Antalya,Turkey: In the Shadow of the Mountains

Turkey:  A 2000-Mile Road Trip, Part 4

In the Shadow of the Mountains

Our guide described Antalya as an international resort city that has become a prime destination in Turkey. It offers fantastic beaches and world-class shopping and ruins in the surrounding area. It was founded by King Attalos of Pergamum as “Heaven on Earth." It is a favorite destination for the Europeans, especially the Brits so that the Euro is the more common form of payment than the Turkish Lira. And for the first time, the topic of the day changed from religious to secular; our guide talked about his experience as a tour guide to a nudist group.



The drive to Antalya was one of the most beautiful in Turkey. Approaching Antalya, the previously tree-covered hills turned to alternating green and bare bedrock mountains, the razor-backed ridges screened in the mist of blue that it arrived like a landscape waiting for my camera. It was sprinkling on and off when we arrived, but the following day, sunlight shot across the mountains, rapidly erasing the shadows from the landscape. It was a gorgeous morning for a walk, so I walked the coastal trail (14km) and decided to hang out at the beach all day – sunlight on and off. When traveling through such a beautiful place it tends to make me feel like I belong in that place. I could not help but wax poetic.



Antalya, I have to forego your world-class shopping and ruins
I'm beginning to see why King Attalos of Pergamum
found you as “Heaven on Earth”

The vast blueness of the Mediterranean Sea
Sparkling madly with the stars of reflected sunshine
Inviting me to swim in melted sapphire



As I sit in contemplative silence
Gazing wistfully into the sea
The velvety pebbles massage my feet

The sea understands my mood
Whispers like the call of the muezzin
It barely moves.

 The mountains rise right from where I sit
Understand my silence speaks volume of emotions
Cast a shadow, my warm blanket




As the day begins to fade
Silky air blows my sun shade covered face
Inviting me to see the orange glow
that dances on the Mediterranean water

Silhouetting the pine-covered trail
Casting a spell on the fronds
Replacing the greens with a burnt shade of ochre
  
For the last time
I gaze out across the bay
The city skyline winks from across the water

The mountains all muted
Letting the blistering sun
Get closer to night


NOTE:  

All photos by the author

Comments

Post a Comment

NEW POSTS

The Banaue Rice Terraces: A Living Cultural Landscape

Image
My interest in exploring the northern part of the Philippines started from looking at a piece of art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California.   Among the display of ceramics and pottery engraved with gold and other decorative stuff,  a wooden carving of a male figure squatting on a platform with the lower arms on top of each other, resting upon his knees, caught my eye.  According to the docent, the wooden sculpture was called "Bului" which literally means "granary guardian" in the "Ifugao" tribe dialect. The carved wooden sculpture was set on a platform on top of another platform, a mortar.   Our docent explained the significance of the wooden mortar (which was used with the pestle, to separate the husk from the rice, sort of rice mill) and linked the story to the Rice Terraces in the Cordillera Mountains of the Philippines built 2000 years ago by the “Ifugao” tribe. So two years and three hundred kilometers north of Manila later, we explo
Read more

NEPAL: Durbar Square Before the Earthquake

Image
I was writing my blog about Nepal’s UNESCO World Heritage and historic sites very late last night (05-12-15 in Nepal) when I happened to check my Instagram and saw a posting about Kathmandu after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal yet again. I get emotional just by looking at the photos and videos I took from my recent trip to Nepal let alone a video of a chaotic Kathmandu. I must confess to telling a co-traveler on our way to Patan's Durbar Square that I was ‘templed out’ (the term I used to describe how I felt after visiting so many temples).  Who would have thought that the visit to that last Durbar Square and seeing all the temples that day was a great blessing.  I have said many prayers of gratitude for the opportunity to see and capture in films and photos Nepal’s UNESCO World Heritage sites and the irreplaceable temples and statues before the April 25, 2015 earthquake. The Kathmandu Valley is comprised of three cities: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. Each city features
Read more

Poland: The Wieliczka Salt Mine

Image
One of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Sites I visited this year was the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow, Poland. It was founded in the 13th century to mine the rich deposit of salt. Salt mining stopped in 1996 when the low price of salt on the world market made it too expensive to mine and the mine was slowly flooding. But miners did more than just extract salt. They left behind them a breathtaking record of their time underground in the shape of statues of mythical, historical and religious figures.  Part of the salt mine became an art gallery, chapels, cathedral, and underground lakes. Today, Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the most visited National Monuments in Poland. For safety reason, less than one percent of the mine is open to visitors, but even that is almost four kilometers in length. There are 20 chambers to visit and 800 steps to climb of which 350 at the beginning take you down into the mine. You can’t just visit and wander around on your own. All of the visits
Read more