Discovering Turkey and Georgia

After a richTurkish breakfast it was time to finally start cycling! On the way out of Antalya, I found the last missing items to survive: a gas cartridge for my camping stove and a valve adapter to inflate my tyres. I headed eastward along the coast. The coast here is called the Turkish Riviera or Turquoise Coast . Tourism and its offshoots account for 40% of the provincial GDP. And that is visible. Resorts, hotels, entertainment parks, cafes, restaurants, shopping malls, outlet centers, amusement parks.... The amount and density is one thing, their style another. It felt like cycling kilometers along 1001 Night, Venice and other impressive palatial styles. All of it imitation, full of gaudiness and kitsch. In terms of marketing, the replicas of palaces and famous places work. These concepts attract millions of people's curiosity and interest!   A few examples of the names: Titanic Mardan Palace. Topkapi Palace, right next to the Kremlin P...

The typical Turkish vernacular house has two or three stories. The ground floor is masonry or wooden pillared, the upper floors are wooden structures. Often they have a cumba , a projecting window from the upper stories. The purpose of the cumba was catching wind for passive cooling. And giving those staying indoors the opportunity to observe the streets, without being seen by passers-by. The old city of Antalya has many of these old houses and most have been well preserved. The small alleys cozily nestle many places to eat and drink. It's cozy here and not crowded.   Only few buildings are not yet renovated.... And then there is the Mediterranean Sea with the Taurus Mountains...