Escape to Izmir, Part 2

This trip is starting to fade in my memory, and I keep thinking of other things I want to post about, so I better finish this up. We'll see if the photos decide to cooperate with me this time.

The day after Ephesus was museum day. Izmir has both an ethnographic and an archaeological museum, right next to each other. We started at the ethnographic museum, which is free, and has some really beautiful stuff, like wedding outfits and inlaid wooden shoes (ouch!).

The archaeological museum was equally cool, with the addition of a few creepy items, like this floaty bust with vacant eyes.

The best part was the garden outside, where they've randomly scattered some artifacts that apparently didn't fit in the museum itself. They're just out there for people to look at, sit on, use as pedestals while they pretend to be statues... Seriously, these things have to be over a thousand years old, and no one seemed to care that we were sitting and/or standing on them!

We walked up the hill - a rather frightening task in itself, considering the hairpin turns on the road - and attempted to visit the toy museum, but it was closed. We did get to see several sculptures outside, like the one in the picture. As near as I can tell, the 3 figures on the right are mocking the ones circling the tree because they're tied together and can never escape - they'll just keep going around and around the tree forever.

During our bus tour, we had passed the site of some ruins called Agora, which looked pretty amazing from the road, so we decided to check it out. Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of any of the informational signs, so I don't remember the details, but I actually liked this site better than Ephesus. I also met two lovely young girls who asked me to take their picture, then followed me around the ruins for about a half hour. I kept waiting for them to ask me for money or something, but they seemed quite happy to just be my shadows for a bit.

One of our goals the whole week was to go to a shop that specializes in the evil eye jewelry that everyone wears here. We finally managed to find the place, but it was closed. We tried again the next day - still closed. Finally, on our last day in Izmir, we got lucky, and it was definitely worth it! This is apparently the shop where all the other shops get their supplies. It was absolutely filled with beads, necklaces, bracelets, wall hangings, anything you could imagine to chase off evil spirits. It was a little tricky to walk around, because there were beads all over the floor, hanging from the ceiling, and everywhere else they could conceivably put them.


















Sadly, the trip came to an end, and I had to return to Malatya. Rather than taking a taxi or the usual airport shuttle, one of the workers at the hotel offered to drive me for the same cost as a taxi, but asked me not to tell his boss. He's got himself a little side job, but he's probably not supposed to be making money off the hotel guests. I was happy to help him out, and to get a chance to ask about something I'd seen on the way in from the airport - there's a giant bust of Ataturk carved into the side of the hill on the outskirts of town. Think Mt. Rushmore, but bigger. He confirmed for me that it is, indeed, the father of Turkey, and it's only been there a few years. I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but if you happen to fly into Izmir, you'll definitely see it on your way into town.

So that was my journey to Izmir. Very enjoyable, and I can recommend a great hotel if you're planning a trip there!