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Set at the end of the Taurus mountains that literally drop into the Mediterranean Sea, Antalya is a city of 5 storey apartments that accommodate the hundreds of thousands German and Russian visitors every summer.
It was strange, having German and Russian offered in the “buy from me” spiel. I became proficient at “Nein, Danke”.
While Antalya is a modern holiday resort, the old Ottoman style city is delightful. It has recently renovated to express the old city charm with modern day facilities.
Antalya is also surrounded by some interesting ancient sites:
- Side has a wonderful harbour and Temple of Apolla standing over the harbour for all travellers to see.
- Aspendos has the best preserved Roman theatre which is still used for concerts and festivals. It is amazing to see the nearly intact front section and entrance hall.
- Perge is an ancient Greek city with a wonderful colosseum and baths. Probably the easiest city to visualise after Ephesus.
We also visited the museum – awarded a commendation in the 1980s. It was well organised and not overwhelming, quite the antithesis to the crumbly, overcrowded museum in Cairo.
Bruce was overdue for a hair cut – last was in Amman, Jordan and the 1cm of hair was looking decidedly scruffy. He went upmarket – choosing a men’s hairdresser rather than barber. And there he got the works, a shampoo, hair cut, another shampoo and a massage. They also threatened to trim his beard.
April 23 is International Day in Turkey, but it has also become Children’s Day. Children from all nationalities are invited to Turkey to help celebrate. Antalya children put on a street parade with some of their international visitors – delightful.
In Antalya we also met up with Gerry & Emilie, who we had shared tours and wines with in Gallipoli.
