Since I got a good night sleep last night and didn’t want to miss the turquoise coast, I decided to go with my mom, Cathy and Brian on a cruise. We got down there just before 9 and saw a boat pulling out. We figured we missed our chance.The marina was just gorgeous with all the boats. Instead we talked to a few people and learned that they don’t typically leave until 11am. We didn’t want to wait that long, so when they suggested a private tour, just the four of us, we took them up on it. We had our own boat for a two hour cruise. It was beautiful. As we exited the marina into the Mediterranean and headed east along the coast you could see the Tahtalidag mountains. The captain took us along the Anatalyan cliffs that were lined with hotels and what we think are high rise condos. We saw a number of people swimming, but they must have walked a long way down to get to the water. there were caves, or in Italian grottos, and a beautiful Duden waterfall.

After we returned, we walked through the streets, up the hill, past bunch of shops to the town’s famous minaret and clock tower. This beautiful landmark is part of a 2nd century AD building that was originally a temple. In the Byzantine period, the structure became a church. Later still, in the Ottoman period, the Kesik Minare became a mosque. This is when the minaret was added. Despite suffering damage in an earthquake, the minaret retains much of its original beauty.

The special atmosphere of the narrow thoroughfares and antique buildings of the old town is quite unique. The restored hotels, restaurants, bars and shops, are a unique mixture of modernity and antiquity.

We ate lunch in the square. I decided to walk back to the hotel, and see if I could find a place to swim. The three of them went to the Archeological Museum. On my way back, I got a little lost, but asked a few people and was fine. I found a music store and bought two CDs. Mom said the museum was excellent and included many statues from Perga, where we were yesterday. This museum is one of Turkey’s largest and has a beautiful statue collection – Zeus, Hermes, Apollo, and others. There were complete statues, some with heads missing, some heads with bodies missing, and many huge sarcophagus.

After they returned from the museum, Cathy and I went to a hamam, that was just a few blocks away from our hotel. The Balik Pazari Hamami is 700 years old and quite beautiful. Let’s just say Cathy and I are much closer than we were before the bath. After undressing we wrapped ourselves in a turkish towell and went into the bath, which had all marble floors, marble sinks and a huge marble slab that you lay on. The first step was to sit down, and the woman ripped the towel off Cathy, and placed it out of reach. I took mine off voluntarily. Then we rinsed ourselves with warm water from the sink using a bowl. Then a small older Turkish woman in a bathing suit painted our faces with a mud mask. We relaxed in the steam room, loosening up for about 20 minutes. The domed ceiling was all marble and the only light in the room came from holes in the ceiling. We had the giggles because the older woman didn’t speak any English, so trying to understand what she wanted us to do was challenging. Next we moved into another room, the one with the marble slab, probable 12-15 feet long. You lay on the slab and the woman uses a loofa mitt to remove all the dead skin. Then you rinse again, and then you get back on the slab to be soaped up. She used a thin towel, the size of a king size pillow, with two bars of soap at the bottom. Somehow she fluffs the towel making it fill up with bubbles. Then pushes the bubbles onto you so there is a six inch pile of bubbled. Next she gives you a massages and soaps you up. Then you rinse everything off, wrap up in a towel, and go back into the changing room to cool off. It was an amazing experience and i would do it again. All together including a tip and rose scented lotion it was 50 lira or 25ish US dollars.