On the way to Antalya, we rode through the beautiful Taurus mountains. We stopped at an outdoor grill for lunch. After lunch, we saw Aspendos, one of the best preserved Roman theaters anywhere. Luke scrambled to the top and I enjoyed the views from lower down. After that we stopped by the ruins of a Roman aqueduct.

 

Back in the bus, more beautiful views brought us to the coastal town of Antalya. In Antalya, we had a vacation from our vacation. We had an evening and then the whole next day to explore the town. Taylan arranged for us to have a boat ride and Luke took a swim in the warm Mediterranean Sea.

 

In the afternoon some of our new friends had a Turkish bath, but Luke and I went to the Antalya Museum that was filled with archaeological artifacts. We ate our meals within sight of the Sea. We also had a wonderful experience speaking Turkish to a waiter. He didn't speak English and was adept at using gestures to communicate with tourists, but his face lit up every time we used our few Turkish words. We did a tiny bit of shopping and I bought a great pair of green leather shoes and a pillow case for my mother-in-law.