2.27.2008
From Istanbul, we took a quick flight south to Antalya, where we spent the bulk of our time.
Annie came down with a stomach flu, and Ben never quite adjusted to his new surroundings, but Sophie and I managed to have a couple of mother-daughter memory-making outings...much thanks to John (who isn't terribly into Roman ruins or rock collecting anyway).
Termessos
Though we spent most of our time in the coastal town of Antalya, situated on the Mediterranean Sea, we were able take an afternoon and visit some ancient ruins located in the Taurus Mountains to the northwest.
I won't go into the history of the ruined site of Termessos. For those of you into history and its details, click on the link above. Words cannot describe the feeling walking this ancient stones evoked, but watching one's six-year old climbing stones put in place by Romans centuries ago, or climbing a pass once challenged by Alexander the Great and his army is a bit perspective giving....
A much needed bench after a long climb...muscles unused for sometime gave me reminders of the trip for a few days after!
Sophie climbing previously mentioned ruins. Again, "what a lucky six-year old you are!"
Sophie surprised us all, but showing herself to be quite an agile climber. She was almost too fearless in places, much to her afraid-of-heights-mother's dismay!
Peek-a-boo among the ruins.
No ferry to take off without us this time (see last post). Antalya and the shore are peaking out between the mountains in the background.
Antalya
Antalya is a popular seaside resort in our part of the world. The stretch of beach beyond our hotel has the unique scenic bonus of being surrounded by mountains (seen above). The temperature was in the mid-60s (upper teens Celsius), which seemed quite tropical after our windy winter.
Walks on the beach seemed almost too delightful for words...combine that with the good company of a certain six-year old, and well, it was pure bliss...Sunshine, Sand, and Sophie.
Sophie shares her mom's love of beautiful rocks.
Treasures in the Sand.
So where was Ben while all this was going on? For those of you familiar with the life of an eighteen-month old, you know routine is everything. Vacations aren't necessarily full of routine, and so it took almost the whole time we were away for Ben to adjust to life at a resort....Though he did like the fact that the buffet always had french fries in copious amounts. Moral of this Vacation Story:
Vacations are best for newlyweds and retirees...but don't let that stop you. If you do, you will no doubt miss out on treasures meant especially for you.
The ferry ride across the Bosphorus was beautiful, and one of the highlights of the day for the girls. My ferry ride highlight? The fact that, after a weary day sight-seeing, shopping, and walking my legs off, I could order a nice cup of hot tea for about 30 cents, and enjoy the return trip!
Benjamin enjoyed his ferry ride (and most of his sight-seeing adventure) by napping in his favorite spot...John's arms. Needless to say, John's arms were about to fall off by the time Ben awoke!
"Can I have a do over?" Being the main photographer in our family, I (Beth) am not often in pictures with the kids. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to snap a picture of me and the girls...so after about three attempts to get all of us smiling at the same time, we attempted to disembark off the ferry...only to find that it had taken off again! We were expecting that we had enough time, as they usually take on new passengers, as well! Fully expecting to have to make another round trip (40 minutes) and probably miss our connection with one of our hosts in the city (we were cell-phoneless), we were at a loss as to what to do....
Ferry Hopping....Thanks to the kindness of strangers, we were let off further up the docking area, and had to hop across three docked ferries (pictured, side by side) to get ashore. It also meant longer walk (poor John's arms!) and a lot of questioning looks as we walked through the shipyard where tourists are rarely seen! I'll think twice next time I attempt to get my picture taken with the kids! But, after all, All's well that ends well!
