It was a day of great beauty. A day of intense physical challenge. And a day that left Wife and I in wonder that we are still getting the opportunity to do the things we truly love.
(Note - this is a verbal only post. We took so freaking many pictures that it will take a while to whittle them down and edit them. They will come in a couple of posts.)
There were two major things on the Alanya hit list that we wanted to get done that were out-of-town. I had toyed with the idea of renting a car to do them. Boy, was I glad to have not made that decision. We hired a car and driver, which while expensive, turned out for the best. The two sites were Sapadere Canyon and the Syedra Ancient City.
Sapadere Canyon is a long narrow canyon that leads to a waterfall. That description does not do it justice as you will see in the upcoming photo post. It was a photographic paradise. Based on on our research, we left early and got to the Canyon around 9:20am. There was virtually no one there. Inland from the coast, there are high and steep mountains. For those readers who have experienced the mountain driving of past Eldership missions, you know what we are talking about. Exceedingly steep roads with super tight hairpin turns.
The write-ups we saw on the canyon extolled the nice smooth wooden pathway (true). It did not mention it was all uphill for quite a period. Nonetheless, we made our way without problem and had a great photographic experience, along with a nice snack of fresh made Gõzleme right in the middle of the canyon. (Gõzleme is THE thing in this little area. We must have seen 9 or so other places selling them as we descended.
It was a good thing we went early. We were passed by at least 10 tourist vehicles ferrying people up to the canyon on our way down.
Our second stop were the ruins of the ancient city of Sydera. Syedra is a classic Greek/Roman city story as we have seen all over the Mediterranean in our many travels. It was not the most impressive of ruins compared to let's say Jerash or Aphrodisias. But what it lacked in the way of spectacular ruins it made up for in SPECTACULARLY DIFFICULT STEPS! As in the entire way was either up hill or downhill all with vintage, highly uneven, Roman era steps. And it was sunny, hot, and humid.
It was a true test for Wife and I. When I reflect on the issues we've had over the last couple of years, and Wife's brother's demise at the hands of a deer, you realize how fortunate you are. Truly Wife and I have put in a lot of work to rebuild ourselves. There is no way we could have done what we did today even a year ago. I don't know how long it will last before something comes to take us out. But we fully intend to take advantage of this window of opportunity while it lasts.
A myriad of pictures will be coming (but, sadly, without a single architectural scaffolding 🙁)
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