Flamingos' fly

While the spring already shows his rays over the bay more than a hundred of flamingos prepare themselves for the long flies ahead. They mainly rest in the marshes situated at the bay2s north end where the delta meanders and the salt basins offer a perfect "gîte et couvert" (board and bed).

The ferry to the north shore

The trip across the bay lasts around 20 minutes, sometime the captain having to tack between heavy ships preparing to dock or leaving the harbour, or just mooring in the bay waiting for they turn to approach the huge cranes. We can distinctively see the fog due to the pollution comming from the heaters of hundred thousands of housholds and offices. The harbour stays in the very center of the city and even if the port of Aliaga 80 km north is becoming a very busy alternative the frequentation is still high in the Aegean city.

Old Lady

The Bergama ferry is one of our finest and oldest. Commissioned in 1951 she shows a typical silhouette with her wooden captain bridge and rounded stern. Another old lady the ferry "Ihsan Alyanak" sunk recently but fortunately the captain succeeds to bring her back to the pier with all the passengers sound and safe. Every year 15 million passengers take one of our ferries to cross the bay. Come aboard, drink a hot glass of black tea and enjoy the twenty minutes necessary to reach the opposite side.

sunset

A man went to the seashore with his bicycle and sit on a bench to look at the sunset and the fisherman working in the bey. Fishermen are more like miners than fishermen actually, they dig in the mud in 1 meter of waters to find some sort of edible shells. The stay hours in the cold water with old worn diving suits.

waiting for the ferry

10 minutes left before the ferry leaves for the other side a fulled geared fellow makes some picture of his partner, I am with the crowd already jailed in the pier's narrow building.

After the Rain

We have around 60 days of rain per year, and most of the time it rarely rains for more than a few hours, the sun shines again in the next half a day. But this year so far we can count rain occurrences on one hand, the last was this week, in the evening and I didn't have the opportunity to shot. I do not like the rain especially (this is why I live here) but still I like photographs taken after the rain when the sky is clear with a low winter sun and the ground still wet. Beside my selfish pleasure the dams are damn low and we will face a difficult year if the rain doesn't show. Well, to come back to the topic this is from my archive, a day like the one I miss: after the rain, 15 Celsius and a sweet sun trying to dry out the ground.

The red balloon

The red balloon - I first saw this picture in B&W but the tiny red balloon in the girl's hand make me change my mind. I am at the eastern entrance of the SevgiYolu (love street or love way). The street is in the city center, just below the Hilton. Bordered by palm trees (one of Izmir's marks) The pedestrian street is a place to visit absolutely if you ever get in Izmir. The time there seems to flow even slower, Izmir is already a slow motion city but there time really flow slow. The street shelters small stalls that exhibit second hand books or affordable jewelry. Passers beside enjoying a tea or hot sandwich can find some portrait painters as well.

Mustafa, the kid of Caratash

Caratash as written in Levantine or Karataş in modern Turkish is an old quarter of Izmir, just 1 1/2 km far from the trade center and 2 km from the port. I will come back to this old and picturesque area later with more pictures. The quarter is populated by upper middle class in its front side and less favoured families in the upper segments, you will better understand the reason why in later posts. 

Sometime I took a photograph to serve as documentary even if I do not see an artistic value, testimony of things that may change or to serve to show some places to people who didn't had the chance to visit. I was taking a picture of an old house twin front doors when a handful of kids ran in the street. Squeezing myself against the opposite wall to try to have the largest coverage with the prime the last of kids stopped just in the middle and started to dance. A second more and he ran again to reach his friends, I just had the time to trigger twice and ask his name, he answered loudly while running : Mustafa.

The house behind is one of the rare old houses still "standing", they are now protected but it costs a hell to renovate so often the land owner keep it empty waiting for better times. More photographs from Caratash to come.

Ferry's passengers

A couple sit on the stern deck of this old classic ferry. In 20 minutes ferries link north and south sides of the bay sparring time and proposing fresh orange juice and tea along the way. We get sometime very close to container ships and have to tack between the giant vessels. I will come soon with some more photographs of the bay and these impressive vessels.

the meeting point

This used to be a watchman and farming workers house when this area was just filled with trees and crops but know that the place has been sacrificed to villas it is a spot where obviously teens spend time together. The names on the window glasses and the light globe are a testimony of whom frequented the place.

The Clock Tower, Izmir

Cities like to have a symbol to represent them. New York, Paris or Geneva have highly famous ones. Izmir has a century old clock tower, not as high but very well made: a 25 meter German imperial gift with non-less imperial Ottoman patterns. I was making some postcard work on this and here is the outcome. A bird and a passer-by try to escape from the frame :) .

Introducing Izmir, the road to Karagöl

My last blog shown a B&W picture of a path shining under the morning sun. This was taken on my way to Karagöl, the "dark lake". When you leave the city business behind you rapidly reach the green slopes of the mountains skirts. Izmir is surrounded by mountain chains that reach 1000 to 1500 meter above sea level and get covered by snow when winter is cold enough. The skirts are well covered by trees, most of them evergreen. It is hard to find deciduous trees explaining my lack of autumnal coloured pictures. The first evergreen tree to meet is the olive tree. Some are hundreds of year old and the groves are patterned by low stone walls. Some bush mixed with small pines and rythmed with white hives and reached around 700 meters elevation and 15 km away from the cost we know pass among dense and tall pine trees. The 3 million Izmir citizens do their best to keep the noisy city populated and animated, crossing the narrow bay on the busy ferries to reach their destination (it is well known most Izmirli live on on side but get to work on the other just for the pleasure of a warm tea and  simit :) - I will come back later about this important subject). 

Arriving at the dark lake you will see a small lake not dark at all, but deserted in this period of the year. The road is a cul-de-sac and wandering around I finally found it: my contribution to autumnal festive colours. It is even not a tree, just the branch of a tree among the long and thin pines. 

When the sun turn red

Some profits of the last warm rays of the Sunday evening while for other it is just another working day. Fishermen repair boats and nets while chapmen propose their goods to the client. Ferries cross the bay till late to get everyone back on his home side.

Sunset on the bay

The summer is late, we have to do with a cold wind and 18-20 celsius. Not really what we are accustomed to. But the bay in the evening and the dimmed sunlight is as always stunning.

Izmir Library

Izmir was once built of 2 storey buildings. Some banks, rich businessmen stone houses or administrations rose over the small Aegean's houses and the firemen watch tower had a sight of the entire city. The watch tower today only stood in the shadow of neighbours’ tower and watch at the hundreds of thousands of book kept in the converted fire-brigade buildings.

Kids

This series doesn't need much comments. Let's the kids enjoy the pigeons' fly.

Friday, heavy rain

Friday Evening saw quiet strong rain falling on the bay, fortunately Saturday was full sun and Sunday quiet fair. So here is Friday:

The shipyard

We have a small shipyard in the city, mainly dedicated to fishermen boats maintenance and repairs. Fishermen boats are carvel build wooden caiques. These double ended small boats are equipped with a mono cylinder often air-cooled and noisy motor. Here you can see some “usta” maintaining boats, the last pictures show a brand new one recently delivered and waiting the last equipments before to leave for fishing. The crowd of curious “usta” and friends look appreciative at the shiny wood while the owner shows proudly the yet immaculate mechanics.

Such small boats (often only 5 to 8 meters long and without any cabin) can cruise for hours with their 8 HP propeller to bring us fresh mullet, seabass or leerfish.

The bay in the fog

An awful weekend. Grey clouds covering the sky, nothing like we have been accustomed to in Izmir for the past … well, centuries :) . The light was exceptionally bad, no contrast even when a pale sun tried to pierce the clouds on Saturday afternoon.

So I prefer to show you a few weeks old shot. The light was much better with just a curtain of fog shadowing the gulf, hiding the surrounding mountains. The buildings on the right form the Konak pier, a previously custom hall designed by Eiffel. The yellow spot in the center is where visitors used to step on first when visited Izmir: "the passport" as we still call it today. The last white point in the distance is a giant cruise ship relaxing for a few hours at the western pier of the harbour.

A sunny weekend after a "Highland" week

We rarely have a full day of rain in Izmir. When a morning is rainy the afternoon is usually sunny. But last week we had a full cloudy/rainy week, we barely saw the direct sunlight. The gulf waters went darkened by low flying grey clouds . Thanks all is back to normal: a windy sunny Saturday. Early in the morning (or not so early it's around 9 o'clock) the promenade is almost empty. Colourful balloon of the fire range survived the lack of challengers and wait for a better hand. Two hours later on my way back the chapmen start to fill the place and meet the first walkers. The soaked land is still no good to lazily lay down in the grass or for the kids to play but the seaside looks great.

Fishermen back from fishing clean the nets or have some rest. Someone shoes are drying under the sun. After the windy days workers have to clean up the shore of tossed wastes. A food&drink seller heat himself at the sun while a dozen of water-bottles and a bag of sunflower seeds await the client, not a big enterprise. Another prepare kites, sure to make good business in such days with a strong wind. The inflatable toys seller keep his breath and prepare his bike to expose his merchandises.