We spent about a month exploring this amazing country, and despite the fact that both of us suffered from cold and flu symptoms for much of that time we still managed to really enjoy our time in Türkiye. We saw an amazing assortment of fascinating attractions as we moved through the country much faster than anticipated. This was partly because of the highly developed highway system here and the fact that we didn’t find any specific location where we wanted to drop anchor for an extended period of time. Also contributing to the quick touring pace was having done detailed preparation for the trip. Organizing a flexible agenda complete with GPS coordinates really elevates efficiency on the road. Preparing is a time consuming process but what a difference it makes when you’re zipping down that highway.

We left Seher and the Dekafok Turtle Sanctuary and drove a short distance to what is considered the best preserved Roman Theatres in the world, built in 162 AD. The “Aspendos Archaeological Site” is truly spectacular. This 12,000 seat theatre still hosts major events every year. Should I mention the impressive Roman ruins situated above the Theatre? Further along the coast is Antalya. A very big and busy city that surprised us with the incredibly large number of five star mega-resorts that lined the ocean front and created an unwelcoming security zone atmosphere. One noticeable eye-popping resort was called “The Kremlin Palace” highlighting the popularity of this coastline to Russian tourists.

The beautiful, and popular, seaside town of Kas was an experience for us. We drove into Kas through “vertical” streets crowded with people that provided 1/2 inch clearance between folded-in-mirrors. Locals are very respectful and quick to assist with “inch-by-inch” guidance through some very tight spots. I wish the impatient drivers behind us had the same respect; they do love their horns. BTW, this situation is a common occurrence in many small and large towns throughout the Mediterranean so many local drivers here seem proud to display vehicle side panel damage like battle scars.

Further along this historically jam packed coastline you find the resort town of Dalyan. The 4th century Lycian Tombs overlooking the Dalyan river make for an outstanding backdrop. We also had the best, and least expensive, donair we’ve ever had at a small shop just out of the main tourist section of Dalyan (worth noting).

Inland we drove to a truly dazzling location with three significant sites. The first one is Pamukkale (cotton castle) and we camped just below it. Visualize a spectacular calcium waterfall that has over time, created this massive white terrace. We walked (up and down) this terrace through mineral rich water, in bare feet, to gain access to the second fantastic location, Hierapolis. Located just above Pamukkale and built around a thermal spring this very impressive site dates back thousands of years to Hellenistic times. The third location, in a panoramic location about 15 km’s away, is called Laodikeia. What a fascinating and beautiful archaeological site this was, especially early in the morning before all the bus tours arrived.

Back to the Aegean Sea to visit another famous ancient city called Ephesus. Wow! This site is truly impressive and did not disappoint us in any way. The Greek city of Ephesus, built in 1000 BC, had a major influence on the entire ancient world with much of that influence carrying over to this day. Ephesus was a very important centre of worship and a big player in the spread of Christianity. It was also a major port and considered a city as magnificent as Rome itself.

After passing through the very nice but fast moving city of Izmir, we set our sights on Bergama (Pergamum). We had Kristen in our minds when we visited the Asklepion archaeological site. This was one of the ancient worlds main centres of learning and the great physician Galen was born here in 129 AD. He established a famous medical centre called the Asclepieum and this could be considered the world’s first official teaching hospital.

Troy was the last major stop on our tour of Türkiye and it turned out to be surprisingly interesting. We were told that it was just a pile of stones and not worth the $80 to see it. Wrong… a very fascinating site, location and history that dates back to 4000 BC and goes through nine layers of strata development with the last one being the Roman’s in 300 AD. Besides the legends that still keep us guessing, Troy has been famously excavated with many of it’s treasures being displayed in major museums around the world.

We’ve now entered Greece and are waiting out some rain at a great waterfront campsite just below Mount Olympus. Our plan is to start heading north through Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Croatia. We’re here earlier than expected so we’re now formulating a plan to utilize our extra time in the best way possible. We’ll keep you posted!

The amazing 12000 seat Roman Aspendos Theatre