Lotus Ceramics Garden
After a quick breakfast and an instant coffee (grumble), I head out for a short walk to the Lotus Ceramics Garden (Est. 1942), a place our tour member, Jane, found yesterday. I peek in the doorway, and glimpse a beautiful garden with ceramics hanging around the perimeter stone walls and racks of freshly made pots and tiles on racks in the middle of the garden, ready for curing. An older woman (at least older than me) with a friendly smile invites me in. With a cup of tea in hand, the traditional Turkish welcome, she slowly walks me around the garden explaining the ceramics process and significance of certain pieces. Over to a table, she demonstrates her painting skills. The detail is exquisite. It turns out she is the mother of the owner and a master artist in her own right. She is also a teacher and holds ceramic classes for the locals. From the garden, I move into the retail gallery and I could stay for hours marvelling at the quality. The works are intricate and the colours of yellow, reds and blues are vibrant.
The family has been producing these works of art for over 400 years. The family once owned the land across the road, but because it was next to the Temple of Artemis garden, the Turkish government took their land in 1942 and gave them the property where they currently operate.
The women paint and glaze the works while the men make and turn the clay. The clay from this region dries very hard but light. The tile I choose is the Tree of Life representing Earth and the hereafter. It is has a wooden frame and is signed by the artist. I pray I get it home safely. I’m sure the reams of bubble wrap will help.
Izmir Optimum AVM
Returning to the hotel, I carefully pack it in my luggage and head to the van. Our next stop will be Izmir. Unfortunately, as the day progresses, the weather turns to rain interfering with our walking tour of the market. In the meantime, until the rain stops, Kivanç drops us at a shopping mall (Izmir Optimum AVM) to wander around for a while. I’m still searching for those handmade leather sandals, but this mall is a high-end centre. I doubt I will have any luck. It has many of the brands we are familiar with such as Columbia, Mango, Pandora, Puma, Sketchers, etc. There is a bit of grumbling as we think spending the morning roaming museums or basically anything other than shopping is a better use of our time. We can’t control the weather and make the best of it. Shannon and I walk a loop of the three-storied mall and find a café where we wait for our meeting time and enjoy a tasty treat. Mine is an affogato (espresso and ice cream) with a biscuit.
Kameralti Market
Thankfully the rain subsides, and off to a market we go. I’m thrilled to be back on the foodie tour route. Kivanç takes us to a corner restaurant (Kemer 6 Balik Restaurant) where the locals dine. Today, a street stall lined with lemons is assembled with dry ice and one of my favourites, mussels! The humidity of the day along with the fog of the dry ice, and bright yellow lemons creates a colourful, mysterious tableau. Noisily, the manager scrapes some street-side tables together, and we enjoy mussels stuffed with rice and wash them down with tea. Stuffed mussels are nice, but a little bland for my taste buds. Some hot sauce or a lovely red chili would add the zing my taste buds yearn for. I prefer steamed mussels in garlic and white wine. Next, we are offered fried calamari and a garlic yogurt sauce similar to a Greek tzatziki. I could gorge myself on these all day, but Kivanç says not to eat too much because we have just begun, and he is correct.
Testing My Taste Buds
We shift a few booths down to Selim ‘d Izgara. Kivanç asks us if we are up for trying a local delicacy from Izmir called sögüs (poached lamb tongue, cheek and brain served cold in bread with chopped onion, parsley, mint, tomato, cumin, and hot chili flakes). The store front is plain and contains an open grill where the proprietor cooks up some interesting dishes. I’m glad I tried it but I’m not sure I would order it again. Again, it seems a little bland and I’m getting full on bread. Surprisingly, even with chili flakes, no zing. This location serves up other delicacies such as seasoned lamb intestines, grilled over coals, a slow-boiled soup of trotters, heads, and other unfashionable parts of a sheep (apparently a hangover cure) I think I’ll stick with the sögüs.
Would you have tried sögüs? Let me know in the Comments.
Nourished and watered, we wind our way through the market which has colourful spice stalls, and fabric bolts stacked as high as the ceilings. It seems to have everything a person needs for a household, not just meats, fruits, and vegetables. We stop at Mennan Pastanesi for a dessert made from chicken breast, called Tavukgöğsü. Funny how your brain plays tricks on you. Mine was saying, any dessert made from chicken can’t be good, but in all honesty, it wasn’t too bad. You could see the fibres from the chicken meat on your fork, but other than that, you would never know it was chicken. Sweet, smooth, and pudding-like. We shared one.
Overnight Train Izmir to Konya
Tonight, we board a train for a 12-hour trip from Izmir to Konya in the interior, and the gang wants to load up on snacks and drinks. We pass a corner bakery that makes Atom Bombas (a pastry stuffed with chocolate) and other delights. We load up on those and head around the corner to a local market for some chips (crisps for the British readers) and wine. You can buy wine here, but not all shops sell it. Weighed down with our treat bags, we head to the harbour and this beautiful bar/restaurant called Yüzde Yüz. It has comfortable seats along the water’s edge; a perfect location to enjoy a beverage. Kivanç is to my right and Greg (U.S.) is across from him. I think I surprise Kivanç by ordering a beer, but it seems to be the only thing that will quench my thirst on this warm day. The others are enjoying Aperol spritzes and blush wines. We are killing time, enjoying the coolness of the shade and the twinkling of the water while waiting for our boarding time.
We rendezvous with Joseph, who takes us to the train station. He has been so pleasant and helped all of us with our bags. Unfortunately, we must bid farewell to him today as we continue on our journey. We will acquire a new driver when we arrive in Konya. I hope Joseph receives a healthy tip from the tip jar. He certainly deserves it.
Once aboard the Mavi Tren (Blue Train), we are assigned our compartment which is to say the least, tight but efficiently designed. I guess this is why they advise us not to bring too much luggage! LOL The flush toilet is at one end of the car, and the squatter is at the other end. I know where I will head, or hold it! The snack car is one car over. Each pairing in our group is placed next to each other which turns into a wine and potato chip party. We wander from one compartment to the next singing, dancing, and snacking, while enjoying a few tipples.
Octogenarians Rule!
The octogenarian on our trip, Elizabeth comes double-fisted with 2 litres of wine, more than all of us and regales us with stories of her past and specifically her belly-dancing days. She even demonstrates her moves. We know this lady has led an interesting life. She doesn’t really give two hoots about anything. Perhaps she has earned that right. I forgot to mention that on one of our earlier legs, before we really got to know each other, Elizabeth boarded the van with her wet underwear and hung them from the handles on her seat. She looked over at Greg and said, “Hope you don’t mind looking at my knickers!” Hilarious!
We have definitely come together as a group. Kivanç joins in on the party which is awesome. It is wonderful to see everyone participating in the merriment. We retire fairly early because we know the day ahead will likely be busy with lots of walking.
We had turn down service by the attendant with fresh sheets, blanket and a pillow. There is a strap to pull down and a hook up for the top bunk, while the bottom is just a quick pull down. I videotape Shannon climbing up to the second bunk. OMG I couldn’t stop laughing. She is such a trooper for taking the top bunk. “Thanks cuz!” I’m 5’3″ and I take up the full length of the bunk. How taller passengers, like Shannon manage, I do not know.
My phone alarm rings at 7:00 am. I feel so refreshed. My sleep was so peaceful. I watch the landscape pass by. The train is travelling slower now, indicating we are coming in to the station shortly. I see rain drops splattered on the window. Hopefully, that is all the rain we see. Unfortunately, Shannon didn’t sleep well with the noise and jostling as we entered and left stations. I had my earbuds in and didn’t hear a thing.
Arriving Konya
We rise, get washed in our tiny corner sink, dress and pack up our things. We have to take turns. The curtains are open, letting in the grey day. I’m sure the people waiting on the platform in Konya got a bit of a show. Heading to the snack car we grab an instant coffee. I’m done whining about the coffee. It just sucks!
Below is picture of the train car hallway and compartment from the above Mavi Tren link which is also a trusted resource for train travel, The Man in Seat 61.
Where We Are
This trip started in the northeast of Turkey and moved south along the coast. This morning, after a 12-hour train trip covering 474 km eastbound, we arrive in Konya, central Turkey on the Anatolian plateau. The cost of this overnight train is equivalent to 33 $CDN. If you wish to have your own compartment, 50 $CDN. It sure beats sitting on a bus. I loved it and would certainly consider a train trip in the future.
Way to go Donna, not only are you adventurous with your travel but you will try all the local dishes. Not sure I’d have the same willingness (guaranteed I would not be trying them). Thanks for sharing your journey. Next you need to write a book. Maybe a fiction travel novel? Your descriptions transport me alongside you so I’m sure you could captivate readers with a novel 🙂
Thank you for following the blog and for your encouraging comments. They are appreciated.
As always, Donna, I love reading about your travels. You are very brave to try all the street food. My digestive system would never hold up but I envy your spirit of adventure.
Loved that tile.
A long train trip us on my list, too.
Thank you Anne. The tile is in a place of honour in my living room where I can see it every day. Wouldn’t a trip on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul be cool? Hope you tick a long train trip off your list. Thanks for following along and I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you. Sending love to you and the family.