We happened to land in Antalya because it was cheaper to fly to than other destinations in Turkey. Apparently there are many beaches around Antalya that attract hordes of tourists in the summer. The town itself is set on cliffs above the water. The old town with a few dozen Ottoman houses was minimally interesting to us.
Nevertheless we took a liking to Antalya. The city seems to be well set up for its residents. There is a lot of housing, shops and eateries at all hours, uncongested roads (minimal beeping), public transport every day, hard working people.... a far cry from the religious states we just came from. This is my idea of the modern world, a civilized world.
Our first views of Turkey are from the airplane window.
And here's the coastline, beaches, and mountains of Antalya. In two days we'll be hiking along the coast at the far left below.
Riding the spiffy new tram from the airport to city center was most welcoming.
The view from our hotel room balcony.
Soon after checking in we walked a few blocks south to the coast. Great views east to Old Town Antalya and west to the hills and mountains.
Hadrian's Gate in the Old Town.
The tail end of a huge election rally.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu - The leader of the CHP, the main opposition political party in Turkey.
A man pulling a large bag of recyclables that he has reclaimed from dumpsters. There were many of these hard working guys downtown.
2 comments:
The water is such a beautiful blue.
Turkey has become a lot more religious over the years. Never mind my first visit in the early 70s, since I visited Istanbul in the late 90s there are more and more women covering up. Very disappointing that Erdogan just got re-elected!
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