I've recently came back from a trip to Izmir (Turkey third largest city) where I've spent a few days shooting for a british travel client. Izmir is not your traditional "bazaar" turkish city, its central area is modern, cosmopolitan and has a southern european or even south american feel. I explain: in the back streets of neighbourhoods like Alsancak, one can get the impression that one is, for example, in Brazil... I mean: it is a bit like bairro Jardins in Sao Paulo or bairro Moinhos de Vento, in Porto Alegre.. or for the european readers: similar to Malasana neighbourhood in Madrid.  Those are beautiful, creative & traditional residential areas where most of the old houses have been converted into trendy shops, art galleries, cool bars, cafes and restaurants... great for shopping, for a drink, an alfresco lunch or even just for people watching. The back streets of Alsancak are stunning... full of tall dense trees giving a welcoming shade to the otherwise very hot city, beautiful architecture and the people are friendly, trendy, tanned & gorgeous looking. In almost every corner you can find a small bar or even a stall selling freshly made orange juice. All in all, a great place to explore on foot. I was staying at the Hilton  (thanks to my client) which happens to be the tallest building of the city and I obviously asked permission to have access to the roof top of the building in order to document the city best views. See below...