Advertisement
Published: August 24th 2013
Yelken_Park-01R
Our building's guardhouse entranceWelcome back to the chronicles of Eric, the Turkish Traveler!
This little story is about our new home that we recently purchased in sunny Izmir. Come fly with me as I take you on a digital tour of our new bird’s nest, perched atop what the locals here call, “The Twin Towers of Izmir.”
A Change of Scenery Well, it’s been just a little over one year now that we've been living in Izmir (can you believe it?) and we were definitely ready to move out of our old place and find a fresh change of scenery. Our old apartment building was exactly that – old! It felt and looked like it was built during the Ottoman Empire. The building was wedged in the middle of four other buildings of equal height – one on each side – so there was no cross breeze at all and in the intense summer heat of Izmir that’s not a good thing trust me. During the winter we had the opposite problem – since it was not insulated at all, the gaps in the doors and windows allowed cold air to sail right on in. The elevator
in the building was so small that it could only fit 2-3 people at a time (depending on their waistline). You had to pull the small elevator door shut with your hand and when it moved if felt like it was being pulled by two horses because it started and stopped suddenly with a strong jerking motion. Needless to say we were looking for some place that was a little newer and a bit more modern.
We also decided that we wanted to buy instead of just renting – we’re not gettin’ any younger ya’ know! We looked at several houses in various locations – some a bit pricier than others. The first 3-bedroom, 2-bath condo we looked at started at 750,000 TL, which is about $375,000 U.S. Beyond the price tag and location, we were looking for someplace that simply “felt” like home – and when we saw the amazing sea-side / city view from what is now our kitchen balcony; we both knew this was it!
Our condominium complex is officially known as Yelken Park, which means Sail Park and it’s only one year old. In fact, as I write this article,
Yelken_Park_FountainR
Our "waterless" complex water fountain there are still four unoccupied units for sale – and one’s on the 20th floor (talk about an amazing view). The locals call these buildings the twin towers of Izmir because they are brand new dual buildings that literally tower above all the other structures in this older neighborhood. That’s not to say there aren't other tall buildings in Izmir of course, but none that look as disproportionately located as these do.
Our condo is 170 square meters, which is roughly 1,900 square feet. From inside the condo I feel like I’m living on Miami Beach because everything is so open, modern and serene. It’s only when I step outside that I realize, oh yea, I’m still in Turkey. Since we moved in (around mid-April) we've left all of the windows and internal doors open constantly and the breeze that cuts through our place is so strong that it makes us feel like we’re living in a lighthouse. The hallway holds the strongest current and the wind whips through it so fast that it’s like standing in a wind tunnel. Ali, Alev’s brother, lives on the sixth floor of the same building and he doesn't have this
Yelken_Park_Lobby-01R
Our building's lobby entrance type of breeze at all. Yet another reason that I’m glad we choose the upper level.
King of the Castle Since this complex is new, it has all of the latest construction features including an earthquake proof design (if there is such a thing); a backup generator; fire extinguishers built into the walls of every room; tinted glass on the balconies; living room windows engineered to open from two different directions (vertical or horizontal); electronic window shades; granite kitchen and bathroom countertops; an under-mount sink in the large bathroom; hardwood floors in the living room and all bedrooms; tile floors in the kitchen, balconies and hallways; colored tile floors and walls in both bathrooms (black tile in Alev’s, red tile in mine); drainage ports in both bathrooms and both balconies; red “mood” lights in the ceiling of the master bedroom; and plenty of designated parking, which is a rare commodity in Turkey.
The complex parking lot is completely fenced in and has a guardhouse located at the entranceway with a direct telecom link to each unit to help pre-screen unwanted guests while they are still in their cars. The lobby has a dual
Back_Balcony_05r
My back balcony and office view at night layer of security which is protected by two locked doors. The exterior door is accessed by a key and the inner door is accessed by an electronic keypad. All activity is constantly monitored by the guards in the guardhouse via the numerous security cameras located throughout the exterior and interior of the complex. The front door of our condo has not one, but two deadbolts in addition to the key lock, which locks automatically from the outside when the door is shut (hope you remembered your keys). In short, I feel like I’m living in a modern day fortress. I know what you’re thinking – was this complex built by a modern-day drug lord who wanted to keep his drug-running tenants safe from their gun-toting competition? Well, not that I aware of anyway; however, I believe that all of these features are now standard in new condominium complexes here in Turkey.
Each evening there is a porter, Apartman Görevlisi (Apart-mon Gore-ev-lee-see) in Turkish, who rings your doorbell to ask you if there is anything you need from the grocery store, which they will retrieve and bring to you. They also ask you if you have any trash
Back_Balcony_07r
My back balcony and office view at night to be taken out. If you don’t wish to answer the door you can simple leave your trash outside in advance and they will pick it up and take it out for you. Nice!
A Balcony with a View This is the first time that I've ever lived above the third floor and I gotta say that I’m really digging it! Not only is the breeze superior, but the view is absolutely phenomenal. We live on the 13th floor (14th really because the Turks can’t count – they start at floor zero instead of one). We aren't close enough to the beach to have a real sea-side view; however, we can see the entire gulf and almost the entire city of Karsiyaka. Both our living room and our kitchen balcony are facing the sea and the city, so the view is amazing regardless of the time of day. We sit on the balcony in the morning and watch the hypnotic view as we eat our breakfast. In the evening it’s the perfect location to drink a cold beverage as you watch the city slip into darkness and begin to twinkle. From our living room couch we
Back_Balcony_08r
My back balcony and office view at night can sit and watch the city lights dance and the moonlight reflecting on the water revealing the cargo ships anchored in the harbor awaiting their inspection. It’s a nice way to relax and let the stress of the day melt away.
My office window presents a nice view of the nighttime traffic streaking hurriedly across the busy freeways. I can also see the outlying city lights shimmering faintly in the distance. It’s very inspiring to glance out occasionally at the elusive freedom that taunts me, while I sit in my office, an eternal slave to my endless work. I do still reward myself with brief periods of photographic expression from time to time and I have tried my best to capture suitable images of the views that I am describing here with my words. Nonetheless, there is no true comparison between the two because however eloquent my words may be, they fail significantly to capture the true essence of the splendid views that I am able to witness in person. I have never really considered myself a “city landscape” fan before, but the nighttime views that we have in this location were amazing enough to make me
Kitchen_Balcony_Breakfast_View-R
Our sea & city side breakfast view from our kitchen balcony just sit and stare for the first few weeks after we moved in.
The photos labeled “back balcony” shows the exact same view that I have from my office window. All of the panoramic images were taken from our front (sea-side) “breakfast” balcony. To give you some idea of the breadth of our view, I noted that it took 25 frames to completely capture the entire view – that is from one side of our sea coast view to the other – shooting from left to right with my Canon 18-55mm f/3.5 lens at an 18mm focal length for maximum viewing. I alternated between this lens and my Canon 75-300mm f/4 zoom lens with total focal lengths ranging from 18-300mm in order to capture the full gamut of magnifications. My apertures ranged from f/5 to f/16 based upon current lighting conditions. My shutter speeds ranged from 1/60 of a second to almost two minutes during some of the nighttime shots. All long exposure and panoramic images were captured on my Targus 58” tripod. As always, all of the images that I take with my trusty Canon 400D DSLR are with it set to manual mode to give
Kitchen-01R
Alev finally got her big kitchen me constant and complete control over all settings.
Mixing with the Locals Our new neighborhood is not the thriving metropolis that our old one was, but there are several local shops that are close and convenient. Small shops are plentiful here and seem to be the norm as they are well-supported by the locals within walking distance. There is a small grocery store located just in front of our complex, which we visit frequently. There is a local bazaar about two streets over, which we visit each Saturday to pick up organic fruits and vegetables, as well as some freshly caught fish. There is a barber shop directly across the street from our building, and down the street on the same side there is a Turkish hardware store (yapi market). There are dozens of little shops that lace each of the neighborhood streets on both sides of the sidewalks in both directions. Not having a car, it is especially important for us (and many other people) to be able to obtain what we need within walking distance.
One of the most convenient features of our new location is the fact that there is
Kitchen-02R
Alev finally got her big kitchen a bus stop just up the sidewalk from the guardhouse. From this stop I can catch a single bus that takes me directly to work in about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. I am also learning to navigate the city by using the public transportation system. I can walk up the street to the bus stop; catch a bus to the Karşıyaka metro station, and then take the metro (subway / train) anywhere I need to go. I can also take the ferryboat across the pond to the other side of Izmir and semi-navigate my way around the major locations. I still can’t speak Turkish very well, but at least I’m not afraid to try to explore the city by myself using the public transportation.
Everywhere I go it seems that the locals want to practice their English with the yabanci (foreigner). These conversations may begin with someone I meet in the elevator on my way downstairs (you’d be surprised how many Turks know English), but it definitely begins when I pass the security guardhouse. If my favorite guard is working he always greets me in English and asks me where I’m going. The other Turkish guards
Living_Room-01R
Our living room sea-side & city view speak to me in Turkish and I pretend like I understand what they are saying. We all laugh and then I turn and begin my journey down the street and into the neighborhood. There is one employee at the corner grocery store who always tries to practice his English with me whenever I come in. Sometimes I even show him my grocery list and he helps me find what I’m looking for. Most Turks can read English far better than they can speak it, so if he can’t tell me where it is, he simply shows me after reading my list (and yes, they sell many American products here – like Coffee-Mate, which retails for about 3.75 TL for a 100 gm package – this is about $1.88 for a 1 cup portion).
I have started going into the local shops by myself to purchase small items like a box of baklava, a loaf of bread, etc. I can speak broken Turkish to get my basic point across and if they just so happen to know a little English, then we’re in business. Even though I can’t count in Turkish yet or even understand exactly what they
Living_Room-02R
Living room entertainment center are saying when they speak to me, if I can see the amount on cash register then I know how much to give them. All of the denominations are basically the same as our U.S. currency, so counting out the money is no problem. If it’s a big store then I can simply use my Visa and then it’s a no-brainer. Visa is everywhere you want to be!
I don’t exactly blend yet, but at least I’m beginning to mix it up a little. Frequently, I do get approached by other Turks while I’m waiting at the bus stop, presumably to ask me if a certain bus has already arrived. I just smile and tell them (in English) that I’m a yabanci and I don’t speak Turkish. They quickly get the message, apologize for asking, and scurry away. It’s a shame that I can’t speak Turkish yet, because I’m probably missing out on some very interesting conversations. I definitely know that I’m missing out on all the neighborhood gossip that is being shared at the local barber shop – busy, busy!
Until Next Time Well, I think I've rambled enough for now so
Living_Room-03R
The rest of the living room I’ll sign off. Stay tuned for some hilarious pictures and a brief story as I talk about Tigger’s summer crew-cut that we experimented with this year. You should do this to your cat if you want to produce some uncontrollable laughter from your friends and family. I’ll also get you caught up on my new (second) teaching job, and the Izmir International Festival which is quickly approaching.
Thanks for reading,
Eric, the Turkish Traveler.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.181s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 8; qc: 50; dbt: 0.1037s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Mike Bailey
non-member comment
Great views
Hi Eric; Sure is good to hear from you. Your apartment is breath taking to say the least. It sure is good to hear from you and see you are doing well. Sure miss you at the fair but looks like you made a good move. Mike