We have had a really relaxing two days in sleepy Antalya. It's a fair size city on the Mediterreanean but now that the Turkish holidays are over it feels like everyone has packed up and left. Last night was Saturday night but there was hardly a soul on the streets and many of the restaurants were pitifully empty. Not that the peace and quiet has bothered us. We have just enjoyed strolling along the cobbled and paved lanes of the old city, eating simple picnic lunches of bread, cheese and tomato and reading our books from park benches overlooking the ocean. Antalya is full of palm trees and old stone buildings, lots of Roman ruins and the ground is scattered with pumpkin shells - locals eat the seeds relentlessly and seem to be able to chew and spit out the shells in one motion. There are also lots of backgammon games on the go and generally just a lazy, easy-going attitude among the locals. The scenery is beautiful with old wooden boats pulling out of the marina and into the Med with the craggy mountain ranges in the background. The water is a delicious dark blue.
Just over a week in Turkey and we have found Turks to be very friendly, helpful and chatty, though they have a somewhat gruff manner especially when it comes to serving you in shops. I forget from time to time that we are in a Muslim country as it's so progressive and European in appearance and modern (Antalya has a great old tram that runs down a road lined with tall palm trees and designer shops), but I am reminded when we hear the call to prayer from the mosques and pass the older ladies dressed in their headscarfs and skirts. There is a big generational attitude difference in Turkey with the younger generation dressing for the most part like modern Europeans in jeans, sneakers and t-shirts. Anyway, enough of my supeficial social observations. The pic below is of the very cute and old marina in Antalya. Tomorrow we head about 80kms west to Olimpos(also on the Med)which is meant to be very chilled out and a bit of a hippy hang out.
We have had a really relaxing two days in sleepy Antalya. It's a fair size city on the Mediterreanean but now that the Turkish holidays are over it feels like everyone has packed up and left. Last night was Saturday night but there was hardly a soul on the streets and many of the restaurants were pitifully empty. Not that the peace and quiet has bothered us. We have just enjoyed strolling along the cobbled and paved lanes of the old city, eating simple picnic lunches of bread, cheese and tomato and reading our books from park benches overlooking the ocean. Antalya is full of palm trees and old stone buildings, lots of Roman ruins and the ground is scattered with pumpkin shells - locals eat the seeds relentlessly and seem to be able to chew and spit out the shells in one motion. There are also lots of backgammon games on the go and generally just a lazy, easy-going attitude among the locals. The scenery is beautiful with old wooden boats pulling out of the marina and into the Med with the craggy mountain ranges in the background. The water is a delicious dark blue.
Just over a week in Turkey and we have found Turks to be very friendly, helpful and chatty, though they have a somewhat gruff manner especially when it comes to serving you in shops. I forget from time to time that we are in a Muslim country as it's so progressive and European in appearance and modern (Antalya has a great old tram that runs down a road lined with tall palm trees and designer shops), but I am reminded when we hear the call to prayer from the mosques and pass the older ladies dressed in their headscarfs and skirts. There is a big generational attitude difference in Turkey with the younger generation dressing for the most part like modern Europeans in jeans, sneakers and t-shirts. Anyway, enough of my supeficial social observations. The pic below is of the very cute and old marina in Antalya. Tomorrow we head about 80kms west to Olimpos(also on the Med)which is meant to be very chilled out and a bit of a hippy hang out.
No comments:
Post a Comment