D55 Turkey - Antalya

A Snapshot of Our Day

Photo 1 - The Aspendos Theatre, another Roman wonder that dates back to 155BC. Every September the theatre is used for several operatic performances and we were gutted to discover that we were a few short days of seeing a performance of ‘Carmen’! The complex was in the midst of being set up and so our friend Gina gave us a performance of her own, being a professional singer and music teacher.

Photo 2 - As it was already 36C by 10am we weren’t super enthused at the prospect of walking up a hill to see a “spectacular” view of the theatre, but it was worth it in the end.

Photo 3 - They are incredibly worn down now but these are wall decorations date back 700 years.

Photo 4 - We stopped for a mid morning snack at a tiny roadside cafe where we enjoyed watching the older lady prepare and cook for us some fresh gozleme. Easily the best gozleme we’ve had so far, and was made even better by glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Photo 5 - For lunch we went to a restaurant that only served two things - meatballs and a local bean salad. Naturally we ordered both to share; the rich salad comprised of white beans, red capsicum, tahini, olive and sesame oils and was garnished with chopped boiled egg. Served with fresh bread and salad it was surprisingly delicious, but I highly doubt it will get the same reaction back in North Melbourne!

Photo 6 - ‘Hadrian’s Gate’; one of several ancient gates that take you from standing in the new to the old town of Antalya.

Photo 7 - All of the Turkish sweets. It’s a miracle that you don’t see dentists on every corner.

Photo 8 - Anthony spotted a shop in the old town that were clearly making the statement that gourds are too good to be eaten. Why eat a vegetable when it could be transformed into a lamp?

Photo 9 - Token souvenir bookmarks are in abundance and we love it!

Photo 10 - A funky sign painted onto an electrical pole, just in case you needed reminding of where you were.Read more