Karsiyaka

Or, "The Other Side" when translated into English. And what does that mean? 

The city of Izmir is build up around a large bay and while you can travel from one end to the other using the roadways, the easiest and fastest way is to take a ferry across the bay to the otherside. So, after a long and lazy Sunday morning breakfast we headed out from Konak pier to Karsiyaka. (Yes, it is actually called the other side!)

Reaching Karsiyaka was almost like arriving in a different city; the contrast between both sides of the city is so apparent that it makes you wonder how that happened. This part of the city is definitely more residential, the roads seem wider and basically the layout looks newer. We got off the Ferry terminal and of courses, headed straight to the main street that was lined with shops on either side. 

There were a lot of local stores selling perfumes and clothes (Like Hotshop, not Topshop) and shoes. And as with every part of this country tons of places selling local food like Doner Kabab, Durum which in my mind looks just like shawarma, Turkish delight, cakes (that look like they’re taken from a story book), dry fruits and nuts and yes of course Burger King, McDonalds and Dominos which I’m sure classify as local in every country. 

After a good stroll, lots of nibbling and some shopping, we headed toward the water front, walked along for a bit and stopped in one of the cafes for some Turkish Coffee. Even the restaurants and cafés that line the water front have a different feel to it; maybe they’re just more contemporary and open. 

And then it was time to catch the Ferry back to… well, I can’t say the other side since this IS “the other side”, so I’m going to have to say home; as that is my home for these 4 weeks.