Izmir

Tonight’s missive is from the bar of the hotel overlooking the water of Izmir bay.

Very pleasant but I feel a bit out of place in my thongs and grubby dress…it’s a posh hotel. As I said I’ve been pretty good budget wise and living within my means but the last 3 places I booked something got into me and caution has been thrown to the wind a bit…then you end up feeling like an inferior scruff. Not that anyone suggests that of course.

Well, where did I end up last night. Was just about to go out to dinner. Next thing I know one of the managers of the hotel insists that I go hone to her house for dinner. Honestly they are so sweet. She lived in a small, totally ancient house and under the house are thousands of years of human life. It was amazing. Her husband had cooked up a storm and had even gone out and bought a bottle of red wine!! So that was a treat.

It really is so true that there are treats in unexpected places when you travel alone because things like that don’t happen if you are more than one.

So left my lovely little hotel this morning. Walked down to the train station and for the first time tried out the train system. That was a slight shock. No reserved seats here and a bun fight as everyone pushed ahead to grab a seat. Not me!! Oh shit I was standing and this was an hour and a half ride. But this is Turkey and it wasn’t too long before a lovely man gave me his seat. That was lovely!!

Arrived in Izmir. Not too far to my hotel thought I and off I trotted. My little case is a treasure and keeps rolling along over cobbles, broken roads etc. but my bloody bag over my shoulder is quite another story. Everything but the kitchen fucking sink is in it. Now I’m just loving Goldfinch to pieces but god will I be glad to finish it. It weighs a goddam ton and combined with the LPG, camera, wallet of preciousness, purse, camera etc. all miraculously stuffed in my bag it nearly kills me. A lovely Australian tourist I ran into said when you think of the cost of some things, we made very bad decisions for very little money…brought to mind Egypt, heh Ham!! Anyway I got the the hotel and the concierge guy found it very hard to believe I had a booking. He did laugh when I said I knew I didn’t look as if I did!

Well wouldn’t you know it, my first mission was to get a bus ticket to Istanbul for Monday. So I enquired where the booking offices were….back up near the Train Station. So I took a deep breath and back I went. Much easier with Goldfinch happily resting in the hotel!!

Then I spent a lovely afternoon strolling around the Bazaar. Eating!!

Now my ‘little problems’ have settled, I’ve got a terrible desire to eat!! So first a pide type yummy thing with everyone stopping to chat to me in whatever language they could muster. Then a most delicious fresh, homemade ice cream. Whenever I eat ice cream I have Chris in my ear. She would have been ashamed of the gelati I was eating in Anatalya. All brightly coloured and fluffed up….not the thing at all!!

Different kettle of fish today…what Chris would be pleased about is what I learnt in the process of getting my diploma!

The thing about Izmir is that it seems to be such a mix. People who would be absolutely at home in Brunswick or Fitzroy Streets combined with the fully traditional. It has a reputation for being ver liberal and very ‘cool’.

So after the bazaar and my pide + ice cream I made my way down to the pier and a just too! too cool bar. I had a couple of glasses of wine at Fitzroy Street prices and a tapas dish (they even asked if I would like my red chilled or room temperature..wow)..more money than I’ve spent in the last week in that pleasant little sojourn. You know how I said there were advantages of travelling alone…well there are also times when I would desperately love to have you (or a friend) with me and times like that are those times!!

Back to my swish hotel and being vaguely out of place. Came down to the bar to have a glass of wine ( straight out of the fridge and very oxidised) to write my daily missive that keeps me feeling in touch with you all.

This is a boomer and will bore the pants off everyone.

And I forgot to say that one of the disadvantages of wearing thongs about is getting cigarette butts caught between your toes, you can imagine what that does to me as I desperately try to remove them!!