Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Friday February 13, 2026

Yes, we have uprooted ourselves once again and continued our nomadic journey to the third largest city in Türkiye. Not the most propitious date to be travelling perhaps but it was an easy journey. Here are a few parting shots of our place in Bodrum including a video by Mahmood. The rain and wind storm passed over us during the night with flashes of lightning and crashing thunder. Lots of running rain water draining away in the morning.

This little fellow was having a grand time travelling on the wet surfaces, I’m sure! Have you ever watched a snail travel?

While I was busy observing the flora and fauna, Mahmood made a lovely video of where we were.

Izmir is busy, modern city with skyscrapers and auto routes serving a population between three and four million. Then add in the tourists! It is a port city on the Gulf of Izmir and there is plenty of evidence to show that humans have inhabited the area since 8,500 years during the Neolithic period. Recorded history goes back at least 3,500 years. It has survived earthquakes, fire, plagues and invasions. It continues to grow.

We chose an apartment in the old part of town a few steps from the historic Elevator. A comfortable, warm place but no view! It was Valentine’s weekend and finding anything else for the dates we wanted wasn’t happening.

The Elevator of Izmir was built in 1907 as public service by  Nesim Levi Bayraklıoğlu, a wealthy Jewish banker. Carrying goods up the hillside from the narrow coastline was extremely difficult and the elevator assisted the passage of people and goods from one level to the other. Originally water powered, today it uses electricity and is an excellent method for traversing the sector. Young couples were lining up with bouquets of flowers to have their photos taken on the upper level. It has an amazing view of the gulf and the city shoreline. We settled into our new digs looking forward to exploring more of the city tomorrow. Thank you, dear reader! Until next time.