Exploration Weekend in Izmir

We've been going on so many adventures outside of Izmir that this past weekend, we stayed local and explored our new city! Here are some things we did:
  1. Made tortellini in the Turkish return of Pasta Fridays with one of Earle's coworkers. No ricotta? Let's use this yogurt cheese. Throw some Turkish pepper in there. Etc.
  2. Went to the waterfront and ate Turkish Breakfast, in which they serve you a couple dozen tiny dishes (cheese, sauces, honey, eggs, vegetables, breads, etc.
  3. Took the subway to IKEA and tried to identify which words were Turkish words we haven't learned yet and which were Swedish furniture names
  4. Took the subway to a ferry (#boateveryweekend) and went across the bay to a brand-new part of town that was as crowded as Times Square
  5. Had rooftop döner for a "snack"
  6. Ate street corn (literally a cup of corn with the spices of your choice)
  7. Ate more pasta and watched a Turkish comedy movie with friends
  8. Went out for drinks back out on the waterfront
  9. Went to a hip coffeeshop Sunday morning
  10. Attended an English-language church service at the Catholic Church of Izmir; made some new friends
  11. Tried a new Turkish dish for lunch, menemen, that's basically just scrambled eggs
  12. Project time back in the apartment all afternoon
I love our adventures around the region, but Izmir itself has some pretty great things to offer, too.
Rooftop döner, specifically iskender style, which means there's a bed of pita bread under all that meat.

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