Since we had arrived so late the night before, the morning's itinerary focused on touring the local sights of Konya. Unfortunately, most of the shops closed for the Bayram holiday. A few stalls in the farmer's market were still open for business, though, so I was happy to find interesting subjects to photograph.
We stopped for lunch at a cute rest stop with its very own cave complex. The underground path stretches nearly one mile (so that's two miles back and forth, if you're keeping count). I was definitely ready for my freshly grilled lamb kebab by the time I emerged into the sunlight again.
After lunch, the tour bus continued driving south to the Antalya beachside region. When we stopped for a bathroom break, the tour guide explained that we were driving through a subtropical Mediterranean zone of sorts, even though this thing doesn't actually exist scientifically. And as proof, the roadside vendor was selling bananas!
We arrived at Antalya just before sunset, and I was amazed at how busy and popular this seaside resort is. And I could understand why: it is historical (Hadrian's Wall), charming (winding cobblestone paths), and fun (you can take a ride on a pirate ship, then sunbathe on the beach, and then eat seafood while watching the sunset). Since we had a group dinner waiting for us, our tour guide showed us one half
of the town before taking us to the restaurant. Here he is, showing us the fish option for our entree; here the fish is, grilled on my plate. The basbousa, which is a textured cake soaked in honey, provided the perfectly sweet ending to our travel day.
