WEEKENDS Archives - Page 4 of 4 - following the funks

IZMIR: Zoo Time

November 23, 2016July 11, 2021EVERYDAY LIFE, FAMILY, LOCAL, PLACES, TRAVELS, TURKEY, WEEKENDS Catie 2 Comments

It has literally been years since I have been to a zoo. Shockingly enough, in the four years that I lived in Iowa, I never made it to the Des Moines zoo (and they even have a Zoo Brew for adults in the summer!). Even more shameful, Jason and I went to San Diego and did not go to the zoo … which apparently is one of the main attractions.

So, either we are not zoo people or we don’t have kids… it seems that both are true right now!

BUT, we recently went to the zoo… in Izmir. And we really enjoyed it!

I know you are thinking…how can you make it to the zoo in your first 2 months living in Turkey and never make it to one in your own state OR even San Diego in the last 4 years? Last summer, Jason and I spent 10 days exploring Izmir making dreams and visions for possibly moving to this location. One of the ‘things to see’ in Izmir on almost every website was the zoo. Unfortunately for us, July weather is extremely hot and humid. That and public transportation from our location to the zoo was going to be 2.5 hours… one way. Being the wise ones we are, we decided (very quickly I may add) to stayed put in our air conditioned rental and planned to visit it another time.

With it being fall time, the weather was perfect and the bus ride was pleasant. The neighbourhood we decided on is a little closer, and we are able to catch only one bus that took us all the way there. Being a Saturday morning when most Turks are just starting to eat breakfast, the bus was found to be empty and relaxing.

The zoo exceeded our expectations by 100%. For only ~~3.50 lira ($1.25 USD)~~ 10 Turkish Lira and 5 for kids 7 and older ($1.15 and $0.58), zoo goers are able to access the whole zoo and the petting area. A little cafe with simple cheese toast, muffins, snacks, and drinks was the perfect place to wait for some friends of ours.

The zoo was opened on 18 acres of land for the International and Cultural Fair in 1937. In 2008 moved to the Sasalı area in NW Izmir gaining a whopping 425 acres area that now makes up Turkey’s first zoo and wildlife park. This park now hosts over 1600 animals, 138 species and 250 species of plants.

Jason snapped this shot of me…

I kinda of like him… and this hat.

And he kinda likes me wearing a hat, which I do for him…

Our relationship works out well for us.

Can I pause here and tell you about one of my favorite purchases this past year? Overalls.

If you know me, then you would know that I have become an avid dress wearer. One piece of clothing makes a whole outfit – casual or dressy. And now that jumpsuits and overalls have made their debut again, I am one happy girl! I found the perfect pair of overalls at the Gap Factory Outlet this past summer. They are the perfect casual day wear. Especially for a day at the zoo, correct? (Similar black pair can be found here.)

I will also tell you that we completely overdressed for this day. Being more familiar with a colder November, we have been a little caught off guard with how warm it has gotten throughout the day. So a sweater under my overalls and a wool cap was not the best idea!

A couple of my favorite animals were the rhino and camels, but the cutes animal award goes to the patagonian mara! Other animals such as deer and squirrels can be found at the Izmir zoo. Those are quite common in America but not so common. I was able to see the deer, but did not see any squirrels!

So that’s it. We went, and we love it.

Maybe we are zoo people after all! (Because we still have no kids to blame it on.)

Address:

Izmir Zoo or Izmir Doğal Yaşam Parkı is located in Sasalı, Cigli, Izmir, Turkey. (Telephone : (0090) 232 327 30 16)

More info via the website of Izmir Zoo and Wildlife Park and Trip Advisor.

What about you?

Do you love the zoo?

What is the best zoo out there?

Would you go to a zoo without kids?

EVENTS: Mavibahçe Organic Market

November 12, 2016November 10, 2016EVENTS, FOOD, WEEKENDS Catie

In my opinion, Mavibahçe, also know as Blue(Mavi) Garden(Bahçe), is one of the nicest malls in Izmir. This shopping mall looks massive from the outside, but once you enter, you will see a beautiful open garden in the middle with all the stores line the perimeter. But we can chat more about that another time.

November has been a gorgeous month so far. Fall time has slowly crept into our days bringing the cold air with it. But the warmer days are still found every so often. This made for the perfect day to have a little organic market in the center garden of this mall.

During my previous time living in Turkey, I was still learning how to chop up veggies and cook much less did I care what I was actually eating. Eight years later (and some quirky food habits like kombucha and homemade cashew butter), I have been a lot more curious as to what foods I can find here in Izmir and how I can continue some homemade/healthy options. So far, I have been greatly impressed by what options are available here.

I am not a huge organic guru, but I have slowly been learning more about where my food comes from and what I am putting in my body. In the process, I have come to a new appreciation for those who work to keep their products chemical free via their convictions about pesticides and toxic residues.

So when a new turkish friend as if we wanted to meet up, we were totally up for his suggestion to meet at the Organik Pazaar (Organic Market) at Mavibahçe. This activity was organised by the Association of Ecological Agriculture Organization with the support of the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock Ministry officials and the participation of the European Union. While it was small, the 12 vendors provided a wide option of products such as fruits, veggies, honey, bread, beauty product line and even organic cotton clothes for adults and children. All vendors have a certification paper that shows their products meet the standard to be classified as organic.

The goal? To help bring awareness of organic products to the people of Izmir.

Our loot you ask?

Celery root with baby celery stalk. I have found that it is still really hard to find celery here! Celery stalks are part of our Louisiana ‘Holy Trinity‘ of foods, but here they mostly just use the root for meze(little sauce appetizers) and soups. But we found some at this market!

Cute little mandarine oranges with the sweetest taste from the cutest old turkish man at the market.

Free box of testers from a local beauty product line, Iva Natura, made locally in Izmir in the Bornova neighborhood. I am actually really excited to learn more about this company. In the last year, I have slowly change most of my products over to a more natural non-toxic beauty routine for a few reasons I can tell you about in a future post. Since living in Turkey will make it hard on shipping, I have been hoping to find either something more local or european products to replace them in the future.