Woolly says – Big changes had been underway with the pub we were living in and that Jo was working in closing, a move back to Dudley on the cards and a new way of life for a mammoth and his carer in a new country….yes Wales is a country….in the middle of nowhere, which sounded idyllic to me. A surprise was in the offing for us all.
Six years ago our wonderful Dave had promised that he would come to Turkey to see what all the fuss was about, various prompts over the years had resulted in a variety of answers from a lack of passport to having to run a pub, all of which could not be ignored. Now with a passport in hand and the pub closing down it seemed like an ideal opportunity to get him onto the plane.
Woolly says – In the cold hours of dawn friend Mark drove us to the airport for the fun to begin, I spent the drive and flight filling Dave in on all things Turkish, my delight in being able to guide someone around my adopted country always fills me with delight and I’m sure he didn’t really fall asleep during my most interesting if slightly extensive guide to Turkey. Arriving back always follows the same routine, climbing down from the transfer I raced across the road and into the Royal where beer and food was quickly acquired along with the warmest of welcomes from the new owners. Our first day sped past as we took our friend out to the delights of the Friday market and breakfast in the sunshine, followed by a lovely catch up with Kath who has embarked on many adventures with us over the years from a gentle walk along the sunny beaches to Camel wrestling (https://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Mediterranean/Alanya/blog-874947.html), Dave seemed to be settling in well.
My small furry friend had the whole trip planned to the last minute so it was no surprize that day 2 took us to the harbour.
Woolly says – With the sun blazing down Dave had still insisted on wearing his woolly hat regardless of the sweat pouring off his brow, we ambled past the boats and their crews who tried to convince us to take a trip and never like to hear the word no!
The latest exhibits from the annual sculpture competition lined the route, the theme appeared to have been music based and I was delighted to find some amazing examples of work although none to rival my favourite polar bear which was completed in the 2010 competition.
A cooling drink and a bite for lunch gave us the energy to wander to the shipyards, one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture, The Tersane, a drydock built by the Seljuk Turks in 1221, measuring 187 feet by 131 feet (57 m by 40 m), it is divided into five vaulted bays with equilateral pointed arches, each bay acts as a small exhibit showing early crane mechanisms, the history of anchors and navigation by the stars. I might have been many many times but the thrill of seeing it each time never leaves me. Dave seemed suitably impressed although getting in and out through the tiny archway seemed far trickier for him that it was for me.
Another cold drink and a wander along to the lighthouse to watch the locals fishing and drinking cay was probably enough for one day, as we sat with our drinks a feeling of contentment seemed to overtake us all.
Woolly says – It had been agreed that we would have a quiet day and with that intention we settled into our seats at the Royal and checked the British papers, as headline after headline appeared it seemed that live was about to change for a number of people as more and more cases of the Covid19 virus had started sweeping the world. Jo had keep me updated on this rather nasty development over the last few weeks which appeared to have remained in China, now the news didn’t read so well as Spain and Italy were going into lockdown and the UK had an increasing number of cases, having checked the local news on our fabulous Alanya ex pat Facebook page it appeared that Turkey was safe and stopping flights from infected countries to protect it’s nation. As the humans relaxed and enjoyed the day, I planned our trip for the morrow and the delights of the castle.
With the sun warming us, our taxi headed upwards along the windy roads of the peninsula. Alanya Castle is located 250 metres (820 ft) high and juts out over the Mediterranean Sea, which protects it from three sides. The surrounding walls are 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) long and includes 140 towers and 400 different cisterns which is an awful lot of water storage by anyone’s standards.
As we entered the main gates, I took up my mantle as tour guide telling Dave about its history. Most of the castle was built in the 13th century under the Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm following the city’s conquest in 1220 by Alaeddin Keykubad I, built on the remnants of earlier Byzantine era and Roman era fortifications. Everywhere we looked were ruins of the bygone age, the small church had been opened up more fully since our last visit and for the first time we were able to access the back and see more of the barracks where soldiers had once slept.
The views from the top however never change with the turquoise sea far below and the mosque balanced on one the of last remaining parts of the peninsula still where it had stood for many years.
Our route downhill took us past homes that were once buried in the undergrowth but now visible for all to see, imagine our surprise when we were greeted by a giant Turkey, enough to feed an army let alone a family at the festive table.
We set off on the pathway down, pointing out towers and the old mosque on route, a building known as the Culture house was open and I could see the delight on the mammoth’s face at being able to show Dave inside.
Woolly says – The Ottoman building gives a wonderful example of how life would have been lived with different rooms used in the summer compared to the winter, each room adorned with beautiful wooden carvings and views across the harbour, the only problem I could see would be carrying your shopping up the steep path and getting the lorry there with my pistachio delivery! A stop at our special place revealed even better views that you can never grow tired of, with Dave starting to flag it seemed like a good point to pause for a drink and a rest break at one of the many bars that follow the pathway.
The girls both departed for the bathroom and appeared delighted with the heart shaped basins in them which seemed to impress them far more than my lecture on the castle.
As we continued downwards our trip managed to get even better having met not one but three tortoises also on their way down, Jo seemed to take forever taking a shot of each one as they played hard to get and kept putting their heads into their shells. Our weary legs led us back to the Royal where news headlines seemed to have got far worse, the UK was now in the grips of the dreaded virus and we considered the fact that this could cause us some issues on returning. With still only 4 cases in Turkey we defiantly felt safe, especially given the size of the country, as we enjoyed our drinks and a meal in one of our favourite restaurants life at least for us felt good.
We arrived at the Royal next day to find it closed along with the other bars in the same area, a slight feeling of dread crept over me. A beach bar which I had only used once or twice over the years was open and as we gained wifi access it appeared that things had become dramatically worse across the world with hundreds of deaths and many thousands of people going into isolation.
Woolly says – We had picked up a message from Kath who we had arranged to meet saying that all the bars round by her were also closed, we alerted her to the fact that we had found somewhere and arranged to stay there until she arrived. Jo continued to read the news giving more and more bad news before piping up with the fact that flights were being cancelled to the UK and that we might be here until at least the middle of April. I failed to see the problem with that but Zoe’s face told a different picture and I knew that her thoughts would have gone straight to her paternal Grandmother and the need to look after her if she was isolated. We discussed the options and as a group decided to settle down until the middle of April where we were if that proved necessary. As Kath arrived, we turned our topics to much lighter tones and sat enjoying the wash of the sea on the beach and each other’s company. The evening however was about to take a turn for the worse.
Having arrived back at the apartment I checked my phone to find a text message from our airline telling us our flights were cancelled and that there would be no more flights out of the country after the weekend. Needing to ascertain more on our situation, Dave and I left Zoe under the mammoth’s care and headed back out to get an internet connection. The news wasn’t good, London to be locked down possibly followed by the rest of the country, cases in Turkey rising by an alarming rate and other countries brought to their knees as the virus seemed to speed up in its intentions to infect everyone and anyone in its path. A decision needed to be made, get back to the UK and face a lock down or stay until the summer where we were with a possible lockdown which might be far harder to deal with if supermarkets closed and we had to obtain food by phone given a low level of spoken Turkish. Dave was happy to stay, Zoe was happy to go with the majority but I knew that in my heart of hearts she didn’t want to stay and would prefer going back so she could contribute to the UK by going back to work at Tesco as well as helping her grandmother out. For me and Woolly it made no difference, we had nowhere to be or needed to be. The simplest option seemed to be checking to see if we could all get on a flight, booking it if we could but accepting that if we didn’t then we were staying for the long haul.
Woolly says – I can’t say I was happy and nor was Dave as Jo pressed the keys on her laptop and booked us onto the last but one direct flight back to Blighty. I decided to sulk whilst Dave just gave her evil eyes. So our last day had arrived it appeared, we headed out for waffles and some shopping showing Dave around the deserted bazar and the very quiet Kedi park (a wonderful park area for stray cats with little houses and food provided on a daily basis), many of the large chain shops were closed and face masks were being warn, every place we visited our hands were doused in a hand sanitizer, we walked along the deserted harbour with not a boat man in sight, life was changing rapidly and I can’t say that I liked it. We had already messaged two of our greatest friends, John and Gwen, to tell them that we were having to leave so my delight knew no bounds as we settled at the Royal for a drink and they appeared. It was lovely to catch up and to introduce Dave who they have heard so much about, although brief, conversation flowed and for a very short time, I was able to ignore the Covid19 situation and just enjoy friends’ company.
The next morning saw our bags packed and ready to start the journey back, who knows what will happen in this ever-changing world with a disease that has no bias in who it affects and the carnage it will leave behind. Stay safe and stay home and keep washing those paws.