneven construction and the series of negative events resulting from it.. We reach the entrance gate while the young people from the neighborhood watch the passersby.
When the black mustache civil servant sitting in a place like a guard’s hut said that the entrance is 3 TL, we give our money and commemorate the day. We buy our entrance tickets, which we will keep.
I start to examine Agora, which I have visited many times, from a different perspective.. The wide spacious area that welcomes us after we go down the stairs and the crooked life behind the iron bars around the area!
The Agora is almost a liberated region…
We approach the sides of the pillars and watch the surroundings. Meanwhile, an old cat comes to us and accompanies us.
We go down the columns and look at the Smyrna Fountain among the historical ruins.
Excavations have been going on for many years in this very cool area. The excavation could not progress much, as its surroundings were occupied by residences and even multi-storey car parks.. Thank God, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality stepped in and started the expropriation works.. After a short while, Agora will lean on the street.
After ending our Agora tour, the next stop is Kibariyeleri, Bergenleri Ikicesmelik that reveals it!
Because my mother’s aunt lives in an old Greek house in İkiçeşmelik, I can’t help but see her house.
We start walking, or rather climbing, in İkiçeşmelik, whose streets are full of music 24 hours a day.. Thousands of rubbish, fruit peels and mud-covered streets, people running around and chaos.
We are aware of the gazes directed at us, but we try to avoid eye contact with anyone as much as possible.
Our aunt, who is watching our way at the window, opens the door. While the guests enter the house with curious looks, I start a conversation with my aunt.. Meanwhile, guests are inspecting every part of the house along with the garden.. From the shelves in the kitchen to the lemon tree in the garden, we are walking around the house, which contains its experiences.
After kissing Aunt Nermin, keep climbing on the side streets!
Even though we get angry with a few people who realize that we are strangers, a child carrying a pigeon in his hand breaks this negative atmosphere at once.
“Can you take a picture of my sister?” With the innocent look on her face, Melis takes a picture of the child.
The child continues. “Where will the photo be, is it in the newspaper?”
We hold the address of the website and continue on our way.. Four little ones are blocking our way with a photo request.. A few frames with them…
As we bid farewell to the unique life of İkiçeşmelik, we are coming to a new place that smells of history for İzmir.
We are in the Historic Elevator built in the 1910s. From this vantage point overlooking Izmir, we watch the bay and a bit of Konak.. It even looks like velvet.
However, we encounter an unexpected situation.. Elevator Restaurant, which we thought we could feed our hungry stomachs, was closed.
After succumbing to despair, we enjoy the view and take the historical elevator down to Dario Moreno Street.
After seeing the house where Dario Moreno lived, we take a walk over 200 meters, crossing the street that was turned into a sieve by the works of the municipality.
We enter the PTT House, thinking that the 150th Anniversary PTT House may be a solution for us when we are trying to fill our stomachs.
We think about what we will do when we hear that the restaurant of the PTT House is closed when signs of fatigue begin.
While we are all hungry and have been walking for a long time, we have to find a solution immediately, while the meaninglessness in our eyes worth seeing.
A short pointless glance then we move towards dinner. We are getting closer to the end of the day as the pizzas we ate in Göztepe Recis, where we took a taxi, increase the consistency of the conversation that followed.
The meeting that started in Alsancak; It continues in Kemeraltı, Agora, İkiçeşmelik, Elevator, and ends with a meal in Göztepe.
