Ramadan

Right now in Turkey it is Ramadan.  It began while I was in Antalya and I was wondering how it would affect tourists in Turkey that are not Muslims.  The answer is that there is little effect at all.

People partaking in Ramadan do not eat between sunrise and sunset.  During this time they fast by not eating or drinking.  At least in the places I have visited, it does not seem to be heavily practiced.  Most restaurants are open and many Turkish people are eating lunch and dinner.
The more interesting part to me though was the nightly and early morning announcement that remind people they can now eat.  People go down the streets banging a drum and making lots of noise at sunset and, perhaps more importantly, just before sunrise at around 3:30am, to wake people up so they can eat before the sun comes up.
Depending on where you are staying during Ramadan, you may get woken up at 3:30am with the banging of a drum.  You may want to choose a higher floor or a more soundproof room!  

Turkish coffee

I’m a pretty big fan of coffee, especially when I can get good coffee, which was difficult in Asia.  However, in Turkey coffee is pretty unique.

Turkish coffee is a method of preparing the coffee, the actual beans are the same as any other coffee. The beans are finely ground and then boiled in a pot.  When it is served in a cup, the grounds settle on the bottom.  If it is done well, it can be very good.  If it’s not done well, you get bad coffee!
Most interesting though is what comes with it.  Must places serve it with a biscuit, a biscotti, or a piece of Turkish delight.  The restaurant last night had a bit of a different spin on it.
The coffee is in the top left hand side of the picture.  The chocolate is from Belgium.  They sliced off pieces of chocolate at the table.
The restaurant was called %100 Restaurant and is right on the waterfront in Izmir.  It’s certainly not the cheapest place I have eaten at in Turkey, but the food and service were very good.  They have nice views of Izmir and the bay with lots of seats outside.

Foça

My plan was to spend my last couple of days in Greece before returning home.  I bought a ferry ticket from Kusadasi which was subsequently cancelled due to bad weather.  

Instead of Greece, I decided to come up to Foça (pho-sha).  It’s about 80km outside of Izmir and is the furthest point West in Turkey.
There are a lot of crowded beach towns in Turkey, but this is not one of them!  Those looking for a relaxed couple of days by the beach should look into this place.
To get here from Izmir, take the IZBAN railway (connected to the metro) northbound to the second last stop and then take a bus.  If arriving at Izmir airport, just get on the IZBAN at the airport and head North, there is no need to change trains.  
I will spend one night in Izmir before I start the journey home, but for now I will explore this area for the weekend.   So far Foça seems to have some nice restaurents and hotels / guesthouse that are right on the ocean. Once I explore some of the beaches in this area, I will post some more pictures.