Ahi Yusuf Mescidi

A Snapshot of Our Day

Photo 1 - The best part about sleeping on the deck of a boat is your body waking up to natural light. Most of us were up enjoying the first signs of sunlight just before 6am, and some took full advantage by having a pre-breakfast swim in the cool water.

Photo 2 - Dozens of green houses (currently unused) in a nearby valley, which will primarily be used for tomato production in the cooler seasons.

Photo 3 - On our way to Antalya we stopped to visit the protected ruins of the church of Saint Nicholas. Our guide Mete had told us that this is a common visiting spot for Russian and German tourists and sure enough, shortly after we arrived we were surrounded by tourists who had clearly made a bee line to see St. Nicholas’ grave. I tried to keep clear of the swelling crowds and found myself admiring the worn paintings on the interior walls and domes of the chapel.

Photo 4 - More paintings worn down over time.

Photo 5 - Apparently you can buy anything at gift shops; “authentic hand painted” mugs, fridge magnets...and live cats. Do you have room for another one Es and Beth?

Photo 6 - The Myra Rock Graves, 4/5th century architecture, representative of the Lycian classical period. These rock facades were built to almost imitate wooden carvings, and they were really haunting to look at. The graves are all blocked off so we were unable to go up too close but we were told that there are noticeable differences and characteristics that would help a visitor to gain information about the social status of the owner.
A good tip for us to distinguish between Lycian and Roman architecture was that the Romans would build up from the ground and create free standing works; the Lycians would take to using the environment and building into and on the current landscapes.

Photo 7 - There were many stairways and passageways that led us up and around to different parts of the acropolis. There was a large theatre complex that we had fun exploring and posing in. Of course.

Photo 8 - The sea side town of Antalya is the location of Turkey’s largest international sea resort which, combined with many other attractions, makes it very popular with tourists. We arrived mid afternoon and the majority of us made a bee line towards a local Haman (Turkish bath) where we were separated according to gender and pampered for 2 hours, for a mere 50AUD. This included a sauna session, a full body scrub (I’m surprised I have any skin left!), a foam wash and rinse, relaxation time with free apple tea and an olive oil massage to finish. Us girls had a bonus and very spontaneous dance session with one of the employees while we were drinking our tea, which we loved!
We all left in a daze and took our time wandering back to the Old Town where our hotel is located.

Photo 9 - Ant and I have decided to sell in the Subaru for some newer hot wheels.

Photo 10 - Majority of dogs and cats who are not owned by residents in Turkey are vaccinated by the Government, but it is the local community that continues to keep them in good health. We walked past a cat park and there were 20 or so little cat houses set up with volunteers giving out information and taking donations for the future care of this city’s cat population. My wall against cats is slowly crumbling down...Read more