Antalya: Mediterranean Cruise

Western Turkey - Personal Journal
Day 12 - Sunday, 12 April 1998

Our Mediterranean Cruise began in Antalya Harbor, where we climbed on board our boat as other boat owners looked on with envy. Several had tried to attract us to ride their boats for the day. But Meli's plans were made long in advance.

Relaxing on a large sailboat was a wonderful break from the intensity of what we had been experiencing up until now. But it was only a small break. Toward the end of the day, our boat deposited us in the Bay of Phaselis, where history quietly surrounded us again.

We were immediately in a forest with enormous trees, and the hushed quiet you can find only in forests. The remains of massive stone gates marked the entrance to the old city of Phaselis, and beyond it the ruined streets, the amphitheatere, the aqueducts seemed to whisper ancient stories to us. But Meli's voice was lifted above the whispers. She spoke of ancient sea-going people and a shepherd, of a bit of land traded for two boxes of fish, and of the beginning of the Lycian civilization here in this place.

She also told us a fantastic tale of a ring of fires that issue from the ground, up on the mountain among the pine trees. Only the hiking tours get to see that remote place. But she stirred in us a wish to be athletic and make that climb, as she described the views and the sunsets and the dramatic sight of naturally occuring fires in between the trees.