A Day In Turkey
The thing that excites me more about living abroad is that I'll be able to travel in the country and maybe even out with just the use of a bus/train/car.
As I live on an island, we usually feel "trapped" as we have no easy and cheap way of going abroad or even to the mainland without it costing a fortune. Even so, local tourist agencies have taken advantage of that and made it possible for us to go on day trips to Turkey for 12 hours by making trips to 2 cities, Aivalik and Kucukkuyu.
Turkey isn't the first place you would think of going on a shopping spree or day out but for most local businesses, it is the "heart of bargains" as there are many markets and shops that sell a vast selection of things a fraction of the price you would find them elsewhere.
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| this is Lesvos and Kucukkuyu is north-east of the island |
The reason we wanted to go there was that there was a trip to a shopping mall that was only 30 mins away from the harbor and judging by the fact that winter is coming and the weather is changing we took it by the head to go get some clothes etc.
Now, some may judge by the fact that we only go to get bargains and shop till we drop, but throughout the day we manage to see different things and spend quality time with family. It was the first day both my parents were off work since the beginning of April when the season started and it was nice for us to be together without any obligations.
The boat left from the harbor of Petra at 8.30 and was a cute ferry with seating like one of a large train and on the deck, there were rows of conjoined seats.
We even managed to go into the captain's cabin and were treated to traditional Turkish tea.
Even got a picture of me in the Captains seat, yes it was on "autopilot".
We arrived and after we went through customs we had rented a car, I strongly advise to do that as the price is more beneficial and afterward you have the independence of leaving whatever time you please as if you go with the bus you'll have to leave the mall 2 hours before the ferry departs again. Plus, you can fit as much shopping as you want in your car.
As we drove to the Mall, we noticed that Kucukkuyu is a thriving town with a lot of building potential and was situated right on the seafront so it was also touristy with quite a few hotels.
The mall was very big and was had two parts which were connected with a pedestrian bridge.
It included big stores with profound names like H&M, English Home, Vodaphone, Adidas, Sport 2000 and many more such as a Burger King and Starbucks. I felt a warm feeling as it connected me with my love for big cities and I had "missed" seeing and shopping in shops like those with such a variety.
We stopped and looked around, had lunch and a coffee and it was all in all a pleasant day, other than the fact that not many people knew the English language so it was difficult to communicate.
We slowly made our way back to the Harbor and since we had around 45 minutes left to spare before boarding (keep in mind that it was a small port which only held 1 ferry) we went for a stroll to the market.
It was a very picturesque little town and so was the market as our noses were flooded with warm smells of tea and herbs which we sold in bulk. The items of clothes and fabric aren't very good quality nor that appealing but still very cheap and last for a while.
We didn't go to bargain but mostly to get a taste of how the Turkish live and go about in their day to day lives and I found it quite similar to our way of life and characteristics.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
Tina xx
