Day 01 - Southern Coast: Antalya Harbor, Antalya Museum, Perga

Even with our late arrival last night, some stayed up for the midnight buffet and went for a walk in downtown Antalya, but most opted for showers and bed!

We were all at breakfast by 7am where we were treated to an extensive buffet with traditional Turkish dishes and more traditional fare. They had a lovely herbal detox water that we especially enjoyed! The restaurant overlooked the Mediterranean and had amazing views.

After breakfast we all met in the lobby where we were met by one of the many stray cats that came in from outside! Stray cats and dogs are very common in Turkey, but they are well fed and loved by the people here and are super affectionate with people as a result.

By 8:15 we all headed off on foot through the streets of Antalya. At one stop on our walk, Pastor Ralph made us three, actually four, promises:

You will never read the New Testament the same.
You will walk where the early church walked.
You will leave changed.
Melinda will bring home a cat, lol!
 

The Turkish people have tremendous pride for Mustafa Attaturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. He was known as the Father of the Turks and he created Turkey as a free country instead of a dictatorship. Gokhan told us he is like their version of George Washington. Today was the anniversary of his death so everything stopped at 9 am and there were sirens and cars honking for a few minutes and then they played the Turkish national anthem. There were large banners of Attaturk across the city and even in the lobby of our hotel, as well as a table in memory of him. Gokhan pointed out that there are only two democracies in the Middle East, Turkey and Israel. Of Attaturk, Gokhan said, “We salute a man who created a nation from the ashes of an empire.“

When we reached the rocky shoreline we carefully made our way out onto some large boulders. Sitting on the rocks on the shore of the Mediterranean, Pastor Ralph started to teach about the passion of Paul to live out his faith and spread the gospel. We spoke of the history of Paul’s life and travels, including in Turkey.

And yes, there were maps courtesy of Steve’s iPad! If you know Pastor Ralph, you know he loves his maps!

Sitting in the port that Paul and Barnabas came into was incredibly impactful and we learned about how dangerous their journeys were, especially with the variety of winds and conditions on the Mediterranean Sea.

Getting off the rocks was difficult and Melinda fell and dropped her water bottle. Josh went head first between the rocks to save Melinda’s water bottle and she was like, “It’s okay, I got it at Dollar Tree!” But the water bottle was saved!

Next we spent a lovely morning at the Antalya Museum where we were introduced to the Roman Empire. Not sure if we took more pictures of the relics or of the white peacocks, chickens, and kittens on the patio. We are all easily distracted by cute animals!

Lunch was a quick drive away at a chain called Sedir Restaurant where we chose from spicy beef, sliced beef, or chicken kabobs. We also had tomato salad, pita, lentil soup, and rice. We finished with Turkish tea and baklava. The food was delicious and definitely energized us for our afternoon visit to Perga.

There was a light rain as we walked through the ruins in Perga, a Roman city that is still being excavated. We were overwhelmed by the scope of what we saw…it just kept going! It was incredible to see a sample of the Roman Empire laid out before us.

Then Pastor Ralph taught us that Paul would have been here preaching the gospel. We listened to accounts from Acts about Paul’s experiences and the hardships he went through. We were reminded that our personal agenda is not the agenda…our agenda is to be like Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark and spread the gospel. We can each have a huge impact when it is not about us.

We had some time to explore Perga on our own and a few of us were adventurous and climbed part of the ruins that went up a mountainside to get a full view of the grandeur of what we had seen on the ground.

After Perga we began a two hour drive to our hotel for the night through the gorgeous mountains of Turkey. Many napped on the bus but those who were awake were blown away by the beautiful view, especially coming from flat Florida! Gokhan joked that they imported Austria because it was a wooded mountain on a beautiful lake. Just gorgeous scenery!

Our home for the night is the Ramada in Isparta, a city known for its roses and cherries.  

We had some free time before and after dinner, so some folks opted to visit the downtown and do some shopping while others rested and showered. Dinner was at the hotel and was a lovely salad, more lentil soup, chicken, and rice.  We all sat together and talked and just enjoyed each other’s company. The group had bonded really well in the months planning the trip but we are growing even closer as we share in the amazing experience of this trip!

Thank you for following along on our journey and praying for us! We are having an incredible time here in Turkey!