Konya, Antalya, and Patara!

Upon leaving Cappadocia, my friends and I accelerated our travel pace for a few days. We took the bus to Konya for a quick trip, to visit the Shrine of Rumi. Rumi is known for establishing the Sufi order (with its distinctive whirling dervishes) and also his body of poetry. It was really crowded at the shrine, and I sometimes felt like I was being jostled through a sea of tourists.

This blue tiled roof is located over the tomb of Rumi

The gardens surrounding the shrine and tomb were quite charming, and seemed a little bit more Western than some of the other things we saw on our trip

After just a few hours in Konya, we headed back to the bus station to travel to Antalya. We arrived in Antalya fairly late at night, and had an interesting episode trying to communicate with a shuttle bus driver who didn't speak English. Nonetheless, we made it to our hostel. The next morning, Phin stayed at home to rest (she wasn't feeling too well), while Zillah, Ixoj and I went to explore for just an hour or two.

Underneath Hadrian's Gate in Antalya

The water was so clear and warm! We soaked our feet in the water for a few minutes, before going back to our hostel to pick up our suitcases.

After only a few hours in Antalya, we headed on another bus to Patara. We had toyed with the idea of visiting the beach in Patara before going to Turkey, but a strong recommendation from a restaurant owner in Cappadocia helped to seal the deal. I'm so glad that we went to Patara, too. This small town is supposed to be the birthplace of Saint Nicholas. The beach is absolutely gorgeous, and it wasn't too crowded. Plus, it was a fun beach to visit because there are a lot of ruins located near the beach, since Patara used to be the capital city of the Lycian League.

The theater dates back to the Hellenistic Period and was used until the 4th century AD

 

On our first night in Patara, we hiked up to the ruins of a Byzantine church and looked at the beach below. Here's a shot of Ixoj looking at the beach. 

We were supposed to stay in Patara for only a day and a half, but we quickly realized that we wanted to spend a little more time here. Plus, because of the bus schedule, we decided it would be better to stay a full day (instead of only staying at the beach for an hour or two). Phin still wasn't feeling well, so she decided to rest in our room. All in all, I think it was a smart move. Phin was feeling much better by the end of that day, and everyone else got to spend more time at the beach.

 

 The Mediterranean! This is one of the most beautiful beaches I have visited.

Our small pension (lodging) had these amazing grape vines growing over the dining area. 

One of my other highlights in Patara was getting to chat with Sam and J online. Although I got to chat with J a few times during my trip, I only got to chat with Sam once. Because of the time difference, he was usually asleep by the time I woke up. I decided to get up extra early one morning, so we could all chat together. It was really nice; by this time I had been gone for about a week and a half, and we really missed each other.