Turkish R&R

Turkish R&R

Rest, Recover, Relax...vacation at last!

As I walked down the gangway to board my flight in early June I was actually on the verge of tears. I was so absolutely overwhelmed with the relief of true freedom, at the idea of enjoying my family and friends from afar and celebrating in the union of two very special people.

Over the course of the next week and a half I fulfilled all of my intentions to breath deep, be surrounded by love and happiness, and to enjoy life at its very simplest.


Istanbul welcomed me with open arms as usual. I gathered myself and started off with a day manicuring with my grandmother, lunching with my aunt and grandfather, and topped it off with a perfect reunion of friends and an evening filled with laughter and anticipation of the adventures to come.

The next morning we were off to Cesme.





















Together with friends from Turkey, London, Israel and New York I spent three days exploring the quaint vacation town on Turkey's west coast. One of my favorite areas is Alicati, an energetic neighborhood filled with cafes, restaurants, and boutiques within graciously renovated and picturesque ancient stone homes, stables and structures. Very reminiscent of Santorini, Alicati has a slightly more organic and local feel, particularly as we were there early in the season and it was relatively free of tourists.

















The wedding was held in the Cesme Castle, a broad and statuesque building perched on Cesme's waterfront. The ceremony and celebrations were beautiful and, as with any Turkish wedding, extremely festive. Americans mixing with belly dancers, and Turks doing the twist...the bride and groom managed to create a truly fantastic representation of their respective cultures all within a breathtaking setting.






















The party moved on to Kum Beach, which had just opened its doors for business, and we danced the night away under the stars until, exhausted, we all collapsed into the bus and headed to the hotel to pack for our upcoming yacht adventure...















With a six hour bus ride to recover, the twenty-two seafaring adventurers arrived in Fethiye, another coastal vacation town further south. We were met by the crew of our amazingly well-appointed boats (AC, hot water, six bedrooms with private bathrooms, flatscreens and DVD players, full audio system...), unloaded our bags, took off our shoes and watches and turned off our cellphones, all of which we would entirely forget about for the ensuing week.















Known as the Mavi Yolculuk (Blue Voyage, namely because of the stunning and crystal clear blue waters of the Mediterranean) renting gullets and cruising the coast between small port towns and islands is a very typical Turkish vacation in the summer. Without a doubt one of the most relaxing and reflective trips I've ever taken, I am still reveling in the sense of freedom and tranquility that a weeklong boat voyage allows.




















































A typical day on the boat is spent swimming, sunning, eating, playing cards, exploring small towns and visiting ruins, snorkeling, kayaking, and eating again...with the most difficult decision every day being which bathing suit bottom to wear and whether or not it is time to cool off in the water.






















One of my favorite days started at 5am. When the motors started running my roommate and I grabbed my blanket and hauled ourselves to the top deck to watch the sunrise as we pulled out of our evening spot. After dozing off in the sun, by 7am it was already so strong we had to go below deck before resurfacing to find ourselves in one of the most stunning destinations of the trip: Butterfly Valley.






















The day was spent hiking the valley and discovering its waterfalls, snorkeling, exploring caves, and ended with a spectacular hike on the nearby St. Nicholas Island to watch the sunset.

















After six days unwinding in a similar manner each day, we returned to Fethiye for a fresh seafood feast and ultimately made our way to the airport to return to Istanbul: full, rejuvenated, and already nostalgic.