IZMIR

Before I left Selcuk I was speaking to an old man who told me there was an Armenian Church in Izmir. It was beside the Hilton Hotel. The Hilton Hotel is the highest building in Izmir. I decided that this would be where I would start my enquiries. An hour or so later I arrive at the Hilton Hotel by bus and speak to the doorman. He points to a building across the road and tells me that it is the Armenian Church. The church is surrounded by a wall and Iron fence. The front gates are securely locked. Turkish men seated out the front indicate for me to go around the corner to a small door. So off I go.

From Izmir

I buzz the intercom, a lady answers. She tells me in a foreign language church closed and the rest I did not understand. She hangs up. So I buzz her again. She says exactly the same and hangs up again. I thought it was a recording so I buzz again. It was not a recording and I got a Turkish spray. Now what to do? I thought I would stop someone in the street and ask them to talk to the lady in the church. At least I would know when it is going to open. I asked probably 10 people before this lady walks past

From Izmir

I asked her if she spoke English and she replied in an Australian accent yes she does and where do I come from? Turns out she lived in the neighbouring suburb of South Yarra and is now living in Izmir. I gave her a quick rundown on the lady in the intercom and suggested she give her a buzz. Now I don’t talk Turkish but I don’t think the lady in the Church was being very Christian. Now my newest best friend Seda owns a cafe right across the road with her husband, Taskin. She needs to do some banking. We decided to meet back at her cafe when she had finished banking. Seda returns and is very very helpful. Her, her husband and 3 waiters gather together to discuss my quest, the Izmirian name and the possibilities of its origins. It is getting busy for lunch and they all get back to work. Seda has a waiter not only shows me to a local hotel but walks me to it and books me in. After I settle in, it is back to the café several hours later. Izmir is a big city and the streets are not exactly in a grid pattern. There are several intersections that have 5 or 6 roads coming together. Getting lost would not be difficult. I have got my bearings from the cafe to the Hotel. Once I find the Hilton Hotel I travel down the street turn right and come to the intersection with this sign. Don’t know what it means but I can not miss it.

From Izmir

then 3 blocks down I am at my Hotel. The waiter who showed me this Hotel also pointed out an area not to go after dark as people steal and are of ill repute. I'll check it out later if I get time. Strangely my Hotel is right on the fringe of this area.
Seda has made some enquiries for me and I ask her to check the white pages on line for an Izmirian or Izmir. With that the Internet goes down. Seda is going home soon and to avoid wasting the day she writes down three places on a piece of paper in order for me to visit. One a lookout called Asansor, then the Armenian centre not far away called Havra then a market called Kernersalti and it is great for shopping. Got a cab to Asansor and took a couple of photos. Not a sunny day but you can get a feel for the size of the city.

From Izmir

Down from the lookout and I am walking along looking for the Havra. I am not having any luck so I stop and ask a lady and man selling corn from a stall do they know where Havra is? The man speaks very broken English and indicates I have passed it by 50 metres. I thank him and head back but this man insists he will take me there BY THE HAND. So off I go 50 metres holding this broken English speaking, corn selling, married Turkish mans hand to the Havra. We get there and it is locked up more than the church.

From Izmir

Its a synagogue. I prise my hand out of the Turkish mans hand and knock on the gate. A little hatch is opened and a Policeman talks to me in Turkish. My blank look gave my hand holding assistant an opportunity to jump in and speak for me. What ever he said we were invited in behind the steel gates. I did hear him mention Australian. The policeman brings out a book and points to a phrase. "What is my occupation in English and obviously interpreted on the other side of the book. I look thru the book and find businessman. Now I am sitting in the Policeman’s security box with a Turkish only speaking Policeman, hand holding corn selling married man and me, plus a book of English phrases. We are all able to come to an agreement I would be back tomorrow after 11 am when someone else will be there who can speak English. I WAVE goodbye to both of them and make my way to Kernersalti Market. On the way I see a sign on a building that seems to say Izmir Kultur. So in I go. The first man I speak to does not speak English but gets on the phone and calls someone from upstairs to come down. A lady comes down and speaks very little English. I ask her is this a museum or similar. She goes up stairs and returns shortly with an English written book of Izmir including a list of Museums in it. She says I can have it and it is ok. I thank her very much and ask where am I? She tells me it is a school.
As I am walking past some shops a TV screen is showing some horseracing. It is a betting shop. A man called Jean introduces himself to me and immediately swaps to English when he heard my reply. He can speak English well. He invites me to have tea with him and his friends but I tell him I am going back to the hotel. As I am leaving he wants to know if I want to buy a horse. Reminds me of someone else I know back in Melbourne.
I find Kernersalti Market. It has 3000 shops and is everything I have come to expect from the Turkish markets. Lots of great smells, sights and sounds.

From Izmir

From Izmir

From Izmir

This is the mother of all mungals.
I pass the café and I thought I will try the front of the Church once more. As I come around the corner I see a tourist taking a photo of the Church. I asked him why he is taking the photo and he told me that it is the oldest church in the City. It dates back to 200 AD. I asked him what demonination is the church? Was it Armenian. He told me it was a Latin Catholic Church. Again I asked him how he knew this and where did he get his information from. He told me he was a French Priest who was studying the period. As I looked around there were 20 people looking at me grilling their priest guide. They all moved off.

From Izmir

That’s one line of enquiry finished for today.