Transportation around Turkey was a lot more difficult than we had expected. We were mostly left with either really long buses that only ran once a week, pretty expensive flights given the distance, or renting a car. We had originally planned to take a bus from Cappadocia to Kalkan, but this trip was going to take about 17 hours overnight on a basic (minimal reclining seats) bus. At the last minute, we decided to rent a car. Getting the car itself was an experience as the agency tried to tell us that had no cars left even though our trip was confirmed (this felt straight out of a Seinfeld episode). When we finally got the car they were magically able to procure, it was actually a bit cheaper than the online price we had been quoted. It was also, fortunately, an automatic as Kelsey hasn't driven a manual car in likely a decade; this detail was unclear until we got into the car. Driving in Turkey was quite easy, but we did have about a 30-minute nightmare where the brand new highway through the highest part of the mountain pass turned into a dirt road/active construction project. There were a good amount of other cars using the road, so it was definitely intended. We treated ourselves with McDonald's after surviving that stretch.


The Turkish Mediterranean was absolutely everything we had dreamed of spending an August in Europe. Our apartment had an amazing view, a well-stocked kitchen, and was a few minutes walk from everything we needed. We spent our days reading, catching up on a bit of "work" things, making meals, and going to the beach/beach clubs. Kalkan had great grocery stores, produce shops, and butchers which made it fun, cheap, & easy to eat well for our nearly 2 weeks. The town of Kalkan, unbeknownst to us until arrival, is a very popular British destination. It made for a comical combination of sounds as British accents echoed through the town mixed in with the [what's the name] mosque calls every few hours. Our favorite part outside of chilling on our balcony was definitely the very affordable beach clubs. They cost about $6 for the more basic and $9 for the high-end locations; we loved these so much as they included chairs, umbrellas, waiter service, and stairs straight into the warm ocean, no sand necessary. We also got a wedding anniversary upgrade at one of the higher-end ones & got a cabana for free. This was likely our favorite destination yet & we would love to vacation in the region frequently in the future.


Reading:

  • Kyle: From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman
  • Kelsey: The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk

Listening To: