For the first time on the tour, we were given a free day -- and, unsurprisingly, Antalya was the perfect location to relax. Unfortunately, some folks in our tour group had gotten sick and pounced on Mohamed at breakfast (he was literally putting some eggs on his plate, and paused with tongs mid-air when they approached). I was happy that Mohamed was able to help them, and he is so generous that he was even happier to help. While I was waiting for him, I amused myself by observing the hotel's playful cats.
Our tour guide offered to take us on an optional city
walk (the second half that he didn't cover the night before) and to set
up a harbor boat ride for 25 Euro per person -- so much for a free day,
as we clearly just want direction! I was so bummed when my camera
battery started
to die, as I had checked the night before and was (obviously
erroneously) told that the battery was full. Happily, I was able to get some pictures before it totally ran out of juice.
Remember that pirate ship I told you about? Well, I wasn't joking. The water view of Antalya is great, and you can choose among many models of "pirate" for your vessel.
Our tour guide recommended a classic boat because the pirate ships are essentially loud and obnoxious (he said that they play loud music and sell booze), so off we went for a fantastic view of Antalya from the water.
After the boat ride, we were truly on our own. Mohamed and I decided to visit the Antalya museum, which houses an impressive collection of sculptures and
sarcophagi, among other artifacts. In fact, 5,000 works of art are exhibited, and 25,000-30,000 pieces that cannot be displayed due to space constraints are in storage. I was so hungry from wandering the halls -- it's one of Turkey's largest museums -- that I told Mohamed I had to eat something right now. Across the street from the museum, we found a nice restaurant with a fantastic view of the beach and ordered the mixed grill.
Mohamed wanted to swim in the Mediterranean, so I took a drowsy nap on the pebbly beach. I was very groggy when I woke up, and I begrudgingly walked the 45+ minutes back to the hotel because the tram wasn't at the station and we didn't know the schedule. Mohamed saw how sleepy I was, and insisted that I take a
nap for 30 minutes before dinner -- I had been saying for two days that I wanted sea bass. The next thing I knew, it was 10pm! We decided to just shower and skip dinner. I slept very very well, despite not having my supper.
