On the train from Selcuk, I was reading about how close Greece was to Izmir. With daily coast-to-coast ferries, I regretted not  planning a trip despite of a valid Schengen visa. On arriving, we were all extremely hungry and headed to a cafe on the main street connecting Basmane station with the coast.

Delicious lahmacun & pide with lentil soup

We noticed an unusual transition in the anthropological scene. Instead of an European influence, we noticed more Arabic features. We saw garment stores selling life jackets & tubes. Some suspicious men were walking in and out of the cafe. In a flash second, all dots connected in my head. Izmir was the starting point for refugee death boats headed to the Greek coast. The unraveling of facts and accompanying images only saddened us.

Shops selling life jackets & tubes Shops selling life jackets & tubes

We woke up in the morning to go around the city, but there wasn’t much to do.

Ataturk status in Cumhuriyet Meydan Ataturk status in Cumhuriyet Meydan

The sea police seemed to be well equipped The sea police seemed to be well equipped

Public transport ferry connecting ports Public transport ferry connecting ports

Izmir clock tower at sunset Izmir clock tower at sunset

We took a flight back to Istanbul Ataturk, and then a metro to Taksim for Day 8 - the last day of our Turkey Roadtrip.