A week in paradise - part 2

Ok... so you have all requested that I provide more details about my holiday so here goes! :-)

Cirali

The little town of Cirali, nestled between mountains on the Mediterranean coast, has been described as 'Turkey, as our parents saw it.' Relatively untouched by the tourism industry, Cirali has a beautiful fine stoney beach that rarely has many people on it other than locals out to enjoy the sunshine. A lot of our time during this relaxing week was spent lying on the sunchairs provided by the local restaurants and swimming in the Med (bottom pic).

The place we stayed in, 'Canada Hotel,' (top pic) was run by a wonderful Canadian woman called Carrie along with her Turkish husband. When the weather got too hot, we could often be found by the pool, by the bar (pictured) or in the hammocks under the trees.... Heaven! If anybody fancies going to Turkey, definitely go stay in the Canada Hotel. They are wonderfully welcoming and are a favourite with families with young children (they even have a kiddie pool!)


 Olympos
The ancient city of Olympos lies just down the beach from Cirali town. It is not far but feels like quite a trek in the midday sun! It was a relief to get into the shade and have a chance to explore the ancient ruins that are built into the mountainside.
The ruins are 'managed' but they still let you explore them unguided. It was a strange feeling to clamber over stones that were thusands of years old and perch on old walls to have a drink of water. It was quite an amazing site to behold, and I am sad that I did not get a chance to see any of the ruins that are scattered along the coastline. Maybe next time!!




The boat trip
Lastly, I thought I would tell you about the awesome boat trip we went on. It cost us 40 lira each (approximately £12) for a days snorkling around the beautiful bays along the adjacent coastline as well as lunch! Simon and I bought some snorkling gear from the local shop before we went and I am so glad we did because we spent the day snorkling with endangered turtles! I wish I could have taken pictures for you all!! They were amazing. Instead, I thought I would show you a picture of Simon looking cool on a boat (Not quite as cool as a turtle, but he will do :P).

Well that is a whistle stop tour of our week in paradise. I absolutely loved it there and am really tempted to go back again soon!

Until next time...


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