September 13-16, 2023

Southern Albania

We just finished up our quick, 3-night stay in Corfu Greece. Truthfully, the only reason Corfu ended up on our itinerary was so we could catch a ferry to Saranda, on the Albanian Riviera.

After some research back home, I found that a ferry from the Greek island of Corfu is the best and most direct way to get to the far south of Albania.  So, Corfu it was.

And besides being a convenient gateway into Albania, Corfu just happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Center, so we knew it had a lot going for it, besides its cute white cats.

Historically, Corfu goes back to the 8th century BC and to the Byzantine period. It’s been subject to various influences and a mix of different peoples. From the 15th century, Corfu was under Venetian rule for some four centuries, then passing to French, British and Greek governments.

Because of it’s long Venetian rule, Corfu is unique in Greece due to the pastel buildings seen everywhere, rather than the whitewashed buildings usually seen in Greece.

Corfu Town

I certainly cannot complain about our detour to this small Greek island. It was certainly a bit more glamorous than Istanbul, in an upscale shopping, beautiful-people kind of way.  It’s not our typical scene, and a bit more pricey than we would have liked, but it was picturesque and had a lovely appeal.  

We stayed in the heart of Corfu Town, in a comfy and cozy apartment in a very central location. 

About Town

Corfu Town is a shoppers paradise, with lots of unique and trendy little shops dotted all over the waterfront part of town. The charming, narrow streets looked more like paths from a ferry tale, with ivy and flowering plants draped everywhere, and old stone buildings with lots of character. 

Here and there we’d see colorful laundry hanging high above us, strung between buildings or across the narrow streets, which just added to the charm of this magical place.

There was a shoemaker, an incredible bakery, unique jewelry shops, coffee shops, and lots and lots of restaurants. There were also lots and lots of tourists, all dressed in cute gauze dresses and sandals, with their tans and cute accessories. 

A Fashion Icon

And there I was in my Columbia quick-dry shorts and one of five tops that I packed for our 53 days.  Not so cute or trendy, but I’m also not lugging a giant suitcase everywhere I go. 😂 Oh, and I do have my new blue hat that is pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

The Old Fortress

We meandered through the very crowded streets over to the Old Fortress, a mammoth fort built on a peninsula that juts out into the Ionian Sea.  

As impressive as the fort looked, when we saw multiple huge tour buses waiting and/or dropping off their passengers, the very long line for tickets, and the masses of people milling about out front, we decided it would be best to return tomorrow morning, nice and early. 

Turns out the port of Corfu is a cruise ship stop, and obviously the Old Fortress was a big draw. 

Next Day, 9 am

After cooking up some breakfast and making some delicious espresso in our very own kitchen, we headed back to the Old Fort and had it practically to ourselves. 

We climbed all the way up to the top of the fortress, and the views we were rewarded with were mesmerizing. Towards the Ionian Sea, the clouds decided to cooperate and made a canvas like no other. In the opposite direction we had a sweeping view of the entirety of Corfu Town.

After a thorough romp around the Fortress, we were more than ready for a swim. Our Airbnb host gave us the goods on a nice swim spot in town where many locals go, so off we went. 

A Dip To Cool Off

The water was beautiful. It’s cool as you get in, but when it’s 83 and muggy out, it feels great. I’m so glad I brought my $5 water shoes that I bought last year in Turkey. They really saved my tired out feet on the pebble shoreline, even if they are dayglow green and a bit cheap looking.  They get the job done. 

Wins and Losses

Wins

Having a kitchen was such a big win! 

Getting a quick taste of Corfu was great fun. Now we have to come back and visit the whole island to see all the beautiful beaches up north that we missed this time. 

Losses

It’s day 16 of absolutely no toilet paper in the toilet. As in, do not flush the tp ever. The Turkish, Greek, and now Albanian sewage systems are not equipped for any paper products.

I will say it’s usually not a big deal, but sometimes it is. Haha…I’ll leave that to your imagination.

October 28 – Nov 2

A Frontier Town

We arrived at Cappadocia in a shuttle from the Kayseri airport. Our first impression of the town wasn’t what we’d expected.  

Cappadocia is a huge tourist draw. It’s the second most popular tourist destination in all of Turkey (second only to the incredible Roman ruins at Ephesus near Selcuk). 

The Cappadocia region is famous for its unique, jaw-dropping terrain formed over 60 million years ago, and the hundreds of hot air balloons that dot the sky every morning to get the best views.

I expected a very polished town, a tourist town, ready to greet tourists from near and far, or at least a town with paved streets.  I didn’t expect to enter a Frontier Town, with dirt streets in disarray.  And that’s being kind.

On Our Way

We rode in a 16 passenger van from the airport to Cappadocia.  Cappadocia is a landlocked semi-arid region in central Turkey, very far from the towns along the Mediterranean we’d been enjoying for the past few weeks.

The ride was lovely. We drove on modern, uncongested freeways, but when we arrived in Cappadocia it was a very different story.

The Streets of Cappadocia

Driving straight up a steep, narrow, and winding dirt road, full of potholes, ruts and loose gravel, in a large passenger van leaves a lasting impression.

The van rocked and almost rolled, bounced, leaned, then would regain its composure and start all over again. I’d find myself holding my breath, only to realize and let it go in one slow, long exhale, in an effort to calm myself.   

Our van proceeded to wind up the steep hills, dropping off other arriving tourists, like us.  We felt like we should have been driving an ATV or a four-wheel vehicle in these conditions. The roads were really beat up.  Thankfully the driver did seem to know what he was doing, so we were (mostly) able to sit back and enjoy our roller-coaster ride.   

The Cave-Hotel

We watched as, one by one, the van emptied.  Most of the hotels in Cappadocia are “Cave-Hotels”, including ours. After all, if you’re in a region known for its incredible rock & cave formations, you’ve got to stay in a cave.  

I had booked the most budget level cave in a highly rated cave hotel, the Arif Cave Hotel. Our reserved cave had no windows, which is why it was so affordable. We’d be hob-knobbing with people paying two and three times our rate, but heck, at least we’d reap the benefits of a first-tier hotel with our best Turkish breakfasts yet, even if we don’t have windows. 

On the bright side (excuse the pun), there’d be no need for me to wear my eye mask at night.  No worries about too much light flooding the room in the morning.  It’d be like being in, well, a cave.  

Much to my delight, when we arrived, the owner gave us a free upgrade.  So we did have a window, actually two windows, after all.  

When booking a cave hotel room, I’d pictured a rough interior, like caves I’ve been in, but these were luxury caves. The cave-rock is very soft and easy to dig and mold, but once exposed to air, hardens quickly. 

Our room had beautiful, textured walls and all kinds of decorative carvings throughout, beautiful lighting, a nice bathroom, and a sitting area.

The Town

The heart of town is flat with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants, tour agencies, carpet shops, and a bus station. The town is small.  The downtown is easy to walk, and has a definite charm about it. 

Of course, the most striking feature of the town are the cave rock formations that jet straight up two or three stories high. It looks like a made-for-Disneyland set, but it’s real.

The Rutted Roads

The vast majority of the hotels are up the steep lanes that wind up the hill. The streets, in both the flat area and hillside hotel areas, are a mix and mess of dry, powdery dirt (sometimes an inch deep), a little gravel, deep, jagged ruts, with an occasional paver.  There’s also a fair amount of mud and puddles due to the city spraying water in an attempt to keep the dust down.  

Because of the street conditions, walking around requires a keen eye and quick feet.  It’s a game of extremes, puddles, mud, and muck versus extremely dry, powdery dirt and gravel. 

We’d set out, ready at any moment to jump a puddle, steer clear of mud, or be forced to walk in tiny, exacting steps going down the steep hill caked in powdery dirt. It’s a deliberate process where focus is paramount. 

Slipping & Sliding

We’ve both slipped a few times already on the steep descent from our cave-hotel to the town below. The powdery dirt provides a perfect equation for slippage, resulting in that feeling of not quite knowing when the slide will end.

Your stomach lurches just a bit, and your arms jet out to the side to give yourself balance. It’s hard not to look around to see if anyone is watching you flail.

Yes, the descent to town is a bit anxiety-provoking. I ask Steve to walk ahead of me, so if I go into an uncontrolled slide he will (hopefully) stop my fall, or at least cushion it a bit.  So far, so good.

Turns out, as we learned on almost our last day, the city is putting in gas lines & internet cable. They’ve ripped up 95% of the pavers that once made the town drivable and walkable (and cuter too). You know, like a modern-day town. 

The residents and tourists alike have lived with the paver-less streets for over a year.  Sounds like it will be another couple of years (at least) until the streets are paved again.  I am so relieved to learn that Cappadocia is not a forever Frontier Town. Yee-haw.

Images Say It Best

If there’s any place in Turkey that can be best represented in photographs, it’s Cappadocia.  The wonder of the terrain, along with the hundreds of early morning balloons across the expansive skyline is hard to describe in words.  So yes, pictures say it best.  

Blogworthy Pictures

Talk about an impossible task.  Just going through the thousands of pictures I took in Cappadocia and trying to select the best was daunting.  In my first run through, where I try to select the most blogworthy pictures, I ended up with 250 photos.  That’s a bit too many for any blog post.  Yeah, it’s hard to pare these beauties down. 

The View from Arif Cave Hotel

Our cave hotel, that I’ve already mentioned, was one of the highest on the hill overlooking town. The hotel was, in fact, directly below the pay-to-enter viewpoint on the ridge.  It was the perfect location for views of everything, complete with Ottoman style couches to lounge on and several levels of viewing decks.  

Early Morning Wonder

Every morning, weather permitting, there’s a spectacular morning display of hundreds of balloons dotting the sky.  The balloons launch every morning at dawn and put on a show like no other.

Our mornings were crisp, clear, and cold, in the high 20’s (Fahrenheit).

In the early morning darkness we were thrilled to witness dozens of brightly colored balloons getting ready to launch, still on the ground.  It was like a magical light show as the balloons blinked brightly aglow in quick succession, on and off, on and off, igniting their flames to fill in preparation for take-off. 

The scene changes minute by minute with the changes in lighting as the sun rises. The balloons move slowly, mixing and matching in various configurations, coming and going, high and low. The balloons are a mesmerizing orchestra of color and graceful movement.

The Main Event

I’d seen the pictures of the spectacle and knew what to expect, but being there, in person on the hillside, was so much more amazing than I could have imagined. 

Our position high up on the hill gave us the opportunity to feel like we were amongst the balloons, floating right along with them. 

A balloon would pass right in front of us, or even beneath us, skimming the town below. We shouted our hellos to those passing by in their giant baskets holding anywhere from 16 to 32 people, suspended in the sky. 

Some balloons passed so close that we could see the burner, which injects a flame into the balloon, heating the air within. The flame would make a deafening roar as it blasted upwards into the balloon, taking the balloon higher and higher, and away from our gaze.

The Magic Land of Cappadocia

Fairy Chimneys, gnome houses, cave dwellings, underground cities, cave churches, and more are all part of the Goreme valley magic.  The soft volcanic rock formations, many several stories high, are all over the valley and are a wonder to behold. 

The fascinating topography began over 60 million years ago and can be seen in various stages even today.  Wind, climate, rain, snow, and rivers caused and continue to cause erosion, giving Cappadocia its unusual and unique rock formations.

For thousands of years humans have carved incredible chambers and tunnel complexes into the soft rock.

A Place of Refuge

The area has a very long history, but of particular interest is that the early Christians, fleeing persecution from the Romans in the 4th Century onwards, took refuge in the caves of Cappadocia.  It was the perfect hiding place. 

When visiting Goreme Open Air Museum, we were able to enter several of the churches the Christians had carved into the existing caves.  Many have well preserved cave paintings.  

Unfortunately we weren’t able to take any pictures inside the cave churches, but I’ve included some pictures from one church we visited, the “Dark Church”, that I found on the internet.  

We were so impressed with the quality of the paintings and their longevity.  Standing in the Dark Church, so beautifully decorated with the detailed paintings enveloping us, was truly a marvel. 

Love Valley

After touring Goreme Open Air Museum, full of cave churches and Christian lore, we entered Love Valley, which was quite a contrast.  We had no idea why it was called Love Valley, until we walked to the viewpoint and looked out at the expansive view of what looked like giant penises sprouting up out of the ground.  

It’s a bit uncomfortable gazing out at the large formations with a lot of international strangers.  No one is saying it out loud, but we all are thinking the same thing (but maybe in different languages). 

Whatever those formations resemble, no one can deny they are very impressive, like all the unique and magical formations found in this unique valley. 

An Abrupt End

We were scheduled to finish up Cappadocia after a five day stay and head to our final destination, Istanbul, for 12 nights. That was not to be.

The Turkey trip was brought to an unexpected end because our dog suddenly got very sick. After a long night of phone calls with our Veterinarian (the 10-hour time difference was a b*tch), we knew we had to get home to help our dog in her final days. 

Next came a whirlwind of arranging new fights to Istanbul and ultimately home, cancelling our Istanbul reservations, and cutting our Cappadocia stay short.  

It was very sad to leave Turkey so abruptly.  But, there was no question, we knew it was the only thing we could do. We had to be with Bailey.  Thankfully we did make it home in time to spend a couple of quality days with Bailey before she succumbed to her cancer.  

This should probably be at the end of my post, but I just couldn’t end on such a depressing note, so instead I’ll continue with our carpet tale in Cappadocia.

Turkish Carpets

I really wanted to buy a Turkish carpet in Turkey, but frankly it’s a bit intimidating.  I’m a novice rug-buyer in a land of experienced scammers selling machine-made rugs at hand-made rug prices. 

Thankfully we were able to spend a carefree day (before we knew how serious things were with our dog) in a Turkish carpet shop with Ali.  

Sultan Carpets

Ali owns Sultan Carpets, in the heart of Cappadocia, a shop full of beautiful hand-made Turkish carpets.

I instantly liked Ali.  He’d been in the Turkish carpet business for 25 years.  In fact, we came to find out that he had lived in Kirkland, Washington (a stone’s throw from our home) selling Turkish carpets for about 5 years, 15 years ago. He spoke perfect English, and seemed like a sincere, experienced, knowledgeable carpet seller.  

Of course, you never know.  I had read someone’s experience of carpet buying in Turkey before our trip, and something they said had really stuck with me. 

There’s always a chance that your expensive carpet isn’t authentic.  That’s just a chance you take.  But when you look back, the thing to value the most is the whole ritual of picking out the carpet (this takes hours!). 

It’s the memory and the enjoyment of seeing that carpet every day that matters the most.  So, that was my mantra.

Wins

Experiencing the unique and magical terrain of Cappadocia and staying in a cave!

Finally finding, and buying, two Ottoman stools (I was obsessed with finding) after a long day of traveling to two different towns to hunt them down!

Watching the early morning balloon display in the freezing clear, crisp, and cold of Cappadocia!

The whole carpet buying experience! Meeting Ali and enjoying his Turkish generosity and hospitality!

Having one last bowl of Manti (like tortellini), the best of the entire trip!

Cappadocia was a unique and fun adventure through and through.

Losses

Of course Bailey was a huge loss. 🙁

We missed Istanbul.  We were only in Istanbul for two overnights while waiting for a plane to elsewhere, but definitely plan to visit Istanbul another time.  Now we can make another adventure out of our missed opportunity and pair up Istanbul with perhaps Bulgaria and Albania.  I can’t wait!

All the losses don’t hold a candle to all the wins. We’re so glad we got to explore and experience Cappadocia!

October 22 – 28, 2022

Last Stop on the Mediterranean

Antalya is a large and modern coastal city of 2.6 million people in southern Turkey. It’s a resort destination with stunning cliffside views of the Mediterranean and the Beydaglar Mountains. 

Antalya also boasts a long and wide pebble beach flanked by high rise hotels, shady palm-lined boulevards, and an ancient historic city center. 

It’s our last stop on the Mediterranean coast, so we are relishing every moment. 

Kaleici

Everything I read on visiting Antalya advised us to stay in the old historic center of Kaleici, so that’s what we did. And it was the right choice for us. Kaleici is full of history and simply lovely. 

Kaleici is also full of cats, as is everywhere in Turkey. We passed the cat welcoming committee as we entered town.

Our hotel, Sibel Pansiyon, is ideally located in the heart of everything old-town has to offer. We only had to walk out our door to find cute cafes, good restaurants, and charm galore.  And the gorgeous sea is only a five minute walk away.

The Clean Streets

Kaleici’s streets are immaculate. The shopkeepers and restaurant workers keep the streets freshly swept or squeegeed at all times.

For all the cats and dogs, we’ve never seen a deposit, let alone stepped in one. Just clean, clean streets.

Saturday vs. Monday

Our first night in Kaleici was a Saturday night and it was hopping!  There was a distinctly younger crowd in the streets, many dressed for the clubs. 

The streets and restaurants were absolutely packed. We couldn’t believe the shoulder-season (late October) was still this busy. 

Then came Monday (and Tuesday and Wednesday). What a difference a weekday makes. The crowds were cut in half. We assume many of the Saturday revealers were locals coming in to party. 

Kaleici Style

We see countless examples of Ottoman style architecture, with the “pop out” porch. I love the old-world look of the stone buildings found everywhere, gorgeous carved wooden doors and shutters, and cobblestone lanes. 

The whole of Kaleici is protected as a historic center which keeps it intact and a wonderful example of the past.  The old town is immaculately clean. The flowers and plants are tended, there’s no garbage or trash thrown on the ground, and everything is neat and orderly.

The streets of Kaleici meander and wind. Around practically every corner is another picture-perfect sight of a curving lane full of flowers and vines, flanked by character-filled old buildings. 

Pots Galore

Many streets are lined with potted plants, trees, and flowers. The planters are filled with impatiens, pansies, ferns, various trees, and daisies. I’ve never seen so many planters anywhere, outside of gardens. 

Here, the people create a garden along the street, adding greenery and pops of color, making each street exceptionally beautiful.  

A Tight Squeeze

The streets are about as wide as a one-way street in the U.S. Still, they somehow manage to have seating two or three tables deep at the outdoor restaurants on both sides of the street, as well as pedestrians, dogs, and cats wandering every which way. Then they add in cars, bicycles, mopeds, and electric scooters!  

It’s a tight squeeze, and I’m always amazed that no one and nothing seems to get hit, nudged, or scraped. 

Hadrian’s Gate

Kaleiçi, until modern times, was almost entirely encircled by mammoth stone walls. 

Hadrian’s Gate, located right on Atatürk Boulevard in Antalya’s city center, was once a part of the town walls, but now stands majestically alone. It’s the official entrance to old town Kaleici. 

The imposing gate was built to commemorate the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s visit in 130 AD. At some point it was enclosed by the city walls, which is likely why it’s in such good condition. 

Perge Ancient Ruins

Perge (pronounced pear-ga), is a large site of ancient ruins about nine miles east of Antalya dating back to 4000-3000 BC. 

Staying so close, just down the road in Antalya, we decided to take the tramvay (mass transit) out to the site, about a 40 minute ride.  Antalya’s tram is clean, on-time, cheap, and very convenient. Our one way ticket was 9 lira, or .48 cents in USD.

Perge Historical Notes

Perge is rich with history as Alexander the Great once strode through its gates, and the Apostle Paul preached there on his missionary journeys.

Perge was once an Ancient Greek, then Roman city. The Persians, Athenians, and Alexander the Great also had their time in charge. 

The region was conquered by the Romans in 188 BC. Under the Romans, the town became a magnificent city with many impressive buildings.  It is one of the oldest ancient cities in Turkey and one of the richest cities in ancient times.

The Median

In the middle of Perge’s Main Street into the city (from the Acropolis) the Romans constructed a long central water channel which contained a series of cascading pools.  To us, it looked like a wide median often seen dividing a multi-lane highway back home. 

Cascading pools lining the entire entry boulevard would have been quite impressive, to be sure. And the plumbing underneath transported water to the Roman Baths close by. 

Chariots Of Old

It’s simply amazing to notice deep grooves in the stones where the constant passing of carts and chariots have left their permanent mark. Somehow seeing and touching the smooth grooves in the stone make it easier to picture the lives of the people living there so long ago. 

The Stadium

Perge boasts the second best-preserved ancient stadium located in Turkey. The stadium of Perge was built in the 2nd century AD. 

The stadium is huge. It is the length of two and a half American football fields. It’s 255 yards long, and 59 yards wide. It was one of the largest stadiums of its kind and could seat 12,000 spectators. 

There is even evidence that an arena for gladiatorial combat was found at the northern side of the stadium. Now that’s pretty cool. 

Perge Agora

An agora is an open space that serves as a meeting ground for various activities. It’s basically the town’s main square. 

The Agora, built in the fourth century AD, is quite a sight to behold due to its size and the number of columns still standing (most of which have been reassembled). 

This enormous square-shaped area measures 71 yards on each side. It was the second largest Agora in Turkey and consisted of three nested squares. The Agora was meticulously planned and a marvel. 

It was the center of the city, with a focus on shopping and political gatherings. Shops lined all four sides.

The circular structure in the center of the agora probably served as a fountain. Remains of plumbing are easy to see. 

The Hellenistic Gate

It was fascinating to see the workmen standing high on the scaffolding, working on the reconstruction project at the Hellenistic Gate.

The original Hellenistic Gate towers date from the third century BC and were three stories high.

The Roman Gate

An impressive Roman gate sat just to the east of the Agora.

The Theatre

The ancient theater stands to the west of the city of Perge. The building combines Greek and Roman features. It was built in ~120 AD. The theater would seat up to 15,000 people. 

Reliefs depicting mythological scenes were displayed behind the theater.

The best reliefs are in the Antalya Archeological Museum, but we were still able to see some that remain in the theater. 

Antalya Archeological Museum

We spent our first full day in Antalya at the award winning, world-renowned, Antalya Archeological Museum. The museum gets a whopping 4.7 rating from 10k reviews on google, so you know it’s got something going on. 

The museum’s 75,000 square feet is filled with artifacts and exhibits chronicling Anatolian history. 

Marble Sarcophagi

I especially love the sarcophagi at the museum. Sarcophagi are coffins made of stone that are placed above ground.

The Perge sarcophagi were made in workshops by skilled artists in the second century AD, then exported to all corners of the Roman Empire, including Rome.

They are much larger than they look in photos. Most are 6 to 10 feet tall and 10 or more feet in length. The artistry is spectacular. The detailed marble carvings are beyond amazing.

Adalar Beach

Unfortunately there are no real beaches, where the sea meets sand/pebbles, in the southwestern part of Antalya, near Kaleici. 

There is a long and wide beach several miles away, but we’d need to take the tram or a taxi to get there, which is a hassle when you’re hot (and wet) after a day at the beach. 

There’s a well known beach club, set on the rocks, Mermeri, that we checked out. It’s within walking distance. The location is beautiful, but the people were packed in like sardines. It didn’t look very appealing. 

Luckily we found another beach club, Adalar Beach, similar to the one we went to in Kas. Set on the rocks with water access, it was perfect.

We arrived early, around 10 am, and had the place practically to ourselves for an hour or so. Even at the peak of the day, there were open sunbeds. It’s likely because it’s late October, the end of the summer season. 

The water was crystal clear and practically glowing. It was in the high 70’s. We could easily see small schools with hundreds of fish just below the surface. To enter the water we had to climb down a long ladder into the immediately deep sea. 

Going Coastal

Antalya has numerous sprawling parks all along the waterfront, both in Kaleici and outside of Kaleici. Most have colorful flowerbeds, fountains, gigantic statues, and tons of seating looking out to the sea and mountains.

Wins & Losses

Trying French 

After eating, or when exiting a restaurant, the owner or server consistently says, “Bon Appetit!”.

This just cracks us up. But we do acknowledge that we likely butcher plenty of Turkish phrases ourselves.

Downwind

You cannot use spray sunscreen when you are at a breezy beach club and people are in sunbeds just downwind from you. 

Nope, it doesn’t work. Stop doing that. 

Late October

Turns out that late October hits the sweet spot here on the southern Turkish coast. Not too hot, not too cold. It’s still plenty warm to swim and sun (high 70’s into low 80’s), but not so hot that we’re a sweaty mess all day. Yep, perfect.

The Bride

A beautiful bride was posing near Hadrian’s Gate. Stunning.

Gravity 

Was fun to watch the movie Gravity, with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, dubbed in Russian, from our hotel room. It certainly helped that we’ve seen it before and it doesn’t have much dialogue. 

Sandra Bullock freaking out in a rocket in English or Russian sounds pretty similar anyway. 

Cats

I had a beautiful cat under my sunbed most of the day while at Adagar Beach. Now and again it would roll over and onto our REI backpack, just to say hello.

Then I got to say hi to his buddy on the way out. Win!

The Dog

While walking in Kaleici, a beautiful, large, brown eyed dog adopted me.

He was so sweet looking (like my Bailey at home). I couldn’t help myself, and I sweet-talked him a bit as we walked by. 

Well, I guess that was enough for him, and he started following me. We were walking at a slow pace because it was the end of a long day, and we were on a never-ending steep hill.

I’d stop to catch my breath and my dog would stop and lie down by my feet, casual as could be. Like we’d known each other for eons.  I’d slow my pace, and my dog would slow too. 

He’s the best trained dog I never trained. 😂

Next Stop: Cappadocia, Turkey

October 18 – 22, 2022

Go Figure

I don’t know what I was preoccupied with when I made the Pansiyon reservation for Cirali, near Olympos, Türkiye.  It was slowly becoming apparent that I hadn’t been paying close enough attention. 

The day before we were to leave Kas, I checked our Cirali booking and was alarmed to see we were paying 25% more compared to our other stays in Turkey. The place didn’t look like anything special. I must have made a math error when figuring the per night cost. Ugh. 

Those Views

We had stunning views of the coastline as we traveled from Kas to Cirali via bus.  The road hugged the very edge of the cliff along the shoreline for much of the drive.  

The contrasting colors of the red rock, turquoise, and deep blue hues of the sea, with the bright white foam as waves crashed on the rocks was striking.

The Bus Ride

After almost a three hour ride, the bus from Kas dropped us off on the side of the highway, at an intersection with a narrow road heading off to our right. 

We had read that there’d be a dolmus (minibus) every hour at that very intersection. It would take us west, down the mountain towards the coast to Cirali, our destination. 

After opening the luggage hold on the side of the bus and giving us our packs, our bus driver pointed towards a dolmus parked about 100 feet away on the side of the intersecting road.  

Giving a nod and a smile, he said one word,”Cirali”, (which sounds like Cheer-all-ah) and left us literally in the dirt.

The Cirali Dolmus

It was 2:37 pm. The dolmus had been scheduled to leave at 2:30, but had waited for the bus from Kas to arrive. What luck. So nice that we wouldn’t have to wait an hour for our ride.  

We hopped on board and the dolmus driver immediately took-off at a fast clip down the winding road, through lush vegetation.  The driver could probably do this run from the highway to the small town and back in his sleep, but I was crossing my fingers that he was wide awake. 

The road had several switchbacks, as well as many twists and turns. He was driving about twice as fast as I felt comfortable with.  Having dealt with this exact scenario on many past travels in many locations around the world, I just sat back, took a deep, slow breath, and hung on. 

The End

I wondered, if we crashed here, in this isolated jungle in southern Turkiye, how our loved ones would even know where the heck to look for us. 

Steve has a fancy watch that will notify designated individuals if he has a crash or a fall, but come to find out it’s only set to notify me, and that wouldn’t do much good in this instance. We might want to update that.

After about 15 minutes, we made it down the steep and winding road, and entered the village unscathed. 

The Hippie Place

The morning we left our Pansiyon in Kas, our friendly host, Ercan, asked us where we were heading. 

Steve said, “Olympos”. 

“Ohhhh, hippie place”, Ercan said in broken English.

I’d read that Cirali and Olympos were off the beaten path, and that sounded like a welcome change of pace to us.  In fact, the only accommodations in Olympos are campsites or treehouses. We chose to stay in Cirali, the adjacent village, in a Pansiyon, with windows and screens. 

If you google “Olympos Beach”, the first thing that comes up, dated 2022, is:

You will see a crowd, mostly hippies, along the Olympos beach lying and sunbathing.

We did’t see any hippies telling untruths on the beach. I suppose it’s a translation issue. 

The Beach

Cirali and Olympos share the same 400 meter long beach.  The southern end is Cirali beach, and the northern end is Olympos beach. To get to one village or the other, one can easily walk 10-15 minutes up or down the beach. 

The Village

Cirali is located in a small plain surrounded by Yanar Mountain, Tahtalı Mountain, Omurga Mountain, and Masa Mountain. The mountains are full of pine trees and glorious.

As we rounded our final corner before entering town, the road flattened out and we saw a few single story buildings lining the road.  The driver slightly slowed as we passed through this busy part of the village.

There were a few casual restaurants with all outdoor seating, a smoothie stall, an ice cream hut, and other small shops.  It was like driving through a very small town with one main drag.  

We saw a tall, skinny man with wild, bushy hair in a tie-dyed shirt getting out of the front seat of his Volkswagen camper-van. How perfect. Then we passed a tatted guy with a long pony-tail walking his baby in a stroller. 

We also spotted lots of bicycles, mostly the beach cruiser variety.  Bicycles are the main mode of transportation here, and outnumber the cars 3 to 1.

It’s a secluded town, with a beachy, laid-back, non-rushed, life’s good, unkempt surfer-dude, no worries kind of vibe. It certainly wasn’t anything we had ever expected we’d encounter in Turkey.  We had no idea.

Where Are You Going?

After passing through the heart of Cirali, we saw the view of the expansive beach on our right, and countless lovely, sleepy looking Pansiyons on our left.  

The driver asked us the name of our Pansiyon.  We told him Caretta Caretta, and he continued driving.

We kept going and going and going. I was getting concerned. We had passed the village, and now had passed many Pansiyons.  Where the heck had I booked us?

I pulled out my phone and opened google maps to plot our hotel location. There it was, the red teardrop icon. We had several more blocks to go, then had to head away from the beach towards the mountains. Things weren’t looking good.

After a few more minutes driving, the dolmus pulled in at a small market. 

The End of the Line

“That way to Caretta Caretta”, the dolmus driver said, pointing to the right side of the market, down a brick lane. The lane was lined with a 15 foot hedge on both sides, creating a long tunnel that looked like it had no end.  

We got out.  Thankfully it was only a six or seven minute walk, past the market, down the lane, around a few turns, out into the countryside.  It looked like we were heading away from all civilization.

Then we arrived at Caretta Caretta, our pansiyon. 

Garden Delights

We entered and followed a paver garden path through the grounds. The walkway was covered in a pleasantly haphazard menagerie of roses, orchids, and many other flowers, as well as lime (or lemon), olive, and pomegranate trees. 

It was somewhat overgrown, like a wild country garden, and quite beautiful.  We passed several wooden bungalows each with picket-fence front porches and comfortable chairs for reading and relaxing. 

We came to the small reception sign with an arrow pointing us left, up two stairs and onto a covered deck full of sturdy wooden tables and chairs. 

We’re Causing a Ruckus

Once on the deck, we looked directly into a room marked “office”. The office was vacant. A couple of youngish women, maybe in their early 20’s, showed up behind us, looking on and whispering to each other. One disappeared and brought back an older woman, who it turns out is the mother of the owner. 

The mother looked like she was straight out of the old country.  No one spoke a lick of English, and we could tell our presence was causing a stir. 

It was obvious they weren’t sure what to do with us. I knew there was someone there that spoke English. I had been texting with her about our arrival time earlier that day. 

Next, a man showed up, who also spoke not a word of English. He left and quickly returned with two tall glasses of ice cold, fresh pomegranate juice, which said much more than any words ever could. We finally felt welcomed and took a seat.  What a treat.

Katerina Arrives

Another 10 or 15 minutes passed and we finally met Katerina, who, along with her husband, owns the Caretta Caretta Pansiyon. All the various hotel employees looked very relieved.  She was gracious and welcoming, and apologized for making us wait. 

After giving us the rundown about breakfast and room service, she asked if we smoke cigarettes. It seemed like an odd question, since the majority of people here, both locals and tourists, smoke. We answered in the negative and she was glad to hear that. 

She informed us that the Pansiyon is a non-smoking facility. No smoking allowed anywhere in or on the premises. 

Stroke of Luck

This was shocking, in the best way possible. I just published a blog post a few days prior (Kas, Turkiye post) about how constant cigarette smoke is making me crazy. This was very welcome news. 

What? No smoke will be blown in my face or my general vicinity before, during, or after breakfast?  No smoke will come wafting through my open room window on a perfect, mild day?

I hadn’t known this was a non-smoking Pansiyon when I booked. I didn’t know such a thing existed in Turkiye. 

Finally it became clear. This was the perfect Pansiyon for us, after all. 

Caretta Caretta

Staying at Caretta Caretta has been like a breath of fresh air, excuse the pun. The Pansiyon is like a little hippie oasis with a mix of non-smoking digital nomads, including the obligatory man with a man-bun, and lots of families with small kids. There’s a cat with three kittens, as well as a rooster and hens running loose all over the property.  

The Sun’s Up

We wake to roosters crowing, which we don’t mind at all. It’s kind of nostalgic, since we had rooster and hens for ten plus years a few years back. 

Family Friendly 

The owners are a young couple, probably in their mid-30’s, with a cute 16 month old daughter.

I had a nice chat with Katarina’s husband one morning. Turns out his sister is a Manager at a Costco in New Jersey. He kept mispronouncing Costco and seemed pleased to hear the correct pronunciation.

Another two employees are married and their daughter, maybe a year old, is on the premises all day too.

These two toddlers, and all the other children staying here, keep things casual, fun, and a little loud at times. 

Riding Around

Being a fair distance from town hasn’t been a problem. The Pansiyon checks out bicycles to patrons for their use their entire stay. 

Bicycle Time

Steve always brings his bicycling rear view mirror when we travel, just in case we get the chance to bicycle. Safety first!

This mirror allows him to see traffic coming up behind us, and affixes to his glasses. It got some stares and even some laughs as we rode around in town. But I will admit it’s super useful.

Riding to the beach takes under 5 minutes. Caretta Caretta has a section of sunbeds and umbrellas for our use at no charge, another perk!

We bicycled the back roads finding a beautiful Mosque with bright blue accents on the tip of its minaret and a gleaming silver dome. 

One morning we bicycled down to the other end of town, towards Olympos, then walked an additional 15 minutes on the beach to reach the Ancient City of Olympos. 

Ancient City of Olympos

The ancient ruins of Olympos sit on the Mediterranean coast. The site dates back to 300 B.C. It was one of six important Lycian cities. In 77 B.C. Olympos came under Roman rule. 

The site is fascinating. The ruins are widely scattered amidst the thick greenery of wild grapevines, flowering oleander, bay trees, wild figs and pines. The archaeological site runs through a rocky gorge and is just inland from Olympos beach. The ruins are scattered along the course of a stream, the Akcay river, adding to the beautiful and tranquil setting. 

Wins & Losses

Turkish Bedding

I know I’ve already ranted in another blog post about the Turkish bedding, but I simply must add some more detail. Everywhere we’ve slept for the past six weeks hasn’t had a top sheet. Ok, I can live with that.

My problem is that the blanket, or blankets (often they give us two separate, individual blankets, even if we are sharing one bed), is not big enough to be tucked in. You cannot tuck the end or the sides. No tucking.

The blanket is shaped like a rectangle that, when covering your body, barely covers your toes. It’s easily jostled through the night and is almost impossible to reconfigure in the dark.

I’ll pull up my blanket a bit, half asleep, and the lower half of my body is exposed. Or I’ll grab a handful of the covers after returning from the bathroom during the night and, come morning, I’ll have both Steve’s and my blankets. And poor Steve’s cold.

I can’t imagine that the Turkish people don’t have these same issues. Hasn’t it occurred to anyone to make the covers a bit bigger so they can tuck???

Maybe it’s just me, but I like my covers orderly and predictable. Something only a tuck will accomplish.

Sunbed Togetherness

As we always do, we got up to rearrange our sunbeds to either, a) get in the shade, or b) get more sun. But not this time. This time we were in for quite a surprise.

Our free sunbeds were chained together. This time, we had to move together or not at all. We made it work.

The Bonus Guy

We sat at VALENTİNA DOĞA EVLERİ restaurant, waiting for our dinner to be served.  It was taking a very long time.  Looked like there was just the owner and one cook. They were working very hard. 

After about 30 minutes of waiting, the owner brought over a huge platter of white melon. He said, “Bonus for you”. 

Another 15 minutes had gone by., The owner quickly walked by and set another platter on the edge of our table.  This time it contained green leaves piled high on the plate, stems and all. It was not a salad.  

Again, he said, “Bonus for you”.  

It appeared they needed to buy time, so started grabbing anything in the kitchen, throwing it on a plate, and bringing it out as a “Bonus for us”.  Too funny. 

No Smoking!

I probably don’t need to say it, but the NO SMOKING Pansiyon was soooo wonderful!  I feel so spoiled.  

Next Stop: Antalya, Türkiye

October 12 – 18, 2022

Türk Rivierası (The Turkish Riviera)

As I write this blog, I’m sitting on a sunbed at an idyllic gravel beach, looking at the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea.

This area is popularly called The Turquoise Coast because of the sea’s vibrant color. When the sun is shining, the sea is an absolutely exquisite shade of turquoise-blue. 

Incebogaz Plaji (Beach)

From where I sit on Incebogaz plaji (beach), the water is only steps away. It’s glassy and calm, like a beautiful lake. It’s about 74 degrees outside. 

There are some clouds in the sky, and some look a little threatening.  We’ve had a few showers on and off the last couple of days, and even some very loud and impressive thunderstorms.

It doesn’t get much better. 

Most of the rain has been at night. We’ve only donned our rain shells once, and it was mostly precautionary. 

Beach Update: One Hour Later

I’m huddled on a cold, white plastic sunbed listening to the rain hit our flimsy, small, rented “sun” umbrella. It’s cooled, and a breeze is building from the south resulting in peripheral rain easily reaching one entire side of my body.  

The sudden rain cleared the beach of almost everyone, especially those who didn’t rent an umbrella. 

We hope to wait it out here, until the sun re-emerges. It’s kind of cozy actually, at least that’s what I’m telling myself. I do wish I hadn’t recently gone for a swim, as my wet swimsuit isn’t helping matters any. 

Kas

Kas is a charming, mid-sized city located in southern Turkey. It is the very center of the historic Lycian region.  The town is bordered by the majestic Taurus Mountains on three sides, and the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean sea on the other.

There are whitewashed houses with red tile roofs, as well as many homes with Ottoman style balconies from the 16th and 17th century. There are plenty of restaurants, shops, and cafes to satisfy any visitor.

Kas retains the feel of a real Turkish town (as opposed to a resort town) with plenty of locals busily going about their lives. 

Kas has an open and inviting main square near the harbor. Cobblestone streets spring up from the edges of the square, most meandering uphill. There’s an abundance of bougainvillea, the stunning hot pink (and sometimes white) flowering vines that seem to grow like weeds here. 

The Theater

The modern town occupies the site of ancient Antiphellos, with still-visible ruins including a theater.  The theater dates back to the first quarter of the 1st century B.C. and seated 4,000 spectators.

Today most people visit for the lovely views of the sea and to watch the sunset.

Beach-Free

There aren’t any beaches in town, but there are a plethora of “beach clubs”. 

Beach Clubs

The Kas beach clubs are set along the steep and rocky coastline in several sections of town. They range from posh to budget.  Our host recommended Leymona, just a half a block down from our hotel. 

Leymona Beach Club & Restaurant

Leymona has a fee structure common among the beach clubs here. The sunbeds and umbrella are free, but you must buy at least 200 lira each ($10) of refreshments, which isn’t hard to do. 

We’d order lunch and a drink (or two) using their app on our phone. Our items were delivered on a tray right to our sunbeds (or we could have gone to a table).  Basically we didn’t have to move at all, except to take a dip in the cool and refreshing sea.  

Since there’s no beach, we entered the ocean from a deck that jets out over the rocks and ocean, with a ladder, like entering a pool. 

Both days we went, the sea was very choppy, rolling and dipping.  I’ve never swam in the ocean in such conditions.  It was a little intimidating, but after I got used to it, it was exhilarating and fun.

The total cost was probably $5-8 more than we would have spent on lunch in the town, but well worth a day of lounging in luxury. 

Now It’s The Russians 

In our past two stops, Dalyan and Kalkan, we were literally surrounded by Brits. Brits are just fine, but Kas feels less touristy due to a more diverse mix of people meandering about, both locals and travelers. 

In fact, Kas is apparently preferred by Russians, and there’s plenty of Russians around. We saw several cars with Russian license plates in town and literal busloads of Russians at the ancient city of Myra, when we visited.  

There’s also a healthy mix of Europeans (& lots of Germans), but it’s rare to see Americans. 

Social Media

Speaking of Americans, I follow many travel sites on social media, most of whom are hosted by Americans, including Explorer Genes.  

Explorer Genes

How fortuitous that Mandy & Greg, who are Explorer Genes, were traveling in Turkey, starting about a month ahead of our trip.  They have an informative and fun blog you can find at https://explorergenes.com/.

Following along with Explorer Genes Instagram and Facebook posts, I got an exciting glimpse of what lie ahead for us in Turkey. I also had a few online exchanges with Mandy, who provided some good Turkey-travel advice and tips.

Fortunate Timing

I was thrilled to discover we’d all be in Kas at the same time. We planned to meet-up for a late lunch-date at a yummy vegetarian/vegan restaurant in town, the Oburus Momus at 2:00 pm one afternoon. 

Steve and I figured we’d do some of the “must-see” sites in town beforehand, then head over to meet Mandy & Greg.

A Little House

Mandy & Greg are staying a ways out of Kas, in a little-house owned by friends they met here in Turkey a few years ago on their first trip to the country. The house is very private and sits on top of a high hill with incredible, sweeping views. They’re a bit remote, so their rental comes with a scooter. 

Be On the Lookout

I knew Mandy & Greg were coming in for the day, since their rental is not terribly close to town. 

As we entered the Kas main square the morning of our luncheon plans, I told Steve to keep an eye out for them, particularly checking out scooters zipping by. Steve said he would, if he only knew what they looked like.  😂.

Well, I know what they look like from their posts on Facebook and Instagram, so it was up to me to examine scooter riders as we walked around town.   

The King’s Tomb

Moving on from the main square, we found the King’s Tomb (so-called), an elevated sarcophagus with its two carved lion heads, perched at the top of a steep cobblestone street. It dates from the fourth century and is mostly intact. 

The inscription carries a Lycian epitaph detailing who should be given the right of burial.

There used to be hundreds of sarcophagi scattered all around town, but most were torn apart and used to build homes and shops through time.  What a shame.

In Search of: Lycian Tombs

Our next stop was a 15-minute walk farther uphill in search of the Lycian tombs overlooking Kas. The entrance signage on the street pointed up to a battered, stone staircase leading up even higher up the hill. Sigh. 

We made the climb, with a bit of complaining (from me). I hadn’t anticipated so much climbing that morning. I wasn’t mentally prepared. 

After the staircase, the dirt path narrowed and continued further upwards.  There were now plants and rocks to maneuver around. 

At the first “landing” (if you can call it that), we stopped. We could see the first Lycian tomb, a stone’s throw away. 

The Tombs

We had a gorgeous and unobstructed view of Lycian tombs from our hotel on the Dalyan River, in Dalyan, a couple of weeks ago. They were majestic and looked unreal from our far off vantage point.  But now we were standing face to face with a Lycian tomb, and it was incredible. 

Carved into the sides of a mountain, the Lycian tombs look like entrances to temples, but they are actually ornately carved facades of ancient burial tombs. 

Just Helping Out

The Lycians buried their honored dead in the tombs high on the cliffs. They believed that magic winged creatures would whisk their dead into the afterlife, and thought it was a good idea to give them a little help by placing the tombs as high as possible. 

What’s Inside?

The tombs have been marred by looters over the centuries, so none are without a large, gaping hole in the door, where someone has bashed it in. Regardless of the uninvited intrusion into the tomb, the beauty and artistry are still easy to see. 

Likya Kaya Mezarları (Lycian Rock Tombs of Kas)

After admiring the first tomb, up close and personal, Steve continued up the mountain to check out a few more tombs, reportedly up the path. 

I elected to stay behind. If something up ahead was worth the climb, Steve knew where to find me. 

The View

I stood alone for a few minutes, just under the first tomb, in the quiet, admiring the view. I watched as a helicopter hauled water somewhere, and I took a few selfies. From where I was standing, I had an expansive view of the town and harbor far below. 

My view looking back up the path was much more limited.  Just above me, maybe 10-15 feet away, sat a boulder in the path that you had to climb over to continue on. From there the path disappeared behind bushes as it wound upwards. 

Who Goes There?

Some movement caught my eye. I assumed it was Steve making his way back over the boulder, down towards me. I turned and saw a woman atop the boulder, carefully stretching one leg down to complete her descent. 

No, it couldn’t be. Could it?

“Mandy?”, I asked. 

The woman looked up at me with a blank stare. Maybe I was crazy, but she looked an awful lot like Mandy of Explorer Genes social media fame. 

She continued looking at me. Her look was part quizzical, part confused, and part apprehensive. Then a light went on. 

“Tracy?”, she asked me, as she stuck her landing and was free of the large boulder. 

Meant to Meet

It was kismet, or something close to it.  Fate just couldn’t wait for us to meet at lunch. It had to be here and now.

Mandy suddenly realized that she had spoken to Steve up the path, and so had Greg. Of course, at the time, they had no idea he was my better half. 

We talked and talked. It was such a joy to spend time with them, both by the tombs and later during our three hour lunch. 

We have a similar travel style, both being budget and slow travel enthusiasts. That being said, Mandy & Greg definitely win both the longevity & budgeting prize. They’ve been traveling with their 40L Osprey packs for four years, and have a self-inflicted budget of $45 USD a day, all-inclusive for the two of them.  Very, very impressive.

We aspire to longer bouts of travel, and know our time will come.  For now, 9 weeks exploring Turkey (with a short detour to Greece) suits us just fine. As for a $45 a day spending limit, we’ll have to work on that one.

Lycia

One of the truly remarkable things about the Lycians is that the Lycian nation, which was very fond of freedom and independence, established the first federation structure known in history. Twenty-three cities in the region banded together in 168/67 B.C. 

Every settlement in the country was represented equally in the parliament, with voting power according to population density, economic power (contribution rate to the union budget). 

The union had a common assembly. The federal assembly met in a different city every year, where joint decisions were taken. A federation president was elected for each year.

The Ruins of Myra and Ancient Lycian Tombs

Knowing there was more Lycian history to see in the area, we grabbed a dolmus (mini-bus) to visit the ruins of the Lycian city of Myra, near the modern-day town of Demre, about 45 minutes from Kas, one morning. 

The Lycian tombs at Myra are magical. Looking at the uniquely carved tombs never gets old. It’s such an amazing look into the past.

Of course, a person’s status determined how fancy a tomb was warranted, as well as the tomb’s elevation. Some tombs were located way down low on the hill and were nothing more than a hole in the rock. 

Location, location, location. Some things never change. 

Myra Amphitheater

The Myra amphitheater (actually built by the Romans) is the largest we’ve visited, holding 13,000 in its heyday.

It’s a Dog’s Life

I’ve mentioned the stray dogs and cats in previous Turkey posts, but it still never ceases to amaze me how the stray dogs, in particular, are such a part of the community.

The stray dogs here in Kas, and everywhere we’ve been in Turkey, seem healthy and well fed. With so many dogs around, you’d think they’d be begging for food at all the outdoor restaurants, but they aren’t.

We haven’t had a single dog bother us. Cats however, are massive beggars. And pushy too. They’ll jump right up on your lap, and even onto the table!

Most dogs here are large breeds, some are very large. I’d estimate many to be well over 80-90 pounds.

At first glance the strays seem to be wandering the city, but once you’ve been in town for a week (or longer), you start to see patterns. The dogs around our hotel, for instance, tend to be the same ones that we see over and over. And they each have a role.

The Neighborhood Watch

One dog, a youngish, brown, lean dog, is our street’s overseer. He stands in the road, typically in the mornings, and takes close inventory of all that’s happening (on his street).

We watch him every morning from the rooftop terrace as we have our breakfast. He’s always standing in approximately the same location. He doesn’t bark at every vehicle, just some. There’s no telling how he decides which vehicle deserves a bark or two, and which vehicle deserves to be chased.

Thank goodness he’s there to keep us all safe.

The Elder

There’s a very senior black lab (looking) dog around that sleeps most of the time. He’s technically not a stray. He belongs to one of the hotel staff, but he may as well be a stray because he wanders wherever he wants, whenever he wants.

He is often sleeping in inconvenient locations inside the hotel lobby (like blocking the stairs), but we also see him sleeping at the restaurant next door, or down the street.

The Others

There are countless dogs around town that we’ve seen over and over. Many of them look alike, and I’m sure they’re related. One thing they all have in common, is they are friendly, calm, and have sweet dispositions.

They make the most of their day, then sleep wherever they happen to lie down, be that in a busy walkway, in the main square full of families and couples, or anywhere that suits them.

The surprising thing is how everyone walks around them, no matter how much they are in the way. It’s like there’s an unwritten doggy respect code that I’ve never encountered anywhere else in the world.

Let sleeping dogs lie. Yes, indeed.

WINS & LOSSES

Cigarettes: Ugh

By far, the biggest downside of traveling in Turkey (and many other countries around the globe), for me, is dealing with second-hand cigarette smoke. I have a huge aversion, and likely an allergy, to cigarette smoke. It’s not a good thing for me to be exposed to cigarette smoke, and exposed I am, all day, every day.  

There’s no getting away from the smoke, as hard as we try.  We check the wind direction, then pick the farthest table at one end of the (outdoor) restaurant or sunbeds, upwind from all others. But the darn wind has been known to shift, and it does. 

Apparently pretty much everywhere and anytime is a good place to have a cigarette, I’ve learned. Even our hotel hosts smoke out front or after serving our breakfast. So even our non-smoking hotel smells like smoke. 

Kaşık Mantı Ev Yemekleri

I’ve mentioned Manti in my previous Turkey posts. Manti is a Turkish comfort food. It’s full of carbs, creamy, and oh, so yummy.  Basically it’s like small tortellini’s topped with rich, tart, Greek yogurt and spicy tomato-chili sauce. 

Well, here in Kas, they have a whole restaurant dedicated to the all-mighty Manti, Kaşık Mantı Ev Yemekleri. The restaurant sits right on the main square in town with colorful little chairs that look like a preschool on steroids.  

They offer both vegan and meat Manti on the menu and it’s only 60 lira, or 3 US dollars for dinner. It has a 4.7 (out of 5 max) rating on Google. In the evening there’s a line of people just waiting to get a table. It’s that good. 

Final Beach Update, 4 hours later:  

We are sitting under an overcast sky, still on our white plastic sunbeds. The rain lasted only 20 minutes. 

The temperature has climbed back to a pleasant 74 degrees. There’s a slight on and off breeze. I’m feeling hot enough to take a swim. 

AccuWeather says it will start raining again in 84 minutes, so we’ll start our 30 minute walk back to our hotel in about an hour. 

Another lovely day in Turkey. 

Next Stop: Cirali, near Olympos, Türkiye

October 9-11, 2022

The Sea

Kalkan is our first true stop on the Mediterranean coast. Up until Kalkan, our stops have been on the Aegean coast. Daylan, our last stay, was located where the Aegean and Mediterranean meet.

A Short Stay

I had read that Kalkan was a bit more exclusive than some other areas on the Turkish coast (i.e. more expensive). It does seem a bit more upscale than our previous destinations. Kalkan is a true resort town.

Knowing this and trying to stay on budget, we planned a quick stop for three nights, just to get a feel for the place.

The Italian Vibe

Kalkan has a Positano, Italian-type feel, but with lots of bright red Turkish flags. It’s a lovely place, to be sure.

And the ocean here is simply stunning. It has that clear, turquoise blue water that is hard to beat.

The Basics

I’m dressed like a backpacker, without any trendy outfits or fancy Riviera hats. And down on the main strip, along the ocean, I do feel a bit underdressed at times. But even so, the restaurant greeters are just as friendly and just as intent on persuading us to come in and sit down for a drink or a meal. 

They don’t seem to mind my casual duds.

The Greeters

In fact, my new modus operandis is to greet the greeters before they greet me. I feel like, in a very small way, this gives me the upper hand.

I ask them how they’re doing, they answer, and then whatever else they start saying, I just nod my head and keep on moving.

These guys exist in every resort town in the world and can be a bit annoying. Their job is to get you to look at the menu and come into their establishment. They are incredibly friendly, persuasive, and relentless.

We rarely succumb to the lure of the greeter, but we always get fed, one way or another. 

A Wet Room

Considering we are in a more upscale & posh town, we were very surprised to find that our hotel room has what is called a wet room. Last time we encountered a wet room was in Vietnam, where it’s not uncommon at all.

Lots of Tile

A wet room is a small bathroom with a pedestal sink and toilet. The floor is tiled, as are all the walls, almost up to the ceiling. There’s a drain in the far corner of the room, just east of the toilet. 

The shower plumbing is right smack in the middle of the wall at waist height, with a shower wand attached. The entire bathroom becomes a shower when it’s time to get clean. 

Having an all-in-one bathroom allows for the room to be much smaller. It’s a more efficient use of space, allowing the room to do double-duty.

Don’t Slip

The problem with the wet room is that after you shower, the entire room is soaking wet, including the toilet, the floor, and all the walls. You know, like a shower would be. 

It’s like spraying a fire-hose all over your bathroom. You have to make sure to remove anything that should stay dry, the toilet paper being the number one priority.  It’s also best to remove toiletries and towels. Basically, if you wouldn’t bring it in the shower at home, best clear it out. 

Take a Seat

After the shower, the continued wetness can present logistical problems for several hours. It’s really unpleasant sitting on a soaking wet toilet seat or even making your way to said toilet across the soaking wet tile floor. 

Move It

In addition to our wet bathroom situation, our room is teeny tiny. Even the bed is small, as evidenced by the fact that Steve’s feet hang off the end.

I think the owners were trying to compensate for all the inconveniences, and we came home to quite an extravagant display on the bed one day.

Regardless of beautiful bougainvillea decorated hearts on the bed or not, we are constantly jockeying for position in this room. It’s impossible to not be in each other’s way. So, thankfully we spend almost all of our day outside, at the beach. 

The Beach

Pictures tell the whole story of the beach here in Kalkan.

The water is a beautiful, light and a clear turquoise green where it hits the beach, darkening to a brilliant blue as it gets deeper away from the shore. 

The beach is full of small and smoothly rounded whitewashed rocks that help the true blues shine through.

130 Lira

I finally broke down and bought a pair of water shoes for a whopping 130 lira, or $6.99 USD. These shoes have changed my life. Now I’m not doing the Rocky-Beach-Dance as I make my way from the sunbed to the sea.  

The Dance

No more holding my arms out at 90 degree angles, spastically swinging them in circles, while on my way to the water.  

I’ve given up on the swaying and bending in all directions to compensate for the necessary changes in balance as I try to strategically step where it looks safe.

I know longer flip my arms up and down like a bird taking flight, as I attempt to walk gingerly on the irregular stones.

There’s no more falling to one side or hopping on one foot after stepping on a sharp rock or unexpectedly sinking in a loose pile of gravel. 

Please believe me. I’m not exaggerating. It’s actually taken people-watching to a whole new comical level. 

Now only Steve, and the other occasional unprepared tourists, are doing the Rocky-Beach-Dance. 

The Cat Above

Our favorite restaurant in Kalkan is the Sini Cafe. Besides incredible food at great prices, they have both a resident cat and a resident dog on the premises.

After we ordered our dinner, our balloon bread was served.

I casually looked up and saw the outline of a mid-sized animal suspended in the fabric above the tables. The restaurant’s proprietors had used cloth to form an airy “ceiling” above the outdoor seating, in which fabric was gently draped over and under cross bars.

I watched in fascination as the cloth shifted and stretched. Whatever was in the makeshift hammock was moving. I pointed up to the lump in the fabric overhead, asking our waitress what was up there. She informed me that it was Petro, the cat. She said he is a bad boy.

Eventually, Petro decided to pop out beyond his hammock-like bed. I finally got a look at him, at least his head.

I was enchanted by and fixated on this ingenious cat in the ceiling hammock that was going completely unnoticed by everyone except me.

I just couldn’t get over the fact that no one was noticing this cat, who was hanging precariously over their heads as they ate their meal. It seemed to me that Petro could fall (or leap) onto their heads or their table at any moment.

The second night we had dinner at Sini’s, Petro was still there, hanging out, as it were.

He was still up in the fabric far above the customers as they went about eating their balloon bread, appetizers, main course, and apple tea.

Then Petro turned and looked right at me. We locked eyes.

It was our little secret. I was delighted.

WINS & LOSSES

The Coffee Connection

Nescafé

Steve loves good coffee, and was looking forward to coffee here in Turkey. Turkey has its famous “Turkish Coffee”, which sounds like it would be amazing, but we’ve come to find that Nescafé is king here. It’s not what we expected. 

Nescafé is instant coffee grounds, that you spoon in a cup and mix with hot water. It is served everywhere. It’s listed, by name, on menus. 

Nescafé has been served with every breakfast in every Turkish hotel we’ve stayed at. Yes, Turkish hotels always include breakfast. And they always include Nescafé. 

Turkish Coffee

In desperation, Steve has tried both Turkish and Greek coffee. 

The Turkish coffee, like the Greek coffee, is an interesting concoction. When it arrives at the table , the cup appears to be filled with a thick, rich liquid. But after drinking half the cup, maybe 1-2 inches down, you encounter a thick sludge. A sludge that barely budges as you tip the cup at an angle (just to see what will happen). 

The first time Steve had such a coffee, and found the sludge, he wasn’t sure if he should be trying to stir it into the coffee, but decided not to. The sludge was gritty, and they don’t give you a spoon, which seemed like a good clue. 

It’s a hearty, non-filtered coffee. I had read to not even bother asking for milk or cream with a Turkish coffee. It’s the hard-stuff and shouldn’t be tampered with.  So that’s that. 

The Turkish Bus System

I’ve got to hand-it to the Turks. They have a very efficient bus system that’s been serving the Turkish people, and the occasional tourist, since 1931. 

I’m particularly beholden to the dolmus (pronounced DOHL-moosh). A dolmus is a shared mini-bus or van that I’ve mentioned in earlier Turkey posts. 

Our trip from Dalyan to Kalkan involved some walking, three buses, two stops, and a taxi. We thought it might be a hectic day, but it went seamlessly. 

When using the dolmus, which serve short routes connecting small and large towns, there’s no schedule to worry about. Just show up and look for the dolmus with your intended destination. Get in and wait for it to fill up. 

We ended up waiting 1-5 minutes for the dolmus at two of our stops along our route.  Admittedly we got a little lucky.  The final dolmus was a 30 minute wait, so we had a quick lunch at the station. 

I wish we had such an easily accessible means of transportation at home. 

The Commune

At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon, we had four young British families locate way too close to us on the beach. 

At first it was amusing, listening as the couples parented their flock of children. There were probably ten kids total, ages 4-6 (I’d guess), including one baby. 

The Sunbeds

The group had secured four sunbed sets, with umbrellas, three of which were somewhere behind us. The fourth was the sunbed set only a few feet from me, front row on the beach. 

Steve was happily in Pandora-land, listening with my earpods (yes, my earpods) to some Phish or Dead song, and was basically oblivious to all the happenings to my right. 

The Eye of the Storm

The sunbed next to me was similar to the kitchen at a party. It’s where everyone ends up gathering. It was the central hub where all the children congregated. 

There was one mother on the sunbed, who was nursing her baby on and off, trying to handle everything. She was apparently in charge of the entire crew, and felt the need to talk very loudly, so everyone could hear her. 

Her assumed role was to manage the kids, their conflicts, their water shoes, their toys, their sun lotion status, and their picnic. 

The Condiments 

It was nonstop commotion. Non-stop action. And non stop picnic talk. Loud picnic talk. 

Everything seemed to center on the fact that there was no mayonnaise. No mayonnaise. None. 

The only person who seemed so preoccupied with the missing condiment was the lone nursing mom. She just wouldn’t let it go. 

If I hear the word mayonnaise one more time, spoken loudly in a thick British accent, I may have to take drastic action. 

I’m not sure what I’ll do, but it won’t be pretty. 

The Stone

Then, out of the blue, one of the children turned towards me. He was a single, solitary, tan and naked little boy, maybe 5 years old.

Did I mention all the kids were naked? Every single one? It was quite cute. 

Anyway, he approached me as I sat on my sunbed working on this blog. 

I thought he was going to say something to me, but he slowly raised his hand and dropped a very small, white stone, the size of a pea, into my Fanny pack, which was open on my lap. 

He smiled and slowly retreated, backing up on the white stone beach until he was back with his people. 

It was sweet and unexpected. It was like when the Grinch received a kiss from Cindy-Lou-Who, and his heart started to grow, just a little. 

Next Stop: Kas, Turkey

October 3-9, 2022

It’s Gone

It has been a long day, but it was about to get a lot longer. We’d already taken a ferry from Greece to Turkey that morning, a taxi from the Marmaris port to the Otogar (bus terminal), and a Dolmus (shared small bus-van) from Marmaris to Ortaca.  

The Bakery

We still had one more Dolmus to go to reach Dalyan, where we’d be staying the next week. But it was time for some lunch, so we exited our Dolmus and walked past the men sitting at tables, smoking, drinking tea, and playing tiles, to a small bakery with outdoor seating. 

Cheese Pies

I went in and ordered two cheese “pies” (pastry filled with cheese), a couple of cookies, a coke for Steve, and a soda water for myself. Our lunch totaled $1.74. 

As I returned to our table Steve was frantically looking for his iPhone. 

“I don’t know where my phone is!”, he cried out, as he patted himself all over manically, searching every pocket. He had that look of urgency combined with bewilderment. It’s not a good look. 

Gotta Try 

He suddenly darted back across the parking lot towards where our Dolmus had pulled in, leaving me and the cheese pies behind. 

After a long few minutes, he returned. I could see by his entire body language as he approached that he hadn’t found the phone. I didn’t even need to ask. 

Excuses

Now I feel the need to explain a bit of the circumstances of the day here to better explain our state of mind.  

Without going into too much detail, Steve woke up that morning to internal issues of a gastrointestinal variety. He was a little preoccupied holding things tight and together, if you get my meaning. 

I was also concerned about his condition, knowing what a long day of travel lay ahead.  I crossed my fingers that we’d make it to Dalyan today without any problems. 

So there’s that. 

Is Anyone in Charge Here?

We didn’t see any office nor anyone except a few lone bus drivers taking a smoke break. 

It wasn’t a large station, mostly a few Dolmus coming and going. There wasn’t anyone we could talk to. Our Dolmus was long gone. 

To Dalyan

Defeated, we took our last Dolmus of the day from Ortaca to Dalyan and walked the long, long way to our hotel. At least it seemed very long at the time.

We were in foul moods, dripping sweat in the blazing sun, carrying all our gear through the streets of Dalyan. 

I was the only one who could navigate to our hotel, since Steve had no phone. It was a new reality and I didn’t like it. 

I had time to think on our walk, and thought it’d be worth a try to have our hotel call the Ortaca bus terminal (if they have an office) to ask (in Turkish)  if anyone turned in an iPhone. I knew the odds were very slim.  

The Conversation 

“Hello”, I said to the man at our hotel, whose name I later found out is Sercan. “Do you speak English?”  

“Yes”, he said. 

Thank God, I thought. 

I quickly explained that Steve’s phone had been left on our Ortaca Dolmus. 

“Did you call it?”, he asked. 

“No”, I replied. 

“Do you have the Find My Phone app? 

“Why, yes”, I replied, with a growing recognition of our utter stupidity in handling the whole debacle. 

Holy crap. How could we be so dense?  Why didn’t we call the phone?  Why didn’t I use the location app?  

Sercan said, “Call it now. If someone answers in Turkish, I will talk”.

If someone answers in Turkish?  The odds seemed a good 99.9% that if someone actually answered, they’d be answering in Turkish. 

And that’s exactly what happened. I put the phone on speaker (not sure why, so I could follow the conversation?  Hahaha). 

Sercan hung up, looked at me, and said decisively, “Let’s go now. I have my private car and will take you back to Ortaca Otogar”.

 It took me a moment to understand. “You mean it’s there?”, I asked. 

“Yes, the Dolmus driver turned it in. The guys been waiting for you to call”. 

Ugh. Another blow.  Even the guy at the Otogar in Turkey knows you should just call the dang phone. 

The Why’s

Why didn’t we immediately call his missing phone using my phone, you ask? Why didn’t I look at the find my phone app to determine the missing phone’s location?  

I have no good answers to these questions.  

Chalk it up to our age, Steve’s condition, my preoccupation with Steve’s condition, being in a foreign country, shock, never having lost a phone before, too much second-hand smoke inhalation, or evil forces at work. We have no good excuse. 

Racing to Ortaca

I grabbed Steve, trying to quickly fill him in, as we followed Sercan out to his shiny & sleek, silver 4-door Audi parked out front. He whisked us all the way back to Ortaca, a 20 minute drive. 

Steve tried to give his iPhone rescuer a cash reward, but he wouldn’t accept it. The Turkish people are so very, very kind. And apparently, very honest too. 

We were floored that Sercan took more than an hour out of his day to help us, driving us all that way and back. It’s not like we were friends. We’d known each other for a total of one minute. 

A Happy Ending

Our day ended on such a high note. The phone was found and was soundly back in Steve’s pocket. We had a warm and fuzzy feeling about the Turkish people, their innate kindness, and how nothing is too much to help out a fellow human being. Nothing but a sincere thank you is expected in return. 

Steve’s issues had cleared up, we’d made it to Dalyan, we had all our belongings, and the sun was setting.

We were exhausted, but happy. It had been a good day. 

The Melek-Anne

We found a delicious, casual, and reasonably priced restaurant just a 5 minute walk down the street from our pansiyon, the Melek-Anne.  It’s riverfront, just like our hotel. All the hotels here are small, one or two stories maximum.

Just before leaving for dinner, there was a loud pounding noise outside our room. Actually, it seemed to envelope the entire room. We looked up in surprise. 

“That’s rain”, I said. 

Laundry Day

I opened the door to check, and the rain was coming down in droves. I glanced over at the triple drying line just outside our window, where half of Steve’s wardrobe was hanging, to “dry”. 

He always puts off his hand washing as long as possible, and had finally done his biggest load of the trip to date.

There hung his shirts and pants, flapping in the cool breeze, getting sprayed by the hard rain as it hit the patio with force and splattered upward. 

Dinner-time

As fast as the rain had started, it stopped. We took the opportunity to head over to the Melek-Anne, grabbing our tiny magenta travel umbrella, just in case. 

We chose an outdoor table on the deck, right along the river. There was no overhead cover, but the sky didn’t look too threatening and we figured we had at least enough time for our meal. At least we hoped so. 

Thunder & Lightning 

For a few minutes we watched the incredible light show as lightning flashed across the dark, night sky. 

“That’s far away,” Steve said decisively. 

It was serene on the deck as we watched the storm  far off in the distance. I kept trying to catch the lightning on video, without much luck. 

Not So Far Away, After All

Suddenly a huge raindrop hit my forearm. Without a moment’s hesitation, the sky opened up with deluge number two. 

Let’s Go Fly a Kite

But this time a huge wind gust accompanied the rain, whipping up everyone and everything on the Melek-Anne deck. It was like a huge wave of wind that came out of nowhere.  Everyone scurried into the glass enclosed section of the restaurant. It was move, or get swept-away, Mary Poppins style. 

Our food was arriving just as this all occurred, and, as I hopped up to make my move, I noticed our waiter.  He stood helplessly at the mid-point between the kitchen and our riverside table, balancing our platter of manti, shrimp, and bread, waiting to see where we’d land. 

His head pivoted from right to left as he watched our dance of ring-around-the-tables, as we dodged raindrops, the whipping wind, and other patrons who were also jumping to their feet. We landed safely at our new, indoor table with a great sigh of relief.  

On the Move

The entire restaurant was doing the same as we were, running to get out of the elements. 

Several families with toddlers had already been served. People jumped up and grabbed their plates of food and drinks. Toddlers were unceremoniously ripped from their high-chairs, as their parents whisked them to safety. 

Calm Returns

The huge and sudden burst of gale force winds was quickly over. The rain had stopped quickly too, although everything outside was drenched. We were happily eating our dinner, glad all the craziness was over. 

Just moments ago, the owner had been trying to aid people running for their lives, plates in hand. He walked by our table and gave us a quick smile and nod, glad that we had made it to safety just before the worst of it hit. 

A few courageous folks timidly ventured back outside, and a couple of new customers even showed up.

Not So Fast

Then, BOOM, out go the lights. We were sitting in absolute darkness. 

There’s always an awkward few seconds just after the lights go out where everyone’s brains are trying to make sense of what just happened. 

The Melek-Anne owner, who was well prepared, immediately walked by, like a man on a mission, holding a large, white gas lantern. It’s the kind of lantern we used for camping maybe 25 years ago. But it’s shedding a good amount of light and we are all grateful.  

Dalyan

The Brits

Dalyan is a town full of Brits. There’s even a Facebook page dedicated to Dalyan expats (who are all Brits).  As we walk through town, especially in the evening, every pub and cafe is filled to the brim with Brits in their late 50’s, 60’s, 70’s+, enjoying cocktail hour. 

But it’s not a party town. Everyone is cleared out after dinner and the town is quiet by 10 or so. 

People tend to come here year after year.  The few couples we have met have been coming for 25 years each. And yes, they were Brits.  

Do I Know You?

I entered a clothing store for a peek inside.

“Is this your first day in Dalyan?” the owner asks me.

“No, it’s my second. But this is my first time in town.” I say. 

“I thought so. I haven’t seen you before.” 

“Oh, do you know everyone town?”, I ask. 

“Well, yes, I do” he replied, to my great surprise.  

That’s Dalyan. It does seem that everyone knows everyone. And it’s such a welcoming feeling. The waiters and restaurant owners seem to know every couple and group that enter their establishment. They rush up, shaking hands and embracing. 

“So good to see you again”, both parties say. They often call each other by name. ?It’s such a friendly place. 

The River 

The Dalyan river is the heart of the town. Hundreds of boats, all proudly flying the Turkish flag, go up and down the river all day and into the evening.

There are the most basic water-taxi’s (Dolmus) boats that take patrons to the beach and back. Then there are the larger, luxury, all-day “excursion” boats, and everything in-between.

The water-taxi Dolmus we took to the beach and back were diesel “put-put” boats, nothing fancy, just functional.

As we sit on our hotel deck for tea-time each day, we see the excursion boats coming back to town, some blaring American classic rock n roll. Thankfully, they are few and far between, so the tranquility of Dalyan is mostly preserved.

There’s a rush hour in the morning, then again in the late afternoon, as boats jockey for position heading to and from excursions and the beach full of tourists.

In addition to the river, there are beautiful parks, cobblestone streets, tons of restaurants, ice cream shops, cute clothing and artsy stores, and more. It’s very low-key and feels like a beach town. 

The Beach

Fact is, the beach isn’t far. The water Dolmus winds through the hills and thick reeds, ending at the six kilometer long Dalyan Iztuzu (Turtle) Beach. The one-way ride takes about 30 minutes from our hotel.  The cost is a very reasonable 60 lira, or $3, round trip each. 

One huge advantage to staying at a river front hotel, like ours, is the water Dolmus pull right up to the pier and pick you up, then drop you right back on your doorstep on the return ride. 

What could be better than that?

Kaunos 

No small town in Turkey would be complete without some cool ancient ruins nearby. 

Lucky for us, we shared a lunch table at the beach with a couple from Oxford, England, who had been to Dalyan many times. They highly recommended we go check out the ruins of the ancient city of Kaunos, high on a hill on the other side of the Dalyan River. 

Row Your Boat

Our lunch companion tried to describe where to catch the small row-boats that ferry you across the river, but it was difficult. There’s no neon sign, in fact, there’s no sign at all. You have to walk along the shore looking for a woman standing on the other side, signal to her, and hope you’re at the right place. If you’ve come to a “proper park” (said the British woman), you’ve gone too far.

These women need a good marketing team. At least get a sign at the row-boat pick-up point. Pleeeease.

Pomegranates

Luck was with us and we found the rowboats fairly easily. Once across the river, we walked 2 kilometers up the hill and explored the ruins, passing pomegranate orchards along the way.

It never gets old (so far) to walk into an ancient amphitheater, and to explore the amazing cities of the past. It’s really quite humbling. 

On the way back to the row-boats we bought a fresh pomegranate smoothie at a booth along the road. Our salesman was a Turkish 30-something man in a huge Mexican sombrero with beautiful, light blue (think Paul Newman) eyes. He had vacationed in Cancun a few years ago, which is where he bought his hat.  

I wouldn’t have thought selling pomegranate smoothies would be so lucrative. I’m happy to have supported him as he saves for his next vacation. 

Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Turtles are a big deal here in Dalyan.

Caretta caretta, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, is the oldest reptile species which began to live in the sea instead of land. The oldest fossil of caretta carettas known dates back 150 million years ago.

Dalyan is one of the few breeding grounds left for this endangered species of turtle. The nesting grounds on Iztuzu (Turtle) Beach are closely monitored by international conservation groups and the Turkish government.

The Loggerhead Turtles can live to be 70 to 80 years old. The females reach breeding maturity at about age 35. They weigh around 250 pounds and are about 3 feet long. They primarily eat crabs, lobsters, and jellyfish.

The Turtle Sighting

Steve and I were so excited that we were lucky enough to see five Loggerhead turtles in the wild during our stay in Dalyan.

The first sighting was at the beach pier. We were sitting in the water-taxi waiting for it to fill up with enough passengers to set-off for town. Steve spotted the turtle out in the river and quietly pointed out its general direction to me.

I had my eyes laser focused on the river, waiting….waiting….and then I saw it’s big head pop out for a breath! And I gasped. Very loudly. So loudly, in fact, that the others that were also waiting in the water-taxi quickly turned to look at me, as if something horrific had just happened.

Yes, it was rather embarrassing, but, with everyone’s eyes on me, I simply said, “I just saw a turtle“.

Yeah, ok lady.

Since then we’ve seen at least four more off our hotel deck. It’s exciting every time.

Sea Turtle Research, Rescue & Rehabilitation Center

The Dekamer Center, founded in 2008, was established in Turkey to help save injured turtles in collaboration with many environmental agencies, the city of Dalyan, and Pamukkale University.

Their motto, on the front of their pamphlet is “Sea Turtles and Tourists Can Be Together“.

Turtle specialists and volunteers maintain the Turtle Hospital-Refuge Center at the far end of the Iztuzu Beach. We visited one day and saw the great work they are doing saving these amazing creatures that are hurt or traumatized.

The entire area has been an Environmentally Protected area since 1988.

Lycian Tombs

The sheer cliffs that can be seen from the river are host to ancient Lycian Tombs carved in 4th century B.C. Excursion boats motor down the river and stop across from our hotel, set anchor for a while so paying customers can get a good look, then move on.

We felt very lucky to have a nice view of the tombs from our hotel waterfront.

WINS & LOSSES

Roughin It

Just a bottom sheet. That’s all they give you here in Dalyan. That, and two thin white waffle blankets, that are like #80 grit sandpaper.  The blankets are neatly folded into small rectangles down where our feet lie. 

And I won’t even mention the toilet paper. It really toughens you up.  I think we are quite spoiled at home. Yes, indeed. 

Easy Does It

After our less than auspicious start here, I must say Dalyan is certainly easy. 

It’s easy to relax, easy to enjoy getting to the beach, easy to get some sun, easy to walk into town, easy to navigate, and easy to enjoy. 

Next Up: Kalkan, Turkiye

September 28 – October 3, 2022

Rhodes Town

Narrow streets, mosques, fountains, towers, and squares crammed with shops and restaurants, are surrounded by a perfectly preserved moat. This is old town Rhodes, Greece (Rodos to the Greeks). 

The Myth of Rodos

According to this myth, after Zeus’s victory against the Giants, he decided to divide the earth among the Olympian gods; The only god who received nothing was Helios.

He, according to the myth, was absent and “No one remembered to include him in the draw”! When he came back he demanded his share, but Zeus told him that he was not able to make the cast again because the rest of the gods would not agree. Helios was disappointed but asked Zeus and the other gods to promise that the land that was to rise out of the sea could be his.

As he spoke, a beautiful island slowly emerged from the bottom of the blue sea, Rhodes. Helios bathed Rhodes with his own radiance and made it the most beautiful island in the Aegean Sea.

The Rest of the History

I was going to attempt a condensed version of the history of Rhodes, but found that to be an impossible task.  Rhodes has been settled by, conquered by, and been ruled by everyone under the sun (just about). 

Early On

First came the Carian tribes in Asia Minor, followed by the Minoans from Crete, the Phoenicians, the Persians, the Athenians and Spartans, the Macedonians, Alexander the Greet, and the Greek Achaeans, and on and on.  

The Romans

In the 3rd century B.C. Rome started getting too aggressive in Rhodes’ business, and ultimately forced them to sign an agreement.  Same friends, same enemies.  That didn’t go well, and Cassius ended up attacking and conquering Rhodes Town in 42 B.C.

St. Paul Visits

Rhodes, strategically positioned near the Holy Land, accepted the new ideas of Christianity with ease. According to tradition, St. Paul himself preached the new religion at Lindos, a major city in Rhodes, in 58 AD and converted many of the inhabitants.

More War

In the first century, Rhodes was often overrun and destroyed by enemies such as the Persians, Saracens and Seljuks.

When the crusaders conquered Constantinople, in 1204, a rich landowner  declared himself Despot of Rhodes.

The Byzantine emperors captured their capital back from the Crusaders in 1261, and Rhodes theoretically returned to their control. 

The Knights of St. John

In 1306, Rhodes was sold to the Knights of St. John in Jerusalem. For the next two centuries the island of Rhodes was a sovereign state under the rule of the Knights of the Order of St. John.

The Order of St. John was founded during the First Crusade as a monastic order with a medical mission. Its monks ran a hospital for Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem. They were known as the Hospitallers. Under the threat of Muslim invasion, the brotherhood became increasingly militarized and began to provide armed escorts for pilgrims.

Its members swapped their monks’ habits for armor and eventually became a multinational elite fighting force answering only to the pope. When Jerusalem fell to Arabs in 1291, the Hospitallers moved to Cyrpus, then found a new home base on Rhodes.

When the Knights ruled Rhodes, the island became the most powerful in the Eastern Mediterranean. They left imposing evidence of their presence on Rhodes, and gave the city the particular character it retains to this day, with its impregnable walls, gates, churches, hospitals, inns and palaces.

The Knights remained in Rhodes for 213 years until 1522, when, on December 29th, the last of the Grand Masters surrendered the island to Suleiman the Magnificent. The Turkish occupation of Rhodes was the darkest period in its history. Turkish occupation of the Dodecanese lasted until 1912.

And Now the Italians

In that year, the Italians, with the help of the local Greeks, occupied the island. With the rise of Facism, Rhodes began an armed resistance. 

Greek Rule

After the defeat of the Axis powers in WWII, Rhodes and the other Dodecanese islands came under British military administration until March 7th 1948, when the Greek flag was finally raised over the Governor’s Palace.

The Gates

In modern Rhodes Town, eight gates, each impressive in its own unique way, lead into the old town, secure within the walls of the ancient medieval city. 

We entered the old section of Rhodes Town through the Panayia Gate early one morning, arriving on the ferry from Symi island. It was early enough that only the vendors delivering the ice, fresh seafood caught that day, beer, water, and other wares were out in the streets. 

Castles and Knights

If not for those few trucks, we would have thought we had been transported back in time, a time of castles and knights, moats and stone towers. Walking along, dressed in our usual shorts and t-shirts, carrying backpacks, we certainly weren’t dressed for the medieval scene. But no one seemed to notice. 

The Hub

Strategically, Rhodes is in an ideal location. For this reason, Rhodes became a hub of sorts for knights from all over Europe. Soon The Street of Knights was born.  Seven inns representing the seven countries from which the Knights of the Order of St. John came.  They include England, Germany, Italy, France, Aragon, Provence, and Auvergne.

The Street of the Knights

The long, straight, downhill sloping cobblestone street housed the headquarters for each nation’s knights. It runs from the front of the Knights’ Hospital to the Palace of the Grand Master. 

It’s one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe. We could picture the knights holding business and carousing about, without having to use much imagination. 

The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes 

The medieval crowning glory of the island is definitely The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.

The Palace, dating back to the seventh century, was awe inspiring. The enormous round towers framing the main entrance made it feel like we were on a movie set. 

The grand central square, where we entered the Palace, is flanked on all sides by larger than life statues of important men (and only men) of the time. 

We had paid 8 euros each to enter and arrived right when they opened. It was just us and one other couple. The square is very impressive, but were surprised to find that was it. That was the whole thing. I had expected more from a place with such a long and commanding name. 

We decided to milk it for a while. We wandered the square, to get our money’s worth. At some point we noticed the other couple had disappeared into a far corner. Following their lead, we discovered a small, unmarked, and unassuming entrance into the greater castle. Thank goodness there was more.  Lots more.

The Dry Moat

We were looking for the Palace entrance, and found ourselves in a huge and never-ending moat. It’s called a dry moat, so its never held any water, but acts as another layer of protection for the palace.

The Archeological Museum of Rhodes

Rhodes Town is home to an amazing Archeological Museum. It’s full of very impressive mosaics dating back to the third century BC. 

After a long, but interesting, visit to the museum, we stood just outside the exit to figure out our next move. That’s where we met Sheri from Iowa.

Americans

It really catches your attention when you hear an American here in town. There just aren’t many Americans here, for some reason. We hear lots of Europeans. We hear British accents everywhere. Lots of German speakers, and even an occasional Russian. 

Traganou Beach

We became fast friends with Sheri. It was decided to go on an outing the next day. After some research, we decided to visit a distant beach on the eastern coast of Rhodes, Traganou Beach.

The next morning we met at the Rodos bus station and caught the local bus heading towards Traganou.  The bus driver said he’d tell us when to get off. Even so, we followed our progress on our phone app, just in case. 

But he remembered. He signaled for us to get off, as he pulled over on the Turkish highway. We were about a half-hour out of Rhodes Town.  The three of us hustled down the bus stairs, and as we exited he gave a shout, “Good luck. Be careful”. 

What??  Good Luck?? Be careful??

It was a little alarming to get such a warning. We hoped it was just a Greek translation gone-wrong. We were, however, being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, on the side of a busy highway. 

It was a bit of a hoof down a country lane in the blazing mid-morning sun. But the beach at the dead-end was beautiful and we had a lovely day. 

The West Coast

The next day Sheri had rented a car. She invited us along on an adventure into the mountains and down the west coast of the island. 

In most situations, Google maps is your friend, until it turns on you and directs you down an obscure dirt road. A dirt road that winds down a mountainside and is presumably a short-cut. No thank you.

Consequently, after a quick switch to WAZE (another navigation app), we made it to our destination, the town of Kritinia. 

Before reaching Kritinia, we drove high into the mountains covered in pine forests. We had stunning views and happened upon a 15th century small church with amazing, intact frescos (paintings on the walls). 

After lunch in the small town of Kritinia, we headed to the Kritinia Castle. 

Kritinia Castle

We hiked up, up, up to the castle. There we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the turquoise waters along the coast. 

Ancient Kamiros, Rhodes

Lastly we drove to the archeological site of Kamiros.  Kamiros was one of three large ancient cities on the island dating back to 1400 B.C. that united in the 5th century B.C.. The union of these cities created one powerful state, Rhodes. 

WINS & LOSSES

Dinner Out

Ten minutes after ordering dinner the waiter comes over and stands at the end of our table for a moment. He then asks if we are sure we wouldn’t like an appetizer, because the cook is away. He will be back in about 15 or 20 minutes. 

Ok then. We ordered the zucchini fritters, but we were really wondering who was going to make them. Stouffers maybe?

Yiannis Homemade Turkish Food

We had two wonderful meals at Yiannis Restaurant, not far from our hotel. Yiannis, the owner and cook, was quite a character. She had a stern side for sure. She seemed like a force to be reckoned with.

It was a family run place, like many in Greece. The family weren’t shy about having loud disagreements and discussions in and outside the kitchen, well within hearing range of the patrons.

Fish Food Revisited 

Just like on Symi Island, a fish decided to give me a taste, right on the thigh this time. And Sheri, our new friend from Iowa who was with me in those dangerous waters, also got nibbled. Not sure why, but no one else seemed to get nibbled but us.  Go figure. 

Sofia’s Pension

Sofia, of Sofia’s Pension where we stayed, was so lovely.  Sofia had lived in New York 30 years ago, and had a soft spot for Americans. Gotta love that. 

My laptop completely rejected Sofia’s internet router, so much so that I had no internet for a week.

Like in the dark ages. 

Up Next: Back to Turkiye (Dalyan)

September 26-28, 2022

Nikos & Eya

We had such a lovely time on Symi Island at Nikos & Eya’s Studio Apartments.  Their reviews were outstanding, touting the couple’s kindness, and the reviews were spot on.  

And We’re Off

We had to be at the Kos Town port plenty early for our 7:20 am ferry to Symi Island. We walked through the deserted streets of Kos, catching a gorgeous sunrise along the way.  

The Ariadne (Again)

We were on Hellenic Seaways The Ariadne again, the same ship from our last ferry ordeal (see post: A Ferry Tale). 

As we entered the ship, I made a point to double-check with the ticket-taker, making sure we were on the correct ferry. He had already taken my ticket and seemed surprised that I was asking.  He had to stop everything and carefully look down at my ticket and actually read it. 

With a nod and some Greek he verified we were good. I guess the ticket takers don’t even look at your ticket, but we had learned our lesson, always check you’re on the right ship as you board.

The ride took about two hours and we were at the Symi port. 

Turkiye Views

The Dodecanese Greek Islands are very close to the Turkish border. Our ferry ride afforded us beautiful views of the Turkish coast in the early morning sunshine.

A Ride Up the Hill

Without hesitation, Nikos and Eya, our hoteliers, came to pick us up at the port. We spotted them immediately as we left the ship, waving their large NIKOS & EYA red and white sign about 20 feet from us as we disembarked. 

Another couple on our boat was also coming to the apartments.  When we all gathered, Nikos told us to follow Eya, who, as it turns out, doesn’t speak much English.

We walked in a clump along the gravel edge of road crowded with various cars and people toting their luggage. There wasn’t a parking lot, just a cacophony of cars, trucks, scooters, and vans, all trying to get out of the small port area tucked between a cliff and the sea. 

The Car

A small car, and I mean really small, appeared to be Eya’s destination.  The roads here, as on many of the Greek islands, are more like alleyways, so having the smallest car possible is a definite plus. 

As we approached the car, we and the other couple started assessing the situation.  Hmm…six adults, with luggage, for that tiny car (the size of a Smart car).  There was no way this was going to work.  

Eya opened the back hatch (if you can call it that). We shoved our two backpacks, along with the other couple’s roller bags, in the back.  It was a very tight squeeze.  

Thankfully, at that point, Nikos unexpectedly hopped on a scooter parked just in front of the car, and the man from our companion couple hopped right on the back with him. 

Two large adults were removed from the small car equation, so things were adding up.  Without the two men, we had just enough room for the four remaining adults to fit. 

The Drive

Eya drove the small car down the road, along the narrow one-way street towards the center of town.  Only it wasn’t a one-way street.  

We’d only made it a hundred feet when a car was stopped in front of the car in front of us.  The front-most car was on a blind corner, so we couldn’t see what the problem was up ahead. Eya rolled down her window to inquire with some people out on the street that appeared to be involved in trying to resolve the situation. 

Then the yelling started.  And the arm waving.

I think Greeks may be more passionate communicators than Americans, at least we’ll call it that.  Eya, who had only said a few words to us (as she didn’t really speak English), suddenly became a lioness. 

Until then, Eya had only uttered a few words to us in a very kindly tone. Nikos had done all the talking in his gregarious and welcoming manner.

Eya

Eya is small in stature and petite.  She couldn’t weigh more than 100 pounds. She looks like she’d break in a strong wind.  She’s probably in her early to mid-60’s, has shoulder length brown, wavy hair, probably dyed. She is demure and sweet. 

Her transformation from meek mouse to raging lioness was a bit startling, but entertaining for sure.

Cooperation 

After a fair amount of loud Greek exchanges, it was apparent that Eya needed to back up.  All the cars needed to back up.  The problem was, there was nowhere to go.  The very narrow street literally clung to the edge of the sea, with a high cliff to our left and a stark drop into the ocean to our right. 

Suddenly Eya flips around in her seat, throwing her arm onto the back of the passenger seat, eying her backward trajectory.  She was impossibly weaving and backing up, until we heard a loud crunch, at which point she immediately stopped and exclaimed, “Σκατά!!“.

I don’t actually know if that’s the word she used, but I looked it up, and “Σκατά” is a common curse word used in Greece, meaning Shit, so it’s a good bet that’s what she said.  I know that’s what I’d say if I backed up and heard a loud crunch.

Safety Measures

The crunch we heard was the car being stopped by a large metal bar, presumably there to keep people from falling into the sea (thank God). Apparently there was no need to hop out and assess the damages, as I assume these things happen often.  She had moved enough to resolve the situation, and a large truck squeezed slowly past the row of cars that had rearranged to accommodate it. 

Yeah, NOT a one-way street.

Tiny Symi

Kouloundri a small city on a small island, full of not one-way streets. The year-round population of Symi Island is about 2,500.

Kouloundri

Our home base of Kouloundri is built on a symmetrical “U” shape bay filled with bright turquoise blue, glistening water. The immediate area around the harbor is level and filled with restaurants, cafes, souvenir and clothing shops. The steep hillside surrounding the harbor is like a giant amphitheater filled with colorful homes. It’s quite picturesque.

The Harbor

The harbor consists of individual moorings lining the curve of the bay.  There’s a lovely walkway mirroring the curve, where we walked and gawked at the most ridiculously mammoth and ostentatious yachts I’ve ever seen.

I was trying hard to not let my eyes bug out and my mouth drop wide-open, and in my preoccupation to control myself, I guess I didn’t get any pictures of the mega-yachts (just some average yachts!).

Water-Taxi’s

The harbor also has room for a few water-taxi’s that are ready and willing to take your money for a round trip ride to a secluded beach. We were happily whisked to St. Marina beach around 9:30 am, where we were in heaven for a full day, for a mere 22 euros.

St. Marina Beach

Seriously, St. Marina beach was exquisite. It probably helped that it is getting late in the season, so the sun beds were about a third full, keeping things serene and tranquil, the only noise that of the tiny waves lapping at the shore.

The 10-Minute Walk

Our host, Nikos, was very chatty, in a good way. He had lots of suggestions for our stay, including his advice to visit St. Nicholas beach. There are signs all over town that St. Nicholas Beach is a “10-minute walk from Pedi Beach“, on the east side of the island.  

We walked down the steep hill from our apartment and took the local bus to Pedi Beach in Gialus harbor. I also took a quick picture of the bus schedule, to avoid any return issues (see post: Kos, Greece). There were no asterisk on the schedule, so it’s all good.

Arriving at Pedi Beach, we saw more signs with arrows, This way to St. Nicholas Beach, 10-minute walk.  

So off we went, following the sign and the gently uphill gravel path towards the next inlet and St. Nicholas Beach.

Postcard Perfect 

After our 10-minute walk, that lasted at least 30 minutes, we were at the peak of a high hill looking down onto an amazingly beautiful beach.  It looked like a dream beach, like a picture on a pamphlet beckoning you to just take that trip. 

Did I mention it was about 85 degrees with high humidity, and there was no shade on the path?  Did I mention that google maps gave the description of the walk as “mostly flat”?  

To that point, the climb had been gentle, somewhat paved, and easy to follow.  But as we rounded the summit, with our first glimpse of our final destination, we could see that the way down was anything but gentle, paved, or easy.

What laid before us consisted of giant stone stairs of all shapes and thicknesses, wedged into the hillside, with a very steep descent.  There was no turning back, not after seeing that view.  Down we went. 

WINS & LOSSES

Kalimera 

I always try to learn a few words in the native language of the country where we are staying. It’s good for the old brain, respectful to our hosts, and the locals seem to appreciate it. One word we heard continuously, every day, all day, in Greece was Kaliméra, which means Good Day. 

Unfortunately Kaliméra sounds very much like the seafood dish, Calamari. You see where I’m going with this.  It’s horrifying to realize you just wished Squid to a passerby (only happened once or twice).

Fish Food

A small fish decided to give me a nibble, at exactly the moment that I was tranquilly gazing out to sea, standing in the calm, clear as a pool, turquoise waters at St. Nicholas beach. I just so happened to be thinking (at that exact moment), “I wonder if there are sharks in these waters”. I kid you not. That fish had impeccable timing. 

A Winner

We got to hang out with the 8-time Turkish national champion Rally race car driver. He was one part of the couple that had been on our same ferry boat coming from Kos, and was staying in the room next to us at our hotel that had four rooms total. 

He had raced all over the United States and world, and had been selected from 300,000 Turkish driver applicants. Apparently being a national champion race car driver has its perks. He was probably not even 50 and retired, with a beautiful companion at his side.

He comes to the Greek islands often, usually sailing on his yacht that comfortably sleeps four (or was it six?).  Now he just plays the stock market. 

Yacht Problems

His yacht had a problem and was in the shop (you know how that is), so he was slumming it in our hotel this time.  

The Patio

Niko’s and Eya’s apartments faced out onto a large, shady patio. It was about half way up the hill that was the town, at the end of a dead end street. It was quiet and very relaxing. 

Nikos was always sitting out on the patio, sometimes with his laptop. He’s the kind of man you immediately feel comfortable with, he’s chatty, but not too chatty. He’s always open to guests joining him on the patio.

He told me how the hotel had been in Eya’s family for generations. He and Eya run the hotel now during the season (about 7-8 months a year), then go to his original home in Rhodes in the off-season.

Good Conversation 

One afternoon we just sat and chatted, as best we could, with Eya, Nikos, and a French woman who had been coming to their hotel annually for many, many years. At this point she was like an old friend of the family.

The French woman sat and knitted, looking up occasionally to contribute to the conversation. 

Eya disappeared into the house, then popped back out onto the patio holding a tray with two coffees, two glasses of water, and two small saucer-sized dishes with what looked like jam, for Steve and I.  

I took a tentative, tiny nibble of whatever the small dish held. It was sticky and very sweet. It was delicious. We asked what it was, but I’m not sure why we bother. It’s almost impossible to repeat, let alone remember, the Greek name for things.

It was obviously a treat, with grapes (that looked like raisins) in a thick honey-like paste. It was perfect with the dense and strong Greek coffee. 

Bravo!!!

The best thing about Nikos was his “Bravo, Bravo!”, full of boldness and bravado. It got louder and more enthusiastic every time he said it, and was said with a huge smile every time.

This was his go-to response to almost everything we said. We really could do no wrong.  It’s kind of a nice feeling to hear a jubilant Bravo! ten times a day.

Bravo!

Next Up: Rhodes Island, Greece