Turkish secrets

Kaya Köyü, which stood here in abandoned after the great Forced moving in 1923 when the Greeks were forced to leave Turkey and the Turks were driven out of Greece - an ethnic cleansing that affected millions. Usually, they moved forced Greeks moved into the Turks abandoned housing, and vice versa. But this village, named Levissi when it was populated, have been put uninhabited since then. Most houses have no longer any ceiling and church ruin bears traces of the vandals. The fields belonged to the village cultivated by relatives of those who moved here after the Greeks - this grows tobacco, wheat and fruit. Today, visible traces of reconciliation, including arranged a reconciliation festival here for the Greeks and the Turks and the government has blocked plans for the exploitation of land for tourism purposes.

Just beyond Kaya Köyü, in the tourist resort Ovacik, reside in a mountain pass on the way to Ölüdeniz beach town, beginning on Lycian road. A hiking trail that winds all along the mountainous coast, mil for mil, which takes the walker high up in the mountains, to the small coastal villages, unspoiled bays and forests full of ancient remains. Hiking along the trail are the best or our LATE AUTUMN, when the heat is still continuing to do so on land and at sea. But summer is too hot. Instead, be it bus, taxi, for our part. There is regular buses along the coast, sometimes with departures every hour, on other routes more often.

Ölüdeniz is Turkey's most photographed beaches and those who want to can see it from the classic photo angle, straight from the top. Although in recent years been moving the start point to a slightly lower altitude is tandem paragliding from the 2 000 meter high mountain Baba Dagi a powerful experience. But down at her husband among Sunbathing can definitely congestion OVERWORK beauty experience.

Lykien mentioned frequently as one of the allies of Troy in Homer Illiaden. Government formation existed in various forms from 1 200 BC to 300's, when the area became part of Byzantium. There are lots of interesting ancient remains from the Lycian period, where the main cities was Xanthos, Patara, Myra, Pinar, Tlos and Olympia. All are interesting to visit than it is today, Patara and Olympos has the big plus that they also have nice beaches.

Traffic along the coastal road is rather sparse. The road is often a bit up in the mountains, among the pine forest, often glimpsed old Lycian tombs on the mountain sides - powerful, several tonnes of heavy stone sarcophagi that all looted. But sometimes reaches the steep mountains up to the sea and then winds its way up the road on a narrow LEDGE with lovely views. One or other narrow inlet cutting into the mountain where the seasonal rivers meet the sea and there are sometimes small sandy beaches, which sometimes can be reached via steep stairs, sometimes require boat transportation.

The first stop given by the sea on the journey east is Patara. Someone kilometers from the main road lies the small village Gelemis with a bunch of houses, a couple of pleasant hotels and a number of simple restaurants where you are Regulars in the second evening. Best housing is Patara Viewpoint on a ridge with great views. It is run by a Turkish-British couple who adopted what really good unobtrusive service means. In the mornings they run down their guests to the sea with a tractor trailer, on a small road that passes through the partially excavated ancient Patara, in the evenings WE WERE TREATED roast and drinks by the pool. The village is three kilometers from the sea and all the expansion is stopped because of the ancient remains. These, and the numerous sea turtles, has also put an end to all exploitation of one of the Mediterranean's longest beaches, nearly two mil long because beach where the waves roll in.

A day with congestion is perhaps 300 people in a two hundred meter area with sun loungers and a maximum one hundred sun to spreading out along the rest of the beach which ends in the mighty dunes. Some of those who walk farthest from the sunbed area taking the chance to nude bath - a rarity in Turkey.

Patara was famous in antiquity for its Apollo-oracle, which attracted long-distance travelers, and was an important venue. But the fine harbor was useless in the sand dunes move and the city was abandoned in the end. Today it is only partially dug up, the port is a swamp with rich bird life and it is exciting to explore. Usually it is the only visitor. Here are the parade streets, portals, palaces, a Byzantine church and a fine Greek theater surrounded by melon fields.

A little over a mil east of Patara lies Kalkan, for 15 years ago a small village shaped as an amphitheater, recently discovered by tourists. Before then, the 70 - and 80-century, the corners where the left intellectuals Turks withdrew from persecution. Today they would not recognize themselves. Hills, as before, at most, looked a little grazing goats, are covered with densely packed summer. Many British people own or rent a home here and down at the beautiful harbor is a bunch of good restaurants, where wine flows evening. From Kalkan add many beautiful wooden boats out each morning, with the tourists on board which may be a pleasant day at sea with swimming, snorkeling, sun and good food. There are also week-long gületturer along the coast from Fethiye, Kas and Antalya. During one week bad luck, it is not the journey that is important but the boats anchor in a new beautiful bay each day - one of the most soothing thing to do on a vacation.

The Lycian coast, with its many islands, is also Turkey's best diving. Kalkan and the small town of Kaş
, opposite the Greek island of Kastellorizo, which became world famous after the Italian film Mediterraneo, the largest number off diving companys.

Sure can find a lot of tourists to the small village Simen, east of Kaş
. A castle ruin crowning of course the little hill to climb in the village, the village is sometimes called for Kale, which means castle. But the road to Simen is poor. This can not coach well, but visitors come by boat. So when the late afternoon sun can heat to ease slightly and tourists continued elsewhere to return life to the old standard. Old ladys and uncles gather wild oregano that grows everywhere here and they then sell for peanuts to visitors. Stay at any of the pension departments do not like anything at all, more than enjoy the tranquility and views over Kekova island, with its mysterious sunken city, which will be seen clearly when crossing by boat.

A little further east lies Demre, a boring small farming town, where almost the whole of the valley covered by dirty white greenhouse plastic. But an hour is the host city. In what is now a suburb lies the ruins of the ancient city of Myra. The chamber has been refurbished and is impressive, as well as clips tombs, which look like facades to small palaces INTERMIXED in the rock.

I was Myra St. Nicholaus, a model for the land, the Bishop of 300's and now make pilgrimages especially Russian tourists here to see his church and to buy odd empty souvenirs in the middle of the summer.

The twin centers Olympos and Cirali, one-hour further east, are tough competitors to Patara to be the Lycian coast's best beaches. Olympos infringement in a narrow valley by the sea, the ancient ruins and a bunch of unique tree hotel, where mainly young backpack tourists happy in their simple cabins, where nothing you undertake and remain confidential for the neighbor on the branch next.

Cirali is located at the other end of several kilometers long beach covered by the beautiful sea-milled grit in hundreds of color changes. An impressive green sugar peak rises at one end and over 3 000 meters high mountains, with have snow well into the summer, forming a fund. Here are a number of small guesthouses and restaurants in the lush greenery. But all the expansion has now been stopped by the archaeological authorities. For more than walking distance (car or taxi is preferable) you can find one of the Mediterranean's most remarkable sights, chimaera, a series of mysterious big flame coming straight out of the mountain. Extinguishes a lit it again soon, or so beats new flames up another crack. Already in antiquity was the eternal fires known and it was thought that the mountain hid a fire breathing monster.

Apart from partying in the cabins is restored calm, the sea and friendly the local which is the large cash balance at the Olympos and Cirali.

From Cirali is two hours by bus to Antalya. But we make a detour up in the coastal mountains before we reach the city. Our journey began in a ruined city of some lunda modern date. Now we stop at another, but from ancient times. Termessos are among the most powerful ancient remains in Turkey. In particular, to the city built on a spectacular and inaccessible location - at the top of the top of a steep mountain over one thousand meters above sea level. Even today must walk a long distance up the steep paths before reaching the ruins, a sweaty tour well worth it. In the city street conceal cisterns where rainwater was stored and large parts of the massive city wall stands to this day. Termessos was even able to Alexander the Great's mighty army, which attacked the 333 years before Christ. But what helped the defense against the forces of nature - after a major earthquake were abandoned city on the 200-century. As we rest the legs in the gallery to the well-amphitheater, we glimpsed far down there in diset a lot dirty white high-rises as part of the fast-growing big city Antalya western suburbs - time for the 2000-voice again.

Source: GP's report (2009-04-22) "Turkey's best secrets" - Lycian coast, which stretches between Fethiye in the west and Antalya in the east.
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