More Aydin Photos

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Aydin - This is the Pamukkale bus I boarded in Fethiye to Aydin which had on board WiFi. I made some use of the Internet connection as we traveled, but only with the Galaxy Note.

Aydin - Cell phone recharging USB connector reminds me the Pamukkale bus from Fethiye to Aydin also had on board WiFi. I made some use of the Internet connection as we traveled, but only with the Galaxy Note. Trying to use the laptop proved cumbersome.

Aydin - During my ride around the Bus No.5 route we ventured far out into the suburbs and I recalled the friendly driver who refused a return fare.

Aydin - During my ride around the Bus No.5 route we ventured far out into the suburbs where I noticed massive solar water heater clusters on top of all buildings.

Aydin - During my ride around the Bus No.5 route we ventured far out into the suburbs where I spotted numerous apartment buildings like these.

Aydin - During my ride around the Bus No.5 route we ventured far out into the suburbs where huge blocks of apartment building are being developed.

Aydin - Part of the historical monument facing north in the middle of the main Aydin traffic circle as seen at night.

Aydin - Close-up of a kneeling figure in the historical monument facing south in the middle of the main Aydin traffic circle on Mugla Blvd.

Aydin - Part of the historical monument facing south in the middle of the main Aydin traffic circle as seen during daylight hours.

Aydin - The 3 star Otel Ozla is located on the principle shopping street not far from the bus station. At 60TL or $34 it is a reasonable value, but included a breakfast buffet fit for a pauper.

Aydin - Fig tree sculpture in center of a traffic circle near the hotel.

Aydin - Plaque at the north base of the fig tree monument in center of a traffic circle to the west of the Aydin Park Otel.

Aydin - Fig tree sculpture in center of a traffic circle near the hotel.

Aydin - A view from another angle of the fig tree monument.

Aydin - A view from yet another angle of the fig tree monument.

Aydin - Here is that fig tree monument again. Hey, it symbolizes the city of Aydin!.

Aydin - A portion of the historical monument facing north in the middle of the main Aydin traffic circle.

Aydin - A sculpture in a plaza near the northern end of the main shopping boulevard.

Aydin - Sculpture on display at the Forum Aydin. Close-up of figure number one.

Aydin - Sculpture on display at the entrance to the Forum Aydin. This is figure number one.

Aydin - The open central plaza at the Forum Aydin. Looking across the water works.

Aydin - The open central plaza at the Forum Aydin. Two ladies discuss their purchases.

Aydin - Towering sign marks the Forum Aydin parking lot.

Aydin - Olives and figs. What can be more Turkish?

Aydin - Bundles of resinous kindling for sale at the Sunday Farmers Market.

Aydin - Anyone can cut an orange at the equator to show it's color and freshness. It takes an innovator to spiral cut one like this to display its virtues!

Aydin - Pile of strangely wrinkled oranges on display at the Sunday Farmers Market near my hotel. Based on gestures responding to my quizzical expressions, they must be delicious to taste, though ugly to behold.

Aydin - Another stand selling dry figs along with chestnuts, a common combination this time of year.

Aydin - This colorful arrangement of vegetables caught my attention, though many other displays showed the natural color of Mother Nature.

Aydin - When I stopped to admire this fellow's figs he pulled one from the pile and offered it as a sample... which I politely declined. Sadly, many healthy farmers like this guy are still killing themselves by smoking.

Aydin - The day is done for this Kurdish farm lady and now she can wander the market buying the things she needs to take home.

Aydin - For these ladies catching up on the weeks happenings is more important that buying fresh tomatoes for tonight's stew.

Aydin - Most of the shopping is done by the ladies, but here a gentleman has been given the job of buying tonight's dinner.

Aydin - Sign in the window of a bakery I passed everyday offering fresh simits for about 18 cents each; cheap and delicious. (Those are not simits in the case!)

Aydin - Buyers and sellers dicker over quality and prices in this scene repeated a thousand times every Sunday on market day.

Aydin - This photograph is a reminder to mention all the rain which has been falling this week. Even today, Sunday during the morning hours sellers at the Farmers Market needed to be prepared for the occasional downpour.

Aydin - My attempts at candid photos are not always unnoticed. Here a lady watches my every suspicious move.

13 January 2013

Greetings from Aydin Turkey,

Hello from the dried figs capital of the world, Aydin. There truly are a lot of figs offered for sale in this town, but the thing which impressed me most is the Sunday Farmer's Market stretching several blocks north and south and then an equal number east and west! This is the largest open air market I've seen in Europe. Of course nothing can compare with the truly huge market I saw in far western China during my 2004 visit there. The Sunday Bazaar in Kashgar is incomparable... excerpt from main postcard page.

Aydin - Displays of fancy packaged figs as well al huge bags of figs may be seen all over town in areas frequented by tourist.

Aydin - One of a series of combination planters and resting benches along the divided highway near the main bus station. The innovative design caught my attention.

Aydin - Sculpture of fig tree erected in the middle of a traffic circle near the Aydin Park Hotel where I stayed.

Aydin - The lottery is big business in Turkey and ticket sellers are found in every block. The balloon seller added a little color to this image.

Aydin - This is the Old-Man-Woman illusion I studied for a long time at the City art gallery hosting an exhibit of student and faculty paintings. From a distance I saw a cartoon representation of two really old characters. As I drew nearer I detected details in the eyes suggesting memories each old one might be having as interpreted by a viewer. Finally, right on top of the work I saw the facial details actually were smaller portraits of people and icons suggesting memories of the other in youth... a remarkable piece of imagination!

Aydin - Here in the fig capital of the world I finally get to try one of these famous morsels. Yum.

Aydin - As I circle the sculpture I snap photos of the fig tree monument in center of a traffic circle.

Aydin - This shot is a reminder to mention the extensive use of orange trees in the city landscaping. There must be thousands of trees around the town. I'm wondering how they harvest the fruit; the trees are loaded right now with ripe fruit.

Aydin - The open central plaza at the Forum Aydin as seen from the second floor balcony.

Aydin - The open central plaza at the Forum Aydin. Mostly stylishly dressed shoppers here.

Aydin - This city seal is used on many public facilities line the iron fence along a walkway next to a busy highway.

Aydin - Interesting array of limbs on a tree probably trained to grow this way while still young. It reminded me of odd shaped tree trunks in a small town in Egypt back in 2001.

Aydin - Part of the huge Sunday Farmers Market across the highway from the Aydin Park Otel. There must have been 12 to 15 blocks of fresh produce sellers in the several block area.

Aydin - One of the two boys who encouraged me to take their pictures while I was making a video of the scene around their produce stand. Putting the Galaxy video away I pulled out my little Philips "spy" camera which peaked his curiosity: got'cha!

Aydin - Part of the huge Sunday Farmers Market across the highway from the Aydin Park Otel where I stayed. Here some ordinary cabbages and cauliflower are being displayed.

Aydin - Another shot of the odd pile of what turned out to be a hybrid variety of cauliflower. The farmer pulled some of the flowers apart so I could see it's similarity to regular cauliflower structure.

Aydin - A lot of people offered grape leafs like these for cooking at the Sunday Farmers Market. You wouldn't think they would be that hard to prepare.

Aydin - Another stand had these grape leafs for sale. They do look different from the others I saw.

Aydin - These mushrooms must be very special as they seemed to be quite expensive, though I didn't personally witness anyone buying them at the Sunday Farmers Market.

Aydin - For the most part sellers appear to be ordinary people trying to make a little extra money from the surplus of vegetables they have grown for their own table. There sure were a lot of bright orange carrots everywhere.

Aydin - This clever bee keeper discovered round combs of raw honey are more popular that chunks broken from the normal larger frames. As I inquired by gestures how he did it, he pulled a couple empty wicker hoops out and showed me how they fit nicely into the rectangular frames propped up in the back.

Aydin - Chestnuts and figs, a combination seen all over the Sunday Farmers Market.

Aydin - My attempts at candid photos are not always unnoticed. Another lady walking the crowded isles catches me in the act as well.

Aydin - At the bus station (otogar) this Kurdish woman approached me pleading for... something... I presume financial help. I declined and then watched as she worked the entire waiting area for a half hour, occasionally convincing someone to part with a few coins. Suddenly, she abruptly boarded one of the departing buses and disappeared.

Map of Turkey: click on map for scalable version.

Aydin - Like farmers markets everywhere in the world, shopping for peas is a good time to catch up on the neighborhood gossip or share tips on who has the best olives today.

Aydin - The Sunday Farmers Market is a noisy place. This lady in the upper right corner sings her alert, drawing attention to her offerings.

Aydin - The Sunday Farmers Market is a noisy place. This lady loudly calls attention to her huge pile of fresh peppers... in Turkish, of course so I presume that is why she has raised her voice.

Aydin - Markings on each of the new Pamukkale buses designating it as having WiFi.

Aydin - A couple of stylishly dressed ladies shop the huge Sunday Farmers Market. Most shoppers appear to be more modestly dressed.

Aydin - A mom and pop operation at the Sunday Farmers Market... not sure what they are selling in that blue tub.

Aydin - For some shoppers buying and selling is serious business and requires careful inspection of the product before buying.

End

Aydin - Entrance to the excellent value 90TL Aydin Park Otel where I stayed most of the time while in this city famous for figs.

Aydin - Shower stall in the Aydin Park Hotel. With all the high tech gadgetry I felt like being in some sort of space capsule... or maybe a Woody Allan "Orgasmatron?" (Without the functionality!)

Aydin - This is the hotel pet, "I due" who escaped and harassed me as I worked in the lobby at the computer terminal. Behaving like an ignored toddler, it first jabbered away in Turkish, of course. When I failed to play it attacked the computer mouse and keyboard with its sharp beak. Fearing my fingers might be next I called the hotel barman and retreated.

Aydin - Parting view of the Aydin Park Otel just before I boarded the bus for Istanbul at 18:30.

Aydin - A sculpture in a plaza near the northern end of the main shopping boulevard.

Aydin - Another display of fancy packaged figs as well al huge bags of figs on display in a shop at the main bus station.

Aydin - More fancy packaged figs as well al huge bags of figs on sale in a shop near the bus station (otogar).

Aydin - During my ride around the Bus No.11 we stopped at the northern terminus where this handsome mosque is located.

Aydin - Fig trees are deciduous so this is what they look like in the winter... and why there are no fresh figs right now in Aydin.

Aydin - For a contrast, this is the mosque standing next to the main otogar not far from my hotel, the Aydin Park Otel. I consider it unremarkable, but the muezzin still makes as much noise as those in the beautiful structures.

Aydin - Gypsies camping out next to the bus rout no. 11 terminus. This little kid is preoccupied with a new born puppy while his mother urges him to make contact with the wealthy foreigner.

Aydin - City art gallery hosting an exhibit of student and faculty paintings where I discovered the Old-Man-Lady illusion, so unique I studied it for a long time.

Aydin - Author examining a fig in the fig capital of the world. Hmm... this one seems to have an inedible stem.

Aydin - This is the main traffic circle on the highway coming from the south. The small van, called a Dolmish, just entering the traffic circle is used like a shared taxi with most rides costing two lira, about a dollar.

Aydin - One of the numerous city buses connecting all popular parts of the city. I rode many of them as I discovered features of this charming city.

Aydin - Another shot of the main traffic circle on the highway coming from the south not far from the Aydin Park Otel where I stayed.

Aydin - Foreign fig inspector at work on specimen number F39. Passes. Yum.

Aydin - Here is that fig tester at work on another sample.

Aydin - Hmm... this one is not perfect, but I hate to waste perfectly nourishing food; think of all those starving Americans.

Aydin - Sculpture on display at the Forum Aydin. Close-up of figure number two.

Aydin - Sculpture on display at the entrance to the Forum Aydin. This is figure number two.

Aydin - Sculpture on display at the entrance to the Forum Aydin. Here, both figures together.

Aydin - I hope to heaven this one doesn't have any live wasps in it. Love those crunchy seeds, though.

Aydin - O.K. Let's see how good this one is.

Aydin - Oh, my gosh. there seems to be a bug in my fig. I mean something other than all the naturally resident wasp carcasses.

Aydin - One of the overpasses across the highway that runs past the Aydin Park Otel where I stayed. Notice the orange trees here as along most streets in the city.

Aydin - Another portion of the historical monument in the middle of the main Aydin traffic circle as seen during the daylight.

Aydin - Interesting array of limbs on another tree probably trained to grow this way while still young.

Aydin - Part of the huge Sunday Farmers Market across the highway from the Aydin Park Otel. There must have been 12 to 15 blocks of fresh produce sellers in the several block area.

Aydin - This odd pile of what turned out to be a hybrid variety of cauliflower peaked my interest and the farmer pulled some of the flowers apart so I could see it's similarity to regular cauliflower.

Aydin - Part of the huge Sunday Farmers Market across the highway from the Aydin Park Otel. There must have been 12 to 15 blocks of fresh produce sellers in the several block area.

Aydin - Big bags of bulk figs on sale in a shop not far from the bus station.

Aydin - While shooting a video of the atmosphere in the Sunday Market these two boys began shouting at me and gesturing for me to take their pictures, which I did. After finishing the video shoot I pulled out my little Philips camera and got this shot... which made them even more curious.

Aydin - One example of dozens of displays of figs being offered for sale in the Sunday Farmers Market. I learned this market is held somewhere in different parts of the city everyday. Dry figs in Turkish is kuru incir... should you be curious.

Aydin - Chestnuts and figs seem to go together like horse and carriage around the Sunday Farmers Market. That glass contains resinous kindling for starting fires, something I discovered after gesturing eating one of the sticks to the amusement of the kid selling a bunch of them.

Aydin - This clever bee keeper discovered round combs of raw honey are more popular that chunks broken from the normal larger rectangular frames. As I inquired by gestures how he did it, he pulled a couple empty wicker hoops out and showed me how they fit nicely into the regular frames. Smart guy.

Aydin - For many of the people with stands at the Farmers Market it is a day of socializing as much as anything.