Cruisin' Together: Turkey
When we stopped in Turkey, most of the ship's passengers journeyed to Ephesus, an ancient Roman city. After seeing the Coliseum, the Temple of Zeus, and the Acropolis, Jesse and I decided that we didn't really need to see any more ruins. (The Temple of Artemis - another of the Seven Wonders of the World - was at Ephesus, so we missed the chance to check another of those off the list.) So that left us to walk around the port city of Izmir. Most cruise ships on their way to Ephesus stop at the port of Kusadasi. In the guide book I had, there was a lot of information on how to get from there to Ephesus, and what to do in Kusadasi if you don't want to go to Ephesus. Under Izmir, it only said, "Also, sometimes cruise ships stop in Izmir." There was no tourist info, no itinerary. We were really on our own.
This turned out to be one of the best days. The first thing we came across was the Kültürpark, a really nice, green area with an amusement park (called Lunapark, like Coney Island!) inside. It took us a while to figure out how to buy tickets for the rides because no one spoke English. I finally felt like I was doing something non-touristy. Jesse got me onto a Ferris wheel, and from the top we looked out onto the sea. After that, we got lost looking for the bazaar, which was filled with Adidas and Calvin Klein shirts, but we walked back on a greenway along the Mediterranean. Izmir, your parks are wonderful.
The carousel in Lunapark is two levels. Genius!
I normally hate Ferris wheels, but Jesse convinced me to go on this one. I also spun the car (like the teacups in Disney) so he could get better pictures from the top. I was too scared to take pictures.
The Saat Kulesi commemorates a king's ascention to the throne. I didn't know that until afterward, because nothing in Izmir is in English.
I don't know what this vendor is selling, but I like his outfit.
Izmir has the best parks. This one was right on the water.
I'm not kidding. Right on the water.
Full Flickr Set
This turned out to be one of the best days. The first thing we came across was the Kültürpark, a really nice, green area with an amusement park (called Lunapark, like Coney Island!) inside. It took us a while to figure out how to buy tickets for the rides because no one spoke English. I finally felt like I was doing something non-touristy. Jesse got me onto a Ferris wheel, and from the top we looked out onto the sea. After that, we got lost looking for the bazaar, which was filled with Adidas and Calvin Klein shirts, but we walked back on a greenway along the Mediterranean. Izmir, your parks are wonderful.
The carousel in Lunapark is two levels. Genius!
I normally hate Ferris wheels, but Jesse convinced me to go on this one. I also spun the car (like the teacups in Disney) so he could get better pictures from the top. I was too scared to take pictures.
The Saat Kulesi commemorates a king's ascention to the throne. I didn't know that until afterward, because nothing in Izmir is in English.
I don't know what this vendor is selling, but I like his outfit.
Izmir has the best parks. This one was right on the water.
I'm not kidding. Right on the water.
Full Flickr Set