Our flight from Trabzon to Antalya was another good Pegasus Airlines experience. The first thing that hit us as we left the airport was the heat, around mid 30's. The next thing was that we weren't swarmed by taxi drivers. It was all very orderly and the meters actually worked. Our hotel was in Old Town, which can be better described as a rabbit warren. Extremely narrow, cobble stone streets where in some places cars need to do a 2 stage manouver to get around corners. Our driver rang twice to get directions. Couldn't blame him though. The hotel address was one street but the entrance was actually in another! After a walk around the neighourhood we decided a swim and a beer at the hotel pool was the order of the day. Antalya goes back to the Roman Empire. The walls and fortress that circle the present marina are an impressive reminder of that era. Dinner in a restaurant set on the cliffs high above the marina was a great way to finish the day.
Day 2 was going to be an education in the history of the area with a tour to Perge and Aspendos, both Roman Empire era cities. I had visited Perge about 11 years ago. Much more of the city has been uncovered since then and the visitor facilities have been improved immensely - making the experience so much more better. The ingenuity and skill of the Romans when it comes to construction has to be admired. And whilst Perge was amazing the highlight of the day had to be the Roman theatre at Aspendos. Dating back to the 2nd century the theatre has been restored and is used today for shows. Apparently the great Pavarotti has performed there. The sheer scale of the building is amazing and I can only imagine what it must have been like to be sitting in the terraces watching a performance. The Antalya Museum has an extensive collection of artefacts found during the excavation of Perge. Marble statues of Olympian gods, sarcophagus's (including one for a dog) and numerous other artefacts. Our visit there certainly topped off our visit to the ancient city. Another surprise for the day was to discover there is a town called Lara in the Antalya region. A little reminder of home. Once again we have been pleasantly surprised. Whilst Antalya undoubtedly caters for the masses of tourists, there is also a lot of culture and history woven in as well. Next up is Istanbul. Will it be as good as I remember it from 11 years back?