Summer continues full throttle

Alacati is probably one of my favorite vacation spots in Turkey. Only about an hour away from Izmir, it is such a convenient travel destination for me. Known for its wind, sun and nightlife Alacati houses the Turkish elite from mainly Istanbul and Izmir every summer. 

Istanbul Part II

I just love the feeling of being anonymous in a new city and getting lost. No joke. Best way to get familiar with any new place is by getting lost a couple of times... Just make sure things don't get too ugly though :)

Istanbul isn't exactly a new city but it is still very unfamiliar to me. I have been there a couple of times and thought I knew what was going on but I hadn't got a clue besides the very obvious touristic spots. So this time, I did something that isn't written on the travel books - dive in through a random winding street and pray it will take me somewhere. I was also praying to get lost. These are the photos from my mini adventure.

Istanbul Getaway Part I

My 3 day adventure in Istanbul - a lot of flying, walking around, discovering places and the unforgettable 10 hour bus journey back to Izmir. The main reason of the trip was the Istanbul Reception organized by the University of Kent. The Bosphorus tour was just beautiful! I would have never thought to be on a yacht cruising this beautiful strait!

I took the metro to the Adnan Menders Airport on the 20th of June. The new Domestic terminal is under construction which meant a very busy International terminal. I am super panicky so I left home super early, and caught a very early plane to Istanbul Ataturk Airport. 

Insider: In the middle of the revolution

Behind the scenes - what is actually happening in Izmir? 

The majority of Izmir supports the main opposition party in Turkey known as CHP. This has often been criticized by the current prime minister, from the party AKP. We have even been called 'Gavur Izmir', literarly translated as 'Foreign Izmir'.  This has historical connotation as Izmir (formerly known as Symrna during the Greek times) had a big foreign (a.k.a non-Islamic) population. Yes, Izmir was foreign.  So what?  Why should this be brought up by Turkey's prime minister once again? What purpose does it serve besides creating unnecessary tension in polarizing Turkey? Something to think about. 

Today, Izmir may still be seen as 'foreign' because there are many different views to those of the current government. Today I was in Alsancak. The main shopping street here known as Kibris Sehitleri Caddesi was again flooding with anti-government protestors. Mainly the protestors were left wing. I have never in my life seen that many posters of Lenin and Che in Turkey. There was also Greenpeace.

I am not going to stand here and defend all of the anti-government protestors for there are some groups that are taking advantage of the situation and want to stir things up (something that needs to be avoided is civil war in the country). However, I believe it is important to share who was protesting for what in Alsancak, Izmir today. 

Identity: Lost & Found

Being back in Izmir, Turkey - I can say I have never felt this homely before. Being an international kid, you sometimes have difficulty exactly pin-pointing where 'home' is. It is the norm for us to have multiple homes; after all we are the sum of memories made, people met and places traveled.

However, Izmir always has a special place in my heart. This is where all my memories started and I frequently come back adding to these memories. Maybe because it is summer and I am actually in love with Izmir I am saying all these things... but it is the truth.

As nostalgia has hit me, below are some photos from the last few years spent in Izmir, Bodrum and Istanbul. I live for summer and cannot wait to sail (or windsurf as it is in my case) to new adventures!

Night view from my apartment (Summer 2012)

Post Architecture Syndrome

 

This year is over! So I find myself with quite a bit of free time. Trying to utilize it the best way I can. But after working so much, taking time off isn't too bad!

This week in instagram...

Manchester United for a day!

 

The second ASN conference was more about bringing architecture students drom different universities together and debate some of the previously risen issues.