Kale means castle

I don't know whether we couldn't stand the thought of another day only sitting by the pool for hours, or if we actually felt like it was a bit cooler but Erin and I decided that today would be the day to venture out to some of the sights of Alanya. We packed our bag with some swimwear (for emergency dips into the sea) and headed towards that lovely castle you have seen in so many pictures. We didn't make it to the actual castle today, but we did see plenty of sights.

First stop, the Alanya Museum. While the inside of the museum was closed we did get a chance to wander the gardens and see some examples of art, carvings and mosaics that would have been found in the region dating as far back 5 b.c. and perhaps even older. In the picture below you can see one of the mosaics we saw, and many more are in the album.

After wandering the garden of the museum we needed to dip ourselves into the sea. We took another trip to Cleopatra beach. The water again felt so cool and refreshing that it immediately lifted our spirits.

Although this picture doesn't show it well you can see one of the many pirate ships that populate the waters around the castle. These boats offer trips around the castle, stopping to let people swim at different spots. As we floated in the sea there was a ship rounding the castle island and both of us were reminded of the last scenes of the Goonies. I realize that there is no way they came to Turkey to shoot just this one scene, but it is eerie how similar it looks. I almost expected to see Chunk and Sloth yelling "Hey you guyyyyys" from the beach.

After the beach we decided to head to the Damlatas cave, where the air is said to cure asthma. Scientists have yet to discover the real reason why, but something about the humidity and the type of air in the cave. While we were there I inhaled some large puffs to take full advantage. As you can see the cave is full of those impressive stalactites and stalagmites that I remember seeing during our sixth grade camp trip to moaning caverns.

Next on to the Red Tower. Built in 1226 this 5 story tower was added to the base of the castle to protect the harbor from naval attacks. It was used for centuries and was renovated in the 1950s. It was opened to the public in 1979 and now acts as a museum on several of the floors. Most of the floors had some pictures of the tower and the castle from different time periods. The views of the beach were beautiful from the tower.

At this point we decided to head home. Now came the long walk back to the hotel. We realized something about the Mediterranean culture. With this heat we have to be able to slow down and take breaks. We were both pushing to the main road where we could get the bus and with each step I was getting grumpier and more drenched in our own sweat. I realized that it was time to sit at a cafe and get some cold water and relax. That was a perfect opportunity to recharge and cool off. Around the Mediterranean you hear that people always do things "tomorrow." (In Spain it's "Siempre Manana"). I get it now, you have to be willing to take breaks at the risk of killing yourself.

Over the past week I have gained a great amount of respect and sympathy for the devout muslims that are following the traditional ramazan (thats what they call it here in Turkey) practice of fasting. They are going about their daily business of work without having food or drink during daylight!!! After our long hot walk we were met by our normally peppy receptionist who seemed to be wilting away in the heat of the day. They are truly devoted to their faith.

A final note about an interesting phenomenon we have noticed here in Turkey. Alanya is heavily populated with tourists in the summer months, that I've talked about before. As we were in the cave today I noticed that how people pose for pictures seems to change based on culture. It was my observation that people from northern Europe seem to strike a model-like pose in their picture, often without smiling. Many of them don't even look happy. So here is Erin doing her best angry-model-like pose...