End of the vacation blues

Phew has it been difficult to get back in the swing of things! Taking 3 weeks off and getting away from a busy work place and hectic city was a great idea, but also I've been a little grouchier than normal. I am a beach kind of a girl - give me some sun, sea, and a book and I am happy, and finishing the vacation with 5 days of that was wonderful (especially after a busy [but fascinating and beautiful] tour). So coming back to live in a cement apartment, surrounded by other charmless cement apartments without any bougainvillea or clear blue water in sight has been tough to face but I'm slowly getting back into the rhythm of things. My students are helping, when I see them at school they are excited to see me and hear about things, and they politely (and usually correctly!) say they missed me. All is well here, I don't think I missed much and there weren't any big changes, so that's good!

Here are some photos I took while at Sinan's family's house:



Breakfast. I watched Sinan's mom make the borek, the pastries in the middle. They are filled with meat.



This is something to spread on bread at breakfast. It's made up of tomato paste, garlic, crushed walnuts (I'll use peanuts if I make it for my dad), a lot of butter, some mint, parsley, and some spices. It's really good!



Squash and potato pancakes



We also made sarma, the rolled up grape leaves with a rice filling. She also baked some chicken with potatoes and tomatoes and rice with peas and chickpeas. Quite a meal!

After my two days in Antalya, I went to Kas alone, it's a 4 hour bus ride from Antalya. I know a couple of people who had been there who really enjoyed it, it's not too touristy and it's just a small village on the Mediterranean. I'm so happy I choose to go there, it wasn't crowded at all, everyone was really friendly and helpful, and there are tons of little restaurants, cafes, and bars with wonderful views. The only downside is there isn't actually a beach right in Kas, but my hotel had a platform with chairs, umbrellas, and a little bar and a ladder to go swimming in the beautiful, clear sea. If you want a beach, there are some not too far away. The town is beautiful with flowers growing everywhere - I wish I got around to take more pictures but another time!





View from my balcony.



View from in front of the hotel



I went on a really well put together day long boat tour, we visited the sunken ruins of Kekova. There used to be houses there but time and earthquakes destroyed them and a lot of it is underwater. The boat I went on had a little bit of glass on the bottom so we could see some broken amphoras. Unfortunately we aren't allowed to stop or swim but it was still pretty neat nevertheless.



Pretty pretty water