The birthplace of Homer, maybe

The magnet left behind as a token of thanks read "Izmir." My renters had left my Parisian apartment clean, with one red rose lying on the bar table just under the window overlooking the Eiffel Tower. They had stayed for just one night, having ventured to my Montparnasse apartment from Paris's 13th Arrondissement (District) for, as I later learned, the romantic setting to ask an important question— the question. At the time, though, they were just two strangers who'd left a magnet, a red rose, and a note suggesting that we might get to know each other over dinner.

The magnet that planted the seed for this week's adventures

Two years later, here I was, landed in Izmir for the big day that the question two years ago had led us to. Mehmet and Gizem were hardly strangers anymore. And I even had a special someone with whom to share their big day.

Izmir, Mehmet and Gizem's home town, is the third largest city in Turkey. The city has ancient roots, dating back to at least 3000 BC, and the region has been inhabited much longer. Izmir's name derives from the city's former Greek name of Smyrna (from is Smyrna, meaning to Smyrna). Izmir is a highly likely birthplace of the Greek poet Homer, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, though given current Greek-Turkey relations, such a claim can rub the wrong way.

The list of former rulers of Izmir reads like a who's who of the powerful empires of history: the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Christian Crusaders, Mongols, and the Ottomans all had their hands on this city at one time or another. The Ottoman rule of Izmir began in 1415. Under the Ottomans, Izmir was a very multicultural place, home to Greeks, Jews, Levantines, Armenians, and many Western European merchants.

At the end of WWI, the Greeks began a period of Turkish occupation with the capture of Izmir, following through on a promise from the Allies of Greek territorial gains in Turkey. This lasted through 1922, in a violent period referred to as the Greco-Turkish War, or the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence. (The ramifications of this war have had much positive effects, such as the creation of Turkey as an exemplary model of a secular, democratic Muslim country, but also have left lasting scars in Turkish relations with Armenia, Greece, and consequently the EU.) After the Greek withdrawal from Izmir, ending the Greco-Turkish War, the Great Fire of Smyrna destroyed nearly three quarters of the city of Izmir. Most non-Turkish historians believe that this fire was orchestrated by the Turks to eliminate non-Turkish influences in the city. Tens of thousands of people perished, and hundreds of thousands more were left as refugees after the city was destroyed. The new Turkish government then made many additional moves to further homogenize the population. This period is still highly contentious between the Greeks, Armenians, and Turks, and trying to sift through to where the truth likely lies through google searches can be a real headache. So thanks for reading this far, if you made it. Let's call it a day on the history lesson.

All the government initiatives and cultural homogenization did not destroy Izmir's identity as a liberal, cosmopolitan, and secular haven in Turkey. Conservative Turks still use the old Ottoman slur Gavur Izmir (Infidel Izmir). Living in what some describe as a world of historical amnesia, today's Izmir is a young, vibrant, Westernized city, with busy streets where the people dress as in any other major European metropolis. And, despite Turkey's Muslim heritage, finding a bar and some locals with whom to enjoy a beer is hardly a challenge in Izmir. Gavur Izmir, indeed!

The Izmir waterfront

Overall, my impression of this city is that it's probably a great place in Turkey to live. It's also an excellent launchpad to visiting a host of tourist sites, including Pamukkale and Ephesus. However, the city itself isn't exactly topping Turkey's list tourist hot-spots. That's not to say that Izmir isn't worth a visit. For one, the locals in Izmir could not be kinder or more welcoming at every turn, whether asking for directions or whatnot, random locals kept going out of their way to be helpful. And of course, there are at least a few sites worth checking out. The city is known for its long and peaceful waterfront, where couples, families, and small clusters of friends gather to picnic and fish at all hours of day and night. The Kemeraltı Bazaar also tops Izmir's tourist must-see lists.

The Kemeraltı Bazaar

Another one of the most famous sites in Izmir is the Clock Tower in Konak Square, a gift from the German Emperor Wilhelm II to commemorate the Sultan Abdulhamit I's 25th year of rule in 1901.

Izmir's Clock Tower by night

We stayed with a lovely host and retired Turkish military man, Nurettin, who was happy to be our host and surrogate parent while we were in town. He greeted us every evening with Turkish tea and snacks when we returned back to his neighborhood, right by the Asansör monument. (I couldn't get enough of all the words the Turks had borrowed. Despite its totally disparate linguistic roots, a lot of words in Turkish can be guessed by sounding them out if you have some basic knowledge of English and French! Asansör is a great example: it means elevator and is a direct transliteration of the French word for elevator, ascenseur.) Asansör is literally what it advertizes: a giant elevator. It was built by a wealthy Jewish patron in the early 1900s to ease travel through the steep Konak neighborhood of Izmir, and it offers a great view across the city.

Our Airbnb host Nurettin, his home with a view in the Konak neighborhood, and the nearby Asansör monument

And tonight, Nurettin will be sending us off to the big celebration that brought us to Turkey in the first place: Mehmet and Gizem's wedding!