gift link from the NY Times travel section - 36 HOURS - Izmir, Turkey
For much of its history, Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city, was arguably the center of the world. Halfway down the Aegean coast, Smyrna, as Asia Minor ancients called it, was where East met West as an economic and cultural synapse at the end of the Silk Road. Today, the vibrant, 8,500-year-old “Pearl of the Aegean” — flanked to the north and south by the UNESCO World Heritage city ruins of Pergamon and Ephesus, among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — has again redefined itself as a hub for international explorers. The 2,400-year-old bazaar and the ancient Agora remain Izmir’s chief attractions, but the city, which played a key role in Turkey’s independence 100 years ago, has also reopened a former tobacco factory as a culture and art complex and launched a 300-mile, sea-hugging section of the EuroVelo 8 cycle route.