Letters from Cyprus: The Turquoise Coast in Turkey

Angus in flight

After a long hot summer in Cyprus, we headed off two weeks ago for a family break in Turkey. We took a 40 minute flight to the city of Antalya, which is on the South Western coast of Turkey. The first thing that struck us upon arriving in Antalya was the beautiful coastline flanked by spectacular mountains. There are several 3000m+ peaks in close proximity to the coast. With this dramatic backdrop, Antalya is a bustling commercial and tourist city with a population of around 1million people. It has a lovely fortified old city around an ancient harbour, with an abundance of all the normal markets, bazaars and restaurants that you expect to find in Turkey, along with a healthy dose of driving chaos!

After a few days in Antalya, we headed 200km west along a spectacular coastal road to our main holiday destination in Kas. Kas is a small town of around 5000 people, and is a popular diving and yachting location. It sits adjacent to an archipelago of islands that form part of the Turkish Riviera or Turquoise Coast. The water is crystal clear, and there is much history around the town as it lies on the Lycean Way which is an ancient trade and travelling route that passes through this part of Turkey. We stayed in a great villa perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, and the kids spend most of their time in the pool watching the boats sail past or jumping off rocks into the sea. We also spent a few days sailing around the islands which was both relaxing and also a good way to see the area as the weather was very hot.

Interestingly just off the coast near Kas lies the Greek Island of Meis which you can visit easily by ferry, so long as you have your passport. Greek influence is quite apparent in this part of Turkey, and there is a long history of conflict and population exchange between Greece and Turkey. This history helps to better inform our understanding of the longstanding impasse between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus. As a family we enjoyed the change of being immersed in Turkish culture. English is not commonly spoken in this part of Turkey, but people were friendly and accommodating.

Turkey is a social and cultural phenomenon. With a population of more than 80 million people, it is its own entity, and you have to look hard to find evidence of external cultural influences shaping the social and cultural fabric of the country. Perhaps there is some Arabic influence in parts, but on the whole it would seem that Turkey is predominantly shaped by..... Turkey! On the radio stations I don't think we heard a word of English or English song during the whole time we were there.

Crowds gather in Kas with lighted torches to celebrate

Victory Day. Note the picture of Attaturk beside the flag.

Whilst we were in Kas, the Turks celebrated Victory Day which commemorates the famous Turkish leader Kemal Attaturk, along with various military victories. It was quite to sight to see thousands of people marching into the centre of the town to dance, sing and pay homage to Attaturk and their country. Statues and pictures of Attaturk are literally everywhere, and I saw a number of males sporting smart looking Attaturk tattoos. Even our hire car had a somewhat haunting picture of Attaturk on the rear windscreen.

On a final note, it was both sobering and surreal in Kas to look out at the Mediterranean each day from the relative comfort and opulence of our pool, knowing that in that same ocean and just a few hundred kilometres away, the drums of war are beating louder as the US and Russia mobilise their warships as regional tensions increase around Syria. May God have mercy on us all.

All up we had a lovely restful break, and have now returned to Cyprus ready to commence what promises to be a busy work and school year.