Fortune Tellers

I've been waiting for the perfect time and opportunity to sneak of picture of the fortune tellers in downtown Izmir since I first arrived. Either I'm alone and feel too self-conscious, I'm riding my bike and don't have instant access to my phone, or the fortune tellers are busy "telling fortunes" to paying customers - young couples in love, groups of giggling girl friends, mothers and daughters making plans for their futures, etc.

Armed with the confidence that comes from the  support of an out-of-town guest who trusts that I know what I'm doing because I've lived here for a year, I approached this fortune teller, dropped a couple of coins in her hand and asked for a "resim" (photo). I actually wouldn't have minded asking for my fortune but, as she speaks only Turkish, I wouldn't have understood what she was saying anyway.

I snapped a quick photo with my phone but my friend captured the true essence of this fortune teller from her vantage point so what you're seeing is a much better image.

What the picture doesn't capture is the fortune teller's friends teasing her and giggling in the background. But the joke's on them because we snapped photos of them all resting and enjoying a smoke break later on in the afternoon.