Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Amazing Antalya, Turkey

Destination: Antalya, Turkey
Time of travel: January 2011
Duration: 5 days
Travel plan: Unplanned, Antalya and surroundings partly by car





We stood at the airport check-in desk, looking at the lady furiously typing and occasionally frowning her brows. We quickly learned that one of us required a visa to be arranged in advance - and in this case, in advance didn't mean on arrival. The trip was cancelled on spot and with a week of scheduled leave we were still going to travel somewhere. Anywhere.


The first suggestion the airline clerk gave us was Antalya - the city he was from. With a suitcase full of attire suitable for desert, southern Turkey with it's January maximum of 15 degrees wasn't what we had in mind. Soon we learned that it was our only logical option despite of any other plans we might have had in our minds.

A little later we knew that sometimes life just takes you on unexpected trips you never imagined having.





Antalya was miraculous. From amazing cuisine, to the beautiful scent of ripe oranges and spices, wonderful locals and spectacular nature, we experienced things we never even knew of. We saw fire flaming out of stone, ate freshly picked oranges at a beautiful ancient amphitheater just by the two of us and got a hair wash by an elderly gentleman with eyes that will melt your heart.

Kaleici, Antalya:


We started from old town Antalya, better known as Kaleici. It was rather empty, I think we saw less than 10 foreign tourists and lots of locals strolling the beautiful streets during our five day stay. Majority of the touristic shops were closed but a few bars and restaurants were open. Luckily Antalya is a big city, just step outside the walls on Kaleici and you'll find all you need!





The city itself can be easily explored on foot, if you like walking and have the time. I think the best shopping is definitely outside of the old town in the more commercial center. English is spoken but you'll get by also in Russian.

Public transportation was also good. We used it twice and everything was on time. We asked the locals as well as the drivers on where to go and where to get out. Had no problems what so ever. People were very kind to tourists.

 The amphitheatre of Aspendos and ancient ruins of Side:

Even though we loved Kaleici and Antalya in general, we were completely blown away by the surroundings. We rented a car and started visiting nearby sights and towns based on the little map we got from our hotel. No pre-planning of any kind but it turned out great. We didn't even have a navigator! 






Thanks to our little map we managed to find the incredible Roman ruins of Side and later found also the amphitheatre of Aspendos together with the ruins of the city and the amazing aqueduct. Kris is a huge fan of the era. For a history buff this is definitely a must see location. The historic sites are all marked with the brown signs and are maintained perfectly even during off-season.





Mountains and Tahtali:

The next day we chose to drive to the directon of the beautiful mountains we saw in the distance. The scenery was incredible and we could only imagine how it would keep on getting better. First we drove to the Mt. Tahtali where we took the cable car up. From there we continued forward, driving back down through little villages and towns, empty tourist towns with huge signs in russian selling fur and leather goods. 




Yanartas / Chimaera:

We continued driving along the road between the mountains until we saw another one of those beloved brown road signs to Yanartas / Chimaera. Tony remembered reading about this sight and the fires but couldn't remember what exactly it was all about. With some hesitation we drove down - and down, and even further. The hesitation was caused by the distance we had to drive down, which was 15kms, with low tank and being close to sunset - it was more than worth it. 





After we drove along the roads which started as asphalt and grovel to dirt and ended up in, well, even more dirt, walked through an empty cafe terrace through the gates, up the rocky stairs and finally we smelled something funny. It was the gas coming from the earth beneath us. And then came the flames.


Ages ago the flames reached up to 30 metres and were used as lighthouses leading the sailors back to their homes. During our visit the flames were more like 30 - 60 cm but still impressive - even magical. We never heard of anything like this and were completely blown away. Also the view over the sea was beautiful. 





This also seemed to be an amazing hiking destination. Especially on the road down to the fires of Yanartas we saw rows of houses offering accommodation for hikers. The scenery was amazing all over and can probably offer some spectacular hikes. 



The drive up was more or less ok. We were worried about the fuel being close to zero. When we finally reached the highway, it was already dark. We were aiming to continue driving even higher up but a nice gas station clerk advised us not to go there without tire chains or winter tires as it was still very cold. And he offered us some tea and invited us to sit in the warm room reserved for the staff. The level of hospitality in this country was beyond anything we ever experienced until that - or even after. 


We turned the car around and decided to drive down to Antalya. With our stomachs growling we hoped to find a place to eat. The road side eateries didn't look too inviting but that was all we had. Chose on and stepped in. It was one of the best meals we ate there and the restaurant was actually quite nice. Unfortunately we never got the name of the restaurant.


Driving in Turkey was a good experience even though we had our doubts in the beginning. Especially main roads were in great condition.



Shopping:

Turkish shoes and clothes are excellent in fashion and quality. Note that we're writing this five years after the trip and are still using some of the clothing we bought from this trip! Price and quality of the locally produced items is excellent so bring a large empty suitcase! Size wise you have plenty of options except in shoes as female shoe sizes seemed to generally end at max. of European 39.

There are lots of small boutiques all over the city for all price ranges and plenty of shopping centres and at least one outlet. To mention a few, you might want to check out these:


ÖzdilekPark Antalya, AVM, www.ozdilekparkantalya.com

5M Migros, www.5m-migros.com

Deepo Outlet Center, www.deepo.com.tr





The last two days passed sightseeing and shopping in Antalya. We would also highly recommend the Sefa Hamam where you will bathe and be washed in an incredible hamam more than 600 years old. 


We recommend:

Off season: We warmly recommend visiting Antalya during off season to make the most of it and really feel the authenticity of the city. You won't get to work on your tan but you will most definitely make memories you'll carry with you forever. 

Rent a car: Renting a car is a great way to explore the surroundings. Traffic was excellent and roads were in good condition. We didn't even need to rent the car in advance, just walked in a car rental agency nearby our hotel and booked a car every morning before taking off. 

Sefa Hamam: Amazing traditional bathing experience. You can choose from different types of baths, scrubs and massage, sefahamam.com




A Piece of our experience:

On our last evening we were walking around, trying to find a place to have a wine or two. Walked pass a bar where a young man played beautiful music on his guitar. We stepped in and realized the place was actually completely empty. We sat down and the owner walked in. He brought us some local wine as we sat and listened to the beautiful music. After a while he brought some vegetables to snack on. Then some small local snacks. Then some potatoes. And as the last surprise, his mother, who lived upstairs, brought us the most incredible cake, straight out of the oven.



Turkey made the first impression no country has been able to beat.


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