Royal tram on the Izmir embankment... #TheLongestTrip

Fate brought me again to Izmir and I discovered a lot of interesting and new things in this great port city of Turkey, because this time I was here by car. We had a great weekend here with our Turkish friends.

Thanks so much to the founder @galenkp
of the community WEEKEND EXPERIENCES for the opportunity to share of my great adventures 😊

We had a great mood, having the opportunity to observe the city while traveling by car. Moving smoothly in the flow of cars, breathtaking views of the city on the hills opened before us. Izmir is always windy, and in February it is much colder than in our Antalya region. That's why my girls didn't want to walk around the city.

There was a feeling of great space and freedom! High-rise buildings against the background of the city looked very interesting. Sometimes we stopped to take pictures from the car window of interesting places, like this black locomotive.

After driving a little around the city, we found ourselves on the embankment. We went out for a walk and saw a beautiful phenomenon. A blue tram with a crown ran here.

It was a very majestic impression when this small wagon with the doors open moved smoothly along the Bay of Izmir. And there was a playground nearby and I enjoyed life together with my girls, riding on a rope swing.

In the evening we got to our Airbnb apartment. To be honest, I was a little surprised by the high prices and the very small selection of housing. In the end we found a nice apartment, paid $100 for three days. There were two bedrooms and a cozy design. And the main thing is a good shower, which is important when traveling. Because in Kemer, the shower is very often a problem area.

The next day, our friends took us to a pine park on the mountain, from where we saw the old city in the middle of the modern city. A large white statue also rose. But, unfortunately, I did not find an explanation in Google. I think - this is a monument of some prominent figure of the great century. Maybe someone knows?

Later we went to explore the old town. We walked through the streets of the old town and took pictures of these old houses with orange roofs, covered with old tiles. Our friend showed us the old house where they lived once. And here he went to school.

Horses grazed somewhere in the distance. Yellow irises were blooming near the house.
Real people still live here. By the way, they did not allow taking photos of their houses. Therefore, my Victoria took photos from the window of our car. My Turkish friend was driving. Darinka and I went on foot to feel the ancient spirit of this place...

İzmir is the third largest city in Turkey and the second largest port in the country after Istanbul. Today, Izmir is one of the most important cities in Turkey, which plays a pivotal role in modern Turkish life.

Izmir is a very old city. The history of Izmir has its roots in the distant past and begins somewhere in the third millennium BC, which is confirmed by numerous historical studies and archaeological excavations. The complex and eventful history of Izmir lasted until 1076 AD, when Shah Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Şah conquered the city for the first time in favor of the Turks.
Over the millennia, the city retained its predominantly Hellenistic (Greek) character, until 1922, when a conflict between the Turks and
by the Greeks After that, the city became an important industrial and cultural center of the young Turkish Republic.
Nowadays, Izmir shows more and more the independent character of a modern European city every year. The population of Izmir is also growing every year and is now approaching 4 million inhabitants.

I sat down on the steps near the ancient mosque. It was a quiet place to think about people's lives. I like to let my imagination run wild in places like this.

We were filled with new impressions about the city of Izmir, which I saw in the very center, as if I felt the beating heart of the city.

And of course, we found a traditional Turkish cafe, where we ate our favorite lentil soup, which is served here with arugula, lemon, hot pepper and Turkish bread.

Later, we drove for three hours at night on the expressway from Izmir to Pamukkale, filled with positive emotions that travel in places you have never seen before...

On March 1, two years have passed since we left our native Ukraine and are on our #TheLongestTrip
Thank you for your support 🙏🏻