Sunday, August 18, 2013
Kemer Marina

After the prior night's sleeplessness, it was good to motor around the corner and get tucked into the Kemer Marina. We rented a car to explore nearby. That afternoon we drove up the coast to the large city of Antalya, and inland to the ancient city of Termossos. This city is perched high in the mountains and its claim to fame is that Alexander the Great in 333 BC decided not to risk attacking what he described as "an eagle's nest". We drove 8 kilometers up a winding road to get to the parking lot of the site and then started our long climb up to the city. I kept thinking that these people must have had horses, and wishing that we did! Finally we reached the "lower city walls" only to discover we had a long climb still ahead of us. From the visitors coming down the path, we learned that it was worth the climb so we persevered. While we keep saying that we getting tired of seeing ancient ruins and how many more can we visit, this site truly takes the prize for its location. The city theater which seats 4200 people has the most stunning vista imaginable, looking one direction toward the ocean and the other direction toward the valleys far below. It is amazing to crawl around on these theater seats, many of which are remarkably well preserved. We elected the alternative path back down to the parking lot below because of the rock tombs carved into the cliffs. While we have seen numerous of these sort of sarcophagi, the quiet pathway right along the cliff gave us an up close visit.

After the long drive from the mountain top back down, we drove through the huge city of Antalya just to get the feel of the city. It was crowded and busy so we bustled back to the Kemer Marina to enjoy a light dinner at a marina restaurant with a guitarist imitating American singers. Better than loud blaring disco music!