Once out of the Izmir airport - not an easy task with all Turkish signage - it was smooth sailing on the open road. Our first stop was Kusadasi, about an hour and a half drive from Izmir. The drive was absolutely beautiful. Amazingly, Jill found an English station on the radio and we blared Nelly and Kid Rock while driving past chickens and goats, Turkish mountains all around us. The highways in Turkey are actually very nice, brand new and there are very few cars - perfect for my first driving in a foreign country experience. Jill didn't know I was a first timer when she climbed into the .jpg)
passenger seat :) hehe. We took a quick stopover in Selcuk as recommended by my "Eyewitness Travel Turkey", and then continued on to K
usadasi.(Selcuk is pic on left - behind Jill and I is a 6th century Byzantine citadel). A quick Outlet store stop, close call with a dog running in front of the car, and several narrow turns later, we finally parked the car by our hostel, Hotel Sezgin. Yes, the picture on the right is of "Hotel Sezgin"...and after a brief heart-attack Jill and I walked happily 20 feet ahead to the newly re-built version.
.jpg)
passenger seat :) hehe. We took a quick stopover in Selcuk as recommended by my "Eyewitness Travel Turkey", and then continued on to K
usadasi.(Selcuk is pic on left - behind Jill and I is a 6th century Byzantine citadel). A quick Outlet store stop, close call with a dog running in front of the car, and several narrow turns later, we finally parked the car by our hostel, Hotel Sezgin. Yes, the picture on the right is of "Hotel Sezgin"...and after a brief heart-attack Jill and I walked happily 20 feet ahead to the newly re-built version. As Friday was still a work day, we got settled, grabbed lunch, and headed to the local Starbucks to steal some free wifi for online research. That afternoon I worked and chatted online in undoubtedly the best located Starbucks on earth. See the pics below - this is Kusadasi harbor from Starbucks, me "working", a 14th century Genoese fort on the island I sat staring at, and finally what the view looked like around sunset. There's a high probability this setting will go down as the best work 
setting (maybe not most productive but most beautiful) I'll ever have.
setting (maybe not most productive but most beautiful) I'll ever have.
Although beautiful, I would recommend Kusadasi only to those looking to stick their pinky toe into the pool of Turkish culture. Friday night Jill and I had the least Turkish experience in the least Turkish atmosphere I've been in yet. After a dinner at "Planet Yucca" (Planet Hollywood of Turkey) we went to Bar Street Kusadasi. Irish Pubs one after the next was exactly what we'd been longing to see. Unfortunately, we missed the memo that the nightlife scene in Kusadasi dies at the end of September. Although most bars were completely empty, we managed to find the only crowded bar, and wrapped up the night by crashing a Kusadasi University party. Saturday's coming in next post so I can get in more pictures :) Life's an adventure!! XO
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