Weather – rain
Photo: Showing a portion of the aqueduct at Phaselis with the pretty little bay in the background. The area is abundant in fir trees.
Photo: Hadrian's wall - not up to the usual standard we have become accustomed to!
Photo: The beautiful backdrop to the ancient theatre.
Photo: Our group getting a seat in the theatre before a wine toast and performance.
Photo: The Lycian Tombs built into the mountain side.
Photo: Standing outside the Noel Baba statue in front of the St Nicholas Museum.
Temperature – low twenties.
As we left Antalya the weather was very overcast however the weather held as we stopped at the ancient port town of Phaselis just an hour away. This ancient seaside port was built by the Greeks in 7th century BC and it is an absolute idyllic location – it is easy to see why this is a very popular tourist attraction.
Phaselis has three picture perfect bays (North, City and South) and many remnants of Roman times including Ana Cadde (the main street), baths, agoras and a theatre. Once again we came across Hadrian’s Gate however this time it was in a grave state of disrepair…that now numbers three!
The site is dotted with pine trees and is very picturesque. The theatre was much smaller than the spectacular Aspendos but nevertheless reasonably intact and our ever thoughtful guide had brought red wine and hazelnuts to celebrate a couple’s second wedding anniversary. Red wine at 11am! The fellow then sang Ï’ve got you under my skin”standing at the bottom of the theatre…..how romantic!
Ergun, our unshy guide, then sang a Turkish love song calling for his beloved in Australia. The ancient gods must have been looking out for him because as soon as he had finished his girlfriend texted him to say Í love you!
It poured raining just after we left Phaselis so some ancient gods must have looking out for us as well. An hour or so further on we stopped for lunch at a place we all later learned was a trout farm. As we rushed inside out of the rain we failed to notice the environment! No wonder there was so much fish on the menu.
Driving further on through teeming rain we passed through Kamluca which is a major area for the production of tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums etc. It appears they are all grown hydroponically in huge greenhouses. As we looked back at the town from the hilltop we could see how extensive the production was going all the way to the seaside.
Another stop and we were fortunate with the rain once again as it was only spitting. It was a brief stop to take in the Lycian Tombs behind the town of Myra. The area has many stone tombs built into the mountain in the style of the timber homes they had in their township.
We made a quick trip to St Nicholas church (now a museum)….the real St Nicholas’ and known as Noel Baba in the region. It is very popular with Russian tourists and it is believed some of his relics are held within the church.
We followed the Mediterranean coastline for some time however the well-known vivid hues were not evident due to the inclement weather. Maybe tomorrow?
Kas is our stopover for two nights and it very evidently Greek influenced. A Greek island is only three kilometres from here and they are permitted access to Kas for shopping, medical etc.
We met up with our guide after an hour and wandered the streets of delightful Kas. It is obviously a very popular area in the summer months as there were many great shops…..we tried to stop but as we are only six females we were overpowered!
Dinner was at Mumma’s Kitchen (another clue about the tourist trade here) and we felt we were eating out at a Greek restaurant – many Greek meals including moussaka.
Tomorrow is the cruise on the Mediterranean and we are very doubtful about the weather!
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