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Termessos National Park/Milli Parki breathtaking ruins

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 April 26, 2026   Nestled in mountains Termessos's theater is unforgettable   Breathtaking in more ways than the steep climb up to the site. We arrived at 8:30am and we were 4th car in the lot. When we left at noon, there were too many cars to count and a big bus as well as smaller ones. We headed to the theater figuring it would become the most crowded destination in the complex. We enjoyed it to ourselves for at least 45 minutes. There’s still snow on April 26 in the higher mountains that provide a dramatic backdrop. The views down the valleys are, you guessed it, breathtaking.  I forgot to turn AllTrails at the beginning so I don’t know elevation gain, but downloaded trail says 810ft.  I used my trek poles, it’s a rocky trail.  The theater is in remarkable condition. It doesn't appear to be rebuilt falsely like so many others     Common bugloss or Narrow-leaved lungwort grew in gaps in the stone   From the theater, it was in...

Buying water shoes in Kaş Turkey, enexpected experience with lifelong memories

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 April 28, 2026   On our first trip to the beach in Kaş today, we discovered that it's rocky and we needed water shoes. We intended to go to the big grocery (Carrefour) store that we stopped at on our way to the beach to purchase beach towels. Pleasantly surprised that they were only $2!  Until this moment Turkey has been shockingly expensive. More than we spent for daily living in Avignon France in Fall 2025. So we were walking downtown looking for happy hour (there weren't any) and saw beach shoes at a small shop. We asked the price and as is sometimes the case here, the proprietor provided an hour of interesting hospitality.    the entry was a few steps down      these weren't all of his inside inventory     my shoes, make in Izmir Turkey,  need the lace repaired.    He realized I wanted herbal tea without me explaining   His child on the plate   John went to get more cash than we had. While he was gone, the g...

Car day #2 Konya to Egirdir

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 April 24, 2026 The front desk gave me an gift, this keychain symbolizes nothing. The gentleman said " You need to start from nothing in order to become something.  A foundation of Sufism"   With Claude's guidance we chose 4  stops between Konya to Egirdir for our drive today  1.  Konya Archaeology Museum 2.  Sille (Hagia Eleni Church) 3. Eşrefoğlu Mosque, Beyşehir 4.  Eflatunpınar Hittite Spring Sanctuary  1. After a marvelous breakfast at the Araf Hotel in Konya, we walked ten minutes in the rain to the  Konya Archaeology Museum.  This small museum packs a lot of quality into a small space. " Known for having a strong collection of regional artifacts, particularly from the Neolithic and Roman periods. It is d escribed as a, "calm and well-organized space" that provides a deep dive into local history, making it a worthy stop alongside the more popular Mevlana Museum. " (AI google overview)   Ishtar (Inanna) figurin...