CESME CENTRAL COAST

Date: 2012  

Location: Cesme / IZMIR / TURKEY

Type: Competition

HONORABLE MENTION

CESME “WE KNOW”

Cesme is the extreme point of Anatolia at west… Surrounded by Aegean from north, south and west. You can see Karaburun hills at northeast and Chios of Greese right across. It is only 8 sea miles to Chios. You can reach Chios from Cesme by a short ferry trip. It is 90 km to Izmir city center. Cesme is one of the places where summer tourism is dense. Alacati Town which has recently become very popular is a town of Cesme. Alacati which reflects deep history with its Roman houses also hosts windsurf organizations. Alacati is windy 330 days in a year. And gives the optimum conditions for surfing. Accordingly, the first wind farm of Turkey has also been established here. Cesme has also thermal tourism options. Not only its summer, its winter season worth discovering. It is told that you will be healed with spring waters emerging inside the sea of Ilica Bay. Furthermore, it has more than 20 beaches. It is the right address for experiencing all opportunities of Aegean. It is a heaven worth seeing with its bays of unique beauty.

CESME “WE LIVE”

Your first stop on Aydin-Cesme highway is “Cesme bus terminal“. Your first experience with Cesme. The first place you begin feeling the city. It is also the main road to the marina. Unique blue of the sea takes you through the channel. You begin smelling Cesme here. The things you feel are not the ones you want. You are in the city but still you have to walk on the small sidewalk reserved for you laying through the divided road. You continue with questioning eyes. You feel very little. You struggle getting its scale. While crossing the street, at right that moment, you realize that the road is divided by the “channel. You think why such a beautiful and urban symbol is so alone and indistinct. You cannot find an answer to that. You are confused. If, it is your first visit to Cesme, you think you see a different image compared to what you have heard. But, still you do not even doubt for any beauty making Cesme “Cesme”. You just do not associate Cesme with this first experience. Continue for exploring what is beneath. You see the poles of sails while going towards the marina. Not them, but their poles. Right here, you think “what a beautiful view that is”. You say “I also want to see the sails”. But Cesme does not allow until you enter the marina. Cesme plays hard to get… You move quickly. In order to join the marina… Divided road is still with you. It becomes smaller but also makes you feel that Cesme is mostly reserved for vehicles. Whereas, isn’t the marina is the most popular point of Cesme as well as its gate opening to Europe? Aren’t man tourists begin experiencing Cesme from here? You continue asking…

Your aim is to reach Cesme Fortress as one of the most important structures of the city.You have heard much about it. And now you want to experience it. Your steps become faster. You cannot wait to go there. Then, suddenly you find yourself before it. Because, the walls you are passing can only be city-walls. Thus, you realize that you are where you should be. In front of the fortress. You want to step back and feel it in full. But you cannot do it. Vehicles are between you and Cesme again. Now; you get the angriest with them because, you know feeling the fortress cannot be limited in a few seconds. You feel that you deserve to be closer to the fortress than them. You want to stand across, stare it for a long time and have a time travel. Then, if I cannot walk around freely, I should get in and feel it. While moving up the long stairs, you think that it is a good thing to turn the Cesme Fortress into a museum… Enter into the halls and witness the history of Cesme. The fortress makes you happy. Now, your objective is to climb the highest point. You continue without feeling tired. And now, you are at the top of the fortress and see Cesme from top. Deep blue Aegean is before you with its whole beauty. The marina, sails, small city square and several tea cafes through the coast… A 6-storey hotel just next to it… You suddenly realize that you do not have to be on top for seeing it. Because the structure is in competition with the fortress in respect of its huge size. Then, you say that it is a structure it does not ever fit into this silhouette which even betrays it. You do not like its presence. When, you look opposite direction of the sea, you feel the historical texture of Cesme. The traditional Cesme houses on narrow streets are just before you as a painting of the archeological site of Cesme. You find yourself in the square before the municipality after leaving the fortress. It is a quite little square. It is sensed smaller than it is because it is disconnected from the seaside by the road. The signs of gum mastic ice-cream booths at the seaside suddenly attract your attention. You think, you cannot leave Cesme before having an ice-cream and you get one after vehicles allow you. Here, you learn the 6000 years history of gum mastic trees. The red soil and season of this place provide sufficient conditions for these trees. You learn, there are gum mastic jam, liqueur, raki and several products and it is also used in pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Then, you wonder these world-famous trees. You think why you haven’t seen any gum mastic tree since your arrival, but you would be very glad to see these trees each one like a green sculpture and such a value would also increase awareness of the city. Then, you learn the woodlands have been transformed years ago for growing tobacco. You feel sorry. Then continue through the seaside. You witness the intensive presence of official institutions on the seaside except several restaurants and cafes. You feel a little bit surprised. You cannot find a meaning why these institutions are positioned on the most precious locations of Cesme seaside. Right now, you think you would be happier to see a recreation area, more pedestrians and green here. Then a fishing port ahead attracts your attention. The fishing port is a beautiful image as well as a contribution to experiences of the city. You think to yourself it is the indispensible aspect of coastal cities. Then continue your way. A lush coast welcomes you at the end of the road. It is a surprise for you. You just realize how it will be pleasant to swim here. But, this beach is small. Small number of people can enjoy it. You wish more people could swim here. Then, you realize that the fish port is closer to that beach and it cannot be good for hygiene here. You think maybe the port should not be so close. Seaside ends here but, your excitement still goes on. You think what waiting for your at upper levels and continue your way. You enter the first street before you. Where small hostels are located… While walking, stairs climbing through greens attract your attention. As if it invites you to an upper street. You are possessed with the magic of these long stairs and find yourself on an upper street. You realize that the structures become higher as you climb. And, you also realize the surprising elevation differences between two adjacent parcels. 4-storey attached buildings before single and double-storey structures… You just do not like the Street 3047. Yet, you have remembered your climb to the Fortress while climbing these stairs. Here, you hope to see the view what you have seen from the Cesme Fortress. Then, you get angry for the structures blocking it. Then, you become frustrated on the same street. Again, multi-storey structures with modern facades, aluminum barristers in contrary with the traditional structure type of Cesme. The Street 3047 ruins your dreams. Whereas, the experiences you have on Inkilap Avenue and other streets have made you feel close to Cesme. Mini and cute Cesme houses with their Turkish style roofs. You realize that you do not want to feel anything other than that on this street and others. Towards the end of the street another stairs connected to the top elevation welcome you. You also want to climb them. You have still hope that Cesme has beauties to share with you from that elevation. Sometimes, you want to rest while climbing up. It is not easy to climb all these stairs at once. Also, it will not be bad to experience the coastline by stopping and enjoying the view at different elevations. You dream of yourself watching the view from a lush area. And finally you are at the top. Yes, as you have imagined, it is a different feeling to see Aegean from that point. Certainly, it would be better if the multi-storey structures which partially block that view were not there. The large empty spaces between buildings also attract your attention. In fact, these areas are reserved for green recreational sections but they are not well-maintained. You wish they were not like that. “In other words, while you experience Cesme, you also dream of it”.

“DREAMED” CESME

“Dreams” are actually the reflections of feelings while “experiencing” Cesme, like a journey to a dream world where the “known” Cesme is far away from the experienced one. A prediction for adding much more aspects to the “known” ones of Cesme.

Journey begins as:

First you hear welcomes of the park with gum mastic trees at left while closing the terminal. The crowd walking around, resting and waiting for tour busses attracts your attention. Then you turn your eyes to the colorful electric tour busses. You just want to get off from the bus for mingling with that crowd. The terminal building has been restored. It is waiting for welcoming its guests better. As you get off, you want to say welcome to the gum mastic trees. The ones you always wonder… What a beautiful visual feast is this green area. Each gum mastic tree decorates the part like a sculpture. The green area rear-cross the part attracts you attention. You ask and learn that this place is the traditional herb market of Cesme and hundreds of Aegean herbs are sold here. You promise yourself to come here on your way back.

While on your way to marina, an avenue with an intensive pedestrian flow, beautiful cafes and bars attracts your attention. And deep blue channel right next to it… It makes you feel the marina as you step in. You just want to go with the flow. At the beginning of this avenue, you can also rent a bicycle and continue your journey… Now, the vehicle traffic is flowing through one direction. The transit passengers to Ciftlikkoy are not included in that flow. Traffic is reduced and slowed down as much as possible. Less carbon wastes, lower noise and large sidewalks for pedestrians. Then, you learn that this avenue is the entertainment axle of Cesme. This avenue is alive 24 hours. The stores here serve as cafe-bistros during the day and bar at night. The commercial units are located on upper levels. But, these are mostly belong to the service sector. They will have already left their offices during the hours of night life. You rest at the seating groups around the channel and watch people fishing. It reminds you the marina with its superstructure, ligthing installations and entire texture. Sails and their poles…

Then you take a walk to the marina. You should decide at the turnout. Left side serves to the background of the marina with its commercial units. Considering that the cruise passangers enter the city from here, the roads are narrowed and large sidewalks are established and the background of marine is left behind with a green texture. The commercial units of this area are also functioned to serve the marina. The vehicle and boat rental deals are handled here. At the right side, cute boutique hotels are located until Cesme Fortress. This section is also the calmest section of this area. While you cannot wait to reach the Fortress, you see that the vehicle traffic completely disappears and the front side and around the fortress are completely reserved for pedestrians. You become happy. The vehicles are underground by constructing an underground car park under that area and access to the most popular point of Cesme is easier. There are lots of things to see here. Large green fields, expo and conference halls, Cesme Fortress & museum, open show area, large pedestrian road and bicycle road throughout the coastline and seaside recreation area… of course the units where famous gum mastic ice cream and local food are sold. Maybe, the most livable part of Cesme is here. You continue your journey pleasantly. The toy museum and children playground attract your attention at right. You always want to visit the toy museum.The children playground in its garden reminds you your childhood. Climbing on trees and running over green hills. Playing in the nature while exploring it… It is impossible not to notice the wooden stairs of the playground. You climb to the higher elevation through these stairs where green is the most intensive and you can see Cesme from the top. While climbing these stairs, you stop at different elevations and gaze through the deep blueness of Aegean. As you climb, you come closer to the retaining wall which reveals itself far away. You see that this wall seen any point from the seaside is used as a protection for the windmills. These windmills make you feel much more when you are closer than you are farther. You are extremely excited… It is a good spot for resting a little, for gazing Cesme from the top and then you follow green. With a great pleasure. At the end of the road you go down the stairs as you have climbed. And come to a spot where blue and green come together. Here is Teke Beach. The smallest beach of Cesme. It has grown with an axle from the coastal road and welcomes several residents and visitors of Cesme for enjoying sea. Right at this spot, the boutique hotels and cafes become dense. Here is the final point of the coastal road. Then, you turn back and continue walking through the pedestrian road covered with andesite. Andesite is one of the local materials of Cesme and it really fits in with its ambiance. A little further the fish port and right across it the fish restaurants and then Cesme Fortress wink at you.

Happiness of dreaming hugs you from inside and reminds you that each dream is a hope waiting to be realized.