Turkish Holiday

Tanya and I don't look much like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck but at least our holiday ended happily.  We have been home a week now but it has been hard getting back into a schedule.

We spent 18 wonderful warm days on the Mediterranean Coast close to Kemer which is about 40 km south-west of Antalya.  Our resort was called Larissa Blue, a 3 Star which suits us perfectly.

Our room was bright, clean, and quiet; the grounds, including pool and bar, were quite nice and well kept.  The beach was about a 10 minute walk, more is you stopped to play with the kitties along the way.  Gravel and coarse sand  were hard on tender feet getting into and out of the water.  The sea was warm (28C) and the water clear.  Great for swimming as the shore dropped off sharply into 5+ meters of water.

Barrier ropes outlined an area about 300 meters by 150 meters to keep swimmers and boats apart.  We had parasailing boats going and coming on both sides.  There was enough current that a paddler like me was glad of the barrier ropes or I would have drifted off to Lord knows where.

We did morning and afternoon shifts in the water.  I would stay about an hour or two then head for shore.  Tanya would stay two or three hours, sometimes four.  Mostly we swam, slept, ate and read books.  Tanya finished four books and I finished two.

The difference between a three and four star resort seems to be mainly in the food.  The salads and desserts were very good and quite varied over the days were were there.  Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.  The main courses were 2 Star in our opinion but certainly nutritious and sort of varied.  Like the guy who had only bread and cheese to eat said "Some days I eat bread, some days I eat cheese, some days bread and cheese and others cheese and bread". Fish, chicken, and kofta pretty much every day cooked in a wide variety of ways with rice, potatoes, pasta and millet (?) rotated through two at a time.  Lots of cooked veggies, too.

Then there was the chicken liver and hearts EVERY dinner and supper cooked any number of ways but served 36 meals when we were there.  Good thing I actually like them and enjoyed them at 9 meals. We cook them up at home for the cats and keep them in the fridge.  The cats and I share them.

Most of the other tourists in the resort were Russian, Belarussian or Kazakh. Tanya made friends with two ladies from Ulyanovsk (Lenin's birthplace) who were in Turkey for the first time.

View from our room door - pomegranate orchard

The pool, where only the beautiful people hang out

Our walk to the beach

Even this late in the  season it was crowded

Tanya and Luda from Ulyanovsk, Russia

Day cruise boats made out like fake sailing ships

Date Palm

Three little kittens playing in some boards

The sea by our swimming area

Ready to go home