Rising City

Ok, so I know I have not updated this thing in a loong time, but here come a bunch of updates so get ready! And since uploading pictures and typing take up a lot of time, I am going to cut back on a lot of the typing part to give you all what you really are here for anyways....the pictures!!

Legend has is that the city of Thessaloniki rose out of the bay at the base of Mt Khoriatis to form and ideal fortification site.

Here are pictures from Thessaloniki, Greece. I had to take an 19 hour ferry ride from Turkey to get here, but I eventually got there. It was extremely clean and very modern to my surprise. And the people were very nice and love to have a good time. The better part of the waterfront is lined with cafes, bars, and restaurants that are literally busy all the time. It get really crowded around 11pm when everyone, including families come out to start the night and have dinner, folllowed by drinks.



The White Tower, as the ferry was approaching the port.


A look down the massive housing blocks, they actually frame the waterfront quite nicely.



Walking down the waterfont.

The Arch of Galerius...its really cool finding ruins like this just in the middle of the city.

The waterfront at night.

A few down to the Bay from the Roman Rotounda, with the Arch of Galerius in the foreground.

One of my favorite artworks that I have seen along the waterfront.

More of Thessaloniki at night.

Statue of Alexander the Great.

A view from the Roman Agora down to the Bay.

Even this not so attractive abandoned construction site has a nice little bar that attracts lots of locals.

The Pearl of the Aegean

Izmir, Turkey has come to be known as the "Pearl of the Aegean", and it's easy to see why. Although getting to Izmir was not exactly the most convinient way (ferry to train, train to a bus, and then another bus). But 9 hours afterwards, I was in Izmir, in time to take an afternoon stroll along the watefront and watch the sunset. Over the next few days I was able to explore the great sense of "destination" along the waterfront. The streets from the city center connected straight down the waterfront, along which ran Ataturk Caddessi, a green esplanade that seemed endless along the Bay of Izmir as it is beautifully cradeled by its surrounding hills.

Some 20 years ago, there was much debate about what to do with the waterfront, the Mayor of Izmir, at the time, thought it would be great to build a highway right along, however, one of the political layers in Izmir, who later became Mayor, was strongly against this proposal and advocated for pedestrain-oriented waterfront, which is what Izmir celebrates to the day. You can find people along the waterfront here at all times of the day, especially in the evening and night when everyone comes to enjoy a nice sea breeze or watch the sunset with thier special someone.

Unfortunately my stay in Izmir was cut short by 1 day (I was supposed to be there 4 days, but ended up staying only 3) because I had to catch a ferry that would take me to Thessaloniki. The particualr ferry only runs once a week. To catch the ferry I took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Cesme, where I was able to quickly explore while I waited for the ferry!




Ataturk Caddessi at Sunset.

Beautiful beach at the small town of Cesme, I had to stop by here to catch a ferry to Greece. I know....what a shame.

Kultur Park, in the centre of the Izmir.

Republic Square, right on the watefront!!

Ataturk Caddessi, strictly for pedestrians, right on the water, beautiful!

The green esplanade of Ataturk Caddessi is lined with cafes like these, I ate dinner at this one, while watching the sunset, it was well priced too!

More of Ataturk Caddessi, the street stretches all around the Bay of Izmir.

More of the gorgeous beach at Cesme.

The Izmir Clock Tower at sunset.

A nice and tranquil pond, in the middle of Kultur park.

Byzantium? Constantinople? New Rome?

Oh right...its called Istanbul nowadays!

After going through an hour-long customs check, getting a bus, and a not-so-good taxi experience, I finally got to my hotel at like 4am. Then I find out that the hotel is full for the night, or at least what was left of it. I was originally supposed to spend the night in the airport and then get to the hotel the next day, but after accidentally setting foot outside the airport, they would not let me back in. So I had to take the bus and then a taxi to get to my hotel, I was figuring it wouldn’t be a big deal to just book the place for another night. Well, when the hotel only has about 30 rooms or so, I should think twice.

So now, after going through an hour-long customs check, getting a bus, a not-so-good taxi ride, no hotel room and napping in the hotel lobby, I was finally in Istanbul. First impressions say a lot right?
So after this slight bump, getting a room and actually getting some rest I was able to explore Istanbul to the fullest. The Blue Mosques and the Hagia Sophia were definitely amongst the highlights of the trip. After all, these are 2 of the most frequented landmarks in all of Turkey. The waterfronts that Istanbul has to offer were quite unique and different, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Istanbul is the only city in the world that is located on 2 different continents (Europe and Asia), that alone sets up an interesting and unique geographical relationship for the waterfront. You have the Bosphorous which runs NS from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and divides the 2 continents. Then you have the Golden Horn which further divides the European side into 2 distinct areas of it own. In addition, Istanbul is rich in its topography, its easy to see why this city was such an important stronghold for the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

Anyways, the waterfront itself was nothing more than green pockets and strips that seemed be arbitrarily placed with no particular rhythm or balance, at least that’s what it looks like on paper. The energy and the life that thrives in these haphazardly placed green spaces is amazing. People fishing everywhere, kids running around playing, families bbq'ing in a nice shaded area, old friends at it again playing backgammon, you would think that it was a holiday or something.

If Istanbul was like this, a city not particularly noted for its waterfront then I couldn’t wait to get to Izmir to see what that was going to be like!



The Blue Mosque.


Mixed-grill kebab...it was da bomb!!

The Bosphorus Bridge...remind you of anything?

The grand entrance to Topkappi Palace.

There was a tulip festival going on...they were all over the place.

Me in front of the Hagia Sophia.

The inside of the Hagia Sophia...it serisously puts Notre Dame to shame...at least on the inside.

Panorama of the Bosphorous from the top of Topkappi Palace.

BASEL!!!

Basel became a short stop on my itinerary because I needed to catch a flight from there (via Easyjet) to Istanbul. I only spent about 10-12 hrs in Basel, but it turned out to be fine with me. I got there early in the morning and got myself oriented, stored my luggage in a locker at the train station and was of to explore the city. Basel is head-quarters to Herzog and de Meuron, a pair of brilliant architects. Walking around Basel, it was easy to spot their work all over the place.

The Rhine runs through the heart of the city and it reminded me a little of the Seine in Paris, but not quite as special. Don’t get me wrong though, it was still a vibrant and happening place to walk along and hang around, especially towards the afternoon when the blazing heat cooled down a bit and people were getting out of work and out of school.

I was a bit disappointed I only had a brief visit in Basel, but felt I was able to see a lot of the city and was ready to move on.

Here are the pics!


The Signal Tower by Herzog de Meuron.





These are the ferry boats that take you across the Rhine.

Can you believe Corb is on the 10 Swiss Franc bill?

More Herzog de Meuron.

Panoramic of the Rhine.

Basel has these really cool water fountains all around the city.

The Essence of Switzerland

That’s what they call this particular area of Switzerland, all around Lucerne, and I can see why. When looking at a map and dissecting the actual uses and activities around the lake, there is nothing really out of the ordinary. A promenade lined with a double-row of trees, a few cafes and bars, a museum (the KKL museum by Jean Nouvel), a street for cars, nothing really that special, right? Wrong. Whether it’s the peaceful nature of the lake, the awe-inspiring background of the Swiss Alps, or if its something in the air, walking around and experiencing Lucerne was unlike any other city I have been to. I was only in Lucerne a day and a half day, and it turns out the 1 full day I was there, it was completely overcast, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but the place was extremely relaxing and an absolute joy to be in.

My short stay there included a walking tour of the city, where I got to walk up and down the old city walls, and an excursion around the lake. When exploring the Lake I eventually came to the small town of Vitznau, and was able to go up to Mt Rigi, one of the shorter peaks in the Alps, but nonetheless it was great to be up there.

My thoughts were that the Swiss know how to make the most of what they got, I couldn’t wait to explore Basel the next day!




The Swiss Alps from Mt Rigi


Lake Lucerne







Gorgeous Lake Front


KKL Museum by Jean Nouvel



A hotel in Vitznau.


View of Lucerne, from the city walls.