March Getaways

My travels in brief:

Mountains meet the sea in Antalya

Antalya-- Four hours south and located on the Mediterranean Sea. Beautiful city with a beachy vibe. Two of the Fulbright ladies I travelled with ran in the 10K race in the Antalya Marathon. Go them! I'll be heading back here in a few weeks time for one last Fulbright hoorah.

Antalya

Balikesir-- About 6 hours northwest. This St. Paddy's Day celebration was as green and Irish-y as it could be given our circumstances. Our hosts cooked up a feast and fed us green-colored 

simit. What more could a girl ask for?

Hunger Games-- Kara and Mary came to Afyon to see the premier of the Hunger Games with Jaime and me. We read the books and were not disappointed by how bad-ass Katniss Everdeen is. Movie-going may seem like a mundane activity to most, but this was an event for us. Also, super thankful that this film was not dubbed in Turkish!

Akyaka

Mugla-- About 6 hours southwest. Overnight buses are killer, but it's definitely worth it when the Aegean Sea and a few of my favorite Fulbrighters are waiting on the other end. I stayed in Akyaka, a small seaside village just outside of Mugla city-center. Apparently it gets tourist-y in the summer, and I can see why. It reminded me of the Florida Keys a bit because of the architecture and citrus trees.

Akyaka

My days have gathered an uncontrollable momentum that is bringing my return date closer and closer. These weekend getaways are my attempt to wring Turkey dry of its culture and history before I head home, but this task is proving to be impossible.