13 Gypsies

An Online Journal of the Life and Times of Inci & Mark

Turkiye

Antalya

We took a bus to Antalya in the summer of 2001. Located along the southern mediterranean coast of Turkey, Antalya is an oasis of beauty. The land has been inhabited for thousands of years, and historical places are everywhere, including ruins left behind by the ancient Greeks. Nowadays, it is the most popular tourist destination in Turkey, drawing large crowds of Russians, Scandinavians, Germans, and French, among others. They all go there to see Osman, the tall Turk with the Jean Reno voice and easy going manners, and his lovely wife, the diminutive (in physical size only) Ozlem, who is also Inci's cousin. They have a young boy named Ege, who is the epitome of them both. (Update: Since our trip in 2001 Ege has become a big brother, little Dogukan arrived in 2002!)
Antalya in the summer is HOT! The bathlike water of the Med didn't cool you off a bit, but the evenings were cool, and provided good weather to play Okey on the balcony over cold bottles of Effese.
Over the course of several days, Inci and Ozlem became closer than ever and Osman and I became like brothers. We spent our time in Antalya sightseeing on tours led by Osman himself. We ate at outdoor restaurants next to waterfalls, we grilled our own lambchops over an open barbecue, climbed a section of Mt. Olympus, and drank lots and lots of Raki, with plenty of fresh melon and cheese. Singing songs in Turkche Bar was the highlight of the trip.

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