More on Izmir, and Other Adventures

Rathaus, Munich

As much as I am loving Izmir, I have been lucky enough to leave twice in the last few weeks. First off, I headed north to Munich for three days over Christmas. I ice-skated, drank gluhwein (hot wine/cider) and bundled up to stroll along with other jolly visitors through the Christmas Market. Excessively bundled, as it turned out - Munich was unseasonably warmer than Izmir, so not exactly a winter wonderland. But the decorations and music and holiday atmosphere and good cheer did the trick. On Christmas eve I ducked in to St. Michael's cathedral (cathedral!) to hear the choir and symphony (symphony!) for a beautiful and surreal Christmas experience, then spent Christmas day getting sloshed at a pub - drinking Hacker-Pschorr Helles by the half-litre and munching on (the best) schnitzel (ever). My hotel boasted a sauna and rainforest showers, so I closed the night by sweating it out and woke up completely rejuvenated to bakery-fresh stuffed-buns. 

The few days between Christmas and last weekend's trip saw celebrating new year's eve with quite a large group of North-American's at the Hansen's. We did pot-luck appys and a beer-pong tournament, saw the fireworks, did the countdown, blew our noisemakers etc etc... generally having a very good time. 

Goreme - town of 100 cave hotels

And then! A fellow Winnipeger had been here for about 6 weeks and we decided it was about time we did some touring. So we booked a trip to Cappadocia. This region of Turkey has seen an influx of tourists from 1/2 million annually 10 yrs ago to a whopping 34mill! It looks like star wars (or the moon), and if you like amazing views, delicious food and history-rich tours, this is the place. Some highlights: 1. the snowstorm that delayed our 2. balloon flight over the 3. fairy caves, all before our 4. ready-upon-arrival breakfast. Then the 5. 4000yr old tunnels we got to climb through, and the 6. silent and deserted wilderness monasteries we visited. 

ABC - another bloody cave

We were one of 3 booked rooms in cave hotel of 8 (that's right, cave hotel)(Nostalji, if you're interested) and the service was premium - I already mentioned the ready and waiting meals, but also they folded our pj's while we were out. We toured with a wonderful couple from Rio who invited us to visit, and a thoroughly educated tour guide who humoured our energetic photo-taking, snowball fights, and myriad of relevant (and not-so) questions. I have never 'done a tour' like this before - every step from arrival to departure was arranged ahead of time - and it really was an outstanding way to do activities, learn a ton, see everything, and eat the most tasty food I have had since coming to this country. 

Here's a couple quick Izmir-life fun-fact's from my last few weeks: 

1. The water here is hard. Hard water - though not unique to Izmir, granted, is brutal. It makes dishes streaky, white laundry yellow, all laundry stiff, and hair and skin simultaneously greasy and dry. It is actually good for you to drink though, as you get your daily dose of calcium and magnesium! (here however, the water system is so old that the pipes contaminate otherwise healthy water, so we only use it for washing or cooking.) I now wash my face only with bottled water that we have delivered. Which makes me sound like a diva, but isn't as dramatic as it sounds - everyone has those 4 gallon jugs delivered (we have a little hand pump to put in the top) and we just call the water boy every couple weeks to trade for refills. 


2. There are little shops all over that sell juice and tost (and a couple other snacks). You pick your fruit from the display (or by name, Atom = all fruits) and they blend it for you, and serve it with a karasik tost (mixed toast) which is a tomato-salami-grilled-cheese on fresh bread, all for 6 lira (~$4). There is one just across the street from the gym and we (and most of arkas athletes and staff) are devout regulars. 



3. Another food note: breakfast  is kahvalti, which is little dishes of olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, wieners, (they love their wieners here) cheeses and all kinds of spreads: often nutella, a jam or two, this mystery sesame stuff that I love, and honey (or a honeycomb), along with a boiled egg and a bottomless bread basket. And also lots of tea, as always. 


4. Again on food: there is a tradition here - from what I understand, it is for the 10th anniversary of a loved one's passing - where people give out fresh minidonuts. I have heard the rumors, and this morning I enjoyed my first memorial-stand free donuts :) 

PS: Here's another tune, also very popular, also not Turkish: Alex Ferrari - Bara Bere