Antalya, Turkey

Avery was out of school last week for fall break. So, we headed to the Mediterranean coast for a week of sun before a cold English winter. We stayed at an all inclusive resort called Susesi. It was an amazing place; 5 restaurants, tennis courts, spa, golf course, 2 indoor swimming pools, 6 different outdoor pools, bowling alley and arcade, a kids club with pools and a movie cinema, and of course a private beach. Actually it was so nice and inclusive there was no reason to leave the resort grounds if you didn't want to. The staff was very friendly and Zachary was a celebrity! He must have had his cheeks squeezed at least 5 times a day by people we passed while moving about the resort. However, he was not sure about all of the strangers pestering him. Avery attended Kids Club after some persuading by us (she was nervous about going because she did not know anyone there and did not know exactly what they would be doing). However, she had a blast! In fact, she wanted to go back every evening and we had to be sure and complete dinner in time to get here dropped off so she would be on time for the disco. Too funny!! She stayed every night until almost midnight playing with her new friends, getting her face painted, coloring, watching movies... We spent a few days hanging out on the beach and Avery actually has her "Texas Coppertone tan" back after only a couple of days. Zachary was not a big fan of the water at first. The crashing of the waves scared him to death and he cried, but by the time we left he would go into the surf with Bruce and sit on my lap at the edge of the water. He loved playing in the sand with his toy trucks and covering our feet and legs with sand (he had sand in every little crevice if you know what I mean!!). Oh yea, I think the country folk came to town because we had no clue what to do in a Turkish bath, still don't know by the way. We went into one and I think it was simply a hot sauna, but it was strange to see people in their bathing suit actually taking a bath! Maybe we were the oddballs not bathing, not sure.

We were there during an Islam festival which was interesting and the resort celebrated by having 4 nights of concerts by famous Turkish singers. We never went to any of the concerts, but the place was packed out. We also took a tour of the local city attractions. Sites we visited were an ancient Roman city and amphitheatre (our guide said it was the most preserved amphitheatre in the world including the coliseum in Rome; all I could think about was the movie Gladiator), a series of water falls coming out of the mountains, the local mosque, and several other historical sites. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of Turkey. Bruce talked a lot with him about politics, Turkish demographics, history and government, etc.

All in all it was a nice getaway that was very relaxing. When we returned to the UK at 2:00 AM, the temperature was 29 degrees and the roads were already sanded. I guess winter has officially arrived in the UK! Swimsuits went back into the closet and out came the coats, boots, and scarfs!

Playing air hockey with Avery

Outside our hotel window

Zac really keeping an eye on the waves

Ancient Roman Amphitheatre

The Mediterranean Sea