Yes, we did! We made it – and Cirali had hardly changed a bit after an absence of three years. We had a great time, despite losing five days of our holiday. It seemed to go past far too fast. Mind you, the Easyjet flight out was very grim, and the flight back was still grim, but just slightly less so. We have already booked our dates for next year, so let’s hope travel might have improved a bit.
So, let’s start with the journey out. Shaun had advised us to pay extra for fast-track through Gatwick Premier security – that was excellent. All fine until we got to the gate. We waited about half an hour extra to board the plane, but then the trouble started – they had no staff to empty the toilets from the plane’s previous journey… so we sat, on the ground, in that plane, for the best part of two hours while we waited for the bog crew to arrive. Then, of course, we had missed our take-off slot…
Anyway, we’ll draw a veil over that. Suffice it to say we didn’t arrive in Cirali until after three in the morning. After that though, perfect as ever. All the same people – Derya and his family, some of the waiters, and the people in the restaurants and shops in the village we have got to know over the years. On our first day, I was a bit struck by the heat, and did wonder briefly if it might be too enervating, but fortunately after that first day, all was well. Philosopher did very well too – obviously his new physical regime made things a bit different for him, but he could swim quite happily etc. Shaun also enjoyed himself – it was annoying that he had much more time than us! However, his work as self-employed lyricist/adaptor/writer never really leaves him alone…
The weather was a tiny bit variable. One afternoon we had a violent thunderstorm. A large and very noisy peacock had befriended us, and came to shelter from the rain on our balcony. Here he is. There was a lovely rainbow after the storm, too.
The birds and animals were still as much in evidence at the Yavuz bungalows as ever…
We three had our usual evening walk up to the ancient ruined city of Olympos. It felt like they had uncovered more since we were there, and there was clear evidence of archaelogical investigation. It is a fascinating, atmospheric place, and as we go in the evening, after it is officially closed for the night, the place is nearly empty. I spent a little while walking through the necropolis area totally on my own. I put my psychic antennae on high alert to pick up any supernatural vibes, but there was nothing, just peace. The tomb of one of the very few identified people, Captain Eudemos, stands at the entrance to the city, by the old harbour. It has a lovely inscription on it – here it is. I have written a poem about the Captain.
- One of the things I like most about Turkey are the ruins. In Gumusluk, we had the ancient city of Myndos – not so much to see, as the modern village had been built right on top of the ancient remains. Then, of course, Bodrum was Halicarnassus… Near us in Cirali as well as Olympos, which is Greek, Roman and early Byzantine, we have Phasaelis, which I have described in previous posts, and, of course, Myra.
On two other nights we went on our walk round the back of the village and past the mosque. Again, very pretty pictures…
Cirali is surrounded by mountains. The most scenic views are towards Mount Olympos, which is about 10 miles away – we have been up it a couple of times on the cable car, and Shaun still maintains that he wants to hang glide off the top. We wait to see that, with considerable expectation…
Not much more to say, really. It is a very easy-going, relaxing place, and of course we have booked again for next year. A big excitement for us will be a move to a different bungalow, Patara instead of Hera. Why? Patara is at the end of the row, so it might be quieter – not that noise is a problem, and the part of the orchard/orange grove/garden round it is more verdant and more private. Battleaxe would totally recommend the Yavuz Bungalows for anyone who would like a quiet, simple, beach-focused holiday – and is no way phobic about birds, dogs, cats etc – they are everywhere. It is not the cheapest place, but we think it is worth it. We ate breakfast and lunch there every day, just lurching in off the beach, dinner there a couple of times, although we enjoy checking out as many of the local eateries as possible, and then we have a final cuppa and a game of scrabble in the restaurant area in the evening.We have Wifi, but no telly of course. The little houses are very simple – each has one large room inside, with a bathroom, a covered terrace/balcony outside with table and chairs, plus two sunbeds and a hammock in the orchard. There is also air-conditioning!
This year we didn’t go out anywhere – no excursions, not even a boat trip…
So, coming back. Well, Easyjet had chartered a plane from some Latvian airline. It was quite old, but fortunately functional, but the leg-room between the rows of seats was the skimpiest I have ever known. Easyjet say you can bring a bag of a certain size to go under the seat in front, but on this plane you could barely force the bag down there, and then there was no room for your feet. Talk about uncomfortable… We were sitting on the plane for a mere hour this time before take-off, circled around Gatwick a few times and then had to wait ages for the luggage… Sigh.
