Mui’s Weekend in Kuşadası

Kuşadası, often thought to be a municipality of the Province of İzmir — because neighboring Selçuk is indeed a municipality of İzmir — actually is part of the Province of Aydın. What was a small beach town when I was growing up, is now a big city … popular with tourists for its beaches, and also because of its proximity to the ruins of Ephesus, a city of antiquity.

Mui and I have both spent quite a bit of time in Kuşadası … both as children and as adults. This time, however, he went off on his own for a two-night getaway.

Actually, I take that back. He went with his cousin Esin and her husband, Cenap. His purpose for the trip was two-fold — to cheer on Esin, Cenap, and Murat, who were participating in a swim meet on the 5th; and to visit with some friends from high school who happen to be vacationing in Kuşadası. As a bonus, he managed to take a dip or two at Kadınlar Plajı, the beach fronting the hotel and the site of the swim meet. He also did a bit of sightseeing in the city center, taking photos for this footprint as he strolled along the waterfront.

From what I can tell, a good time was had by all!

P.S. Kadınlar Plajı translates as Women’s Beach. Tradition has it that this is the beach in the story of Ulysses where, distracted by Sirens, seafarers ran aground. Hence the name.En savoir plus