So, as you can see I’ve been busy enjoying summer in Montreal and I’ve sort of neglected this blog.
I can’t promise that I’ll be back here on a regular basis because I like to keep this fun and spontaneous. For now, here are some photos of summer events and happenings that I took part in during the summer.
I had fun and it went by way too fast!
Here is a small playlist featuring the songs that got the most airplay on my iPod this summer
And here’s what I was up to:
Turkey’s Lycian coast is one of the country’s most beautiful regions. Set along the coast of the Meditteranean sea, it’s a pleasure to explore the beautiful beaches, charming seaside towns and breathtaking valleys.
Our first stop was in Antalya, a big city often compared to Nice (France). Set in a lovely mountainous environment, it is a great place to put your bags down for a few days before you set out to explore the rest of the region. The old town, known as Kaleiçi is simply beautiful.
We spent two nights in Antalya, then set off to Olympos, The ride through the beautiful Taurus mountains was exhilarating, with spectacular views all along the way. After a two hour trip (with a bus and a shared taxi) we arrived at the secluded village.
The ruins of Olympos
Olympos is a road lined with pansions, restaurants and bars. Known for its treehouse accomodations and impressive ruins (dating back to the 2nd century), it attracts a young crowd, especially during the busy summer months. Had we been traveling in the months of June or July, I would have considered staying elsewhere (there are tons of great options on the coast), but since we were there early in the season, Olympos seemed like a good place to stay for a few days of R&R.
Lots of comfy cushions to lounge on for hours at the Saban Pansion
I was right. We had a blast and loved staying at Saban Pansion. The sibling hosts Meral, Ali and Mustapha took great care of us, preparing delicious meals every night and going out of their way to help us plan day trips and airport transfers.
The beach at Olympos
Relaxing on a boat, not a bad way to spend a day
A Lycian tomb in the water near Kalekoy
The beautiful village of Kalekoy
A stop along the coast during a long drive to reach our boat
Lunch on the boat
The chimaera are eternal flames that have been burning constantly for thousands of years due to gas emissions that seep out of the mountain.
Rose Valley
Cappadocia is one of Turkey’s most visited regions and with good reason: the whole region’s topography was formed through thousands of years of erosion on the soft stone hills, thus creating unique landscapes that seem like they belong on the moon rather than on this planet.
We spent three full days over there and could easily have filled many more with loads of outdoor activities. Most people that visit Cappadocia take a hot air balloon ride that lifts off at 6AM and takes tourists through the area. We decided to opt out as we prefered to visit the area with our feet firmly planted to the ground. No regrets (though everyone we spoke to that took the balloon ride loved it).
There are so many interesting things to discover while walking through the valleys! We hired an experimented guide who goes by the name of Walking Mehmet. He took us to secluded areas and shared lots of interesting information about the region. The next day we decided to take another guided tour, this time by bus so we could cover longer distances. As things turned out, our good fortune stood by us and we ended up having another private tour with yet another excellent guide named Mehmet (from what we gather, in Turkey Mehmet is as common a name as John is in North America). He took us to many amazing places during that day: among which an underground city, a caldera lake, the breathtaking Ilhara valley and the rock monastery of Selime.
Here are a few photos:
Ihlara Valley
There are many great things about Turkey but one of the biggest highlights is the food. Turkish cuisine is fresh and full of vegetables, spices, perfectly cooked meat and excellent fish. It can be tasty and quite healthy (though people with a sweet tooth and/or an appetite for all things greasy will find many things to their liking).
Every street of Istanbul is lined with dozens of eateries of all kinds,. Knowing this, we worried that we wouldn’t go to the right places during our short time in the city. Not wanting to miss out on any of the good stuff, we decided to book a food tour with Istanbul Eats/ Culinary Backstreets. Best idea ever!
There’s something about New Orleans. The city’s marching to the beat of a different drummer and it’s up to you to catch up to the rhythm and join the parade. Like they say, let the good times roll!
A storytelling home 