‘ And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas: and God saw that it was good.’
Genesis 1: 10
We once again, as in 2023, travelled with friends who we mostly knew from our Sabbath walking group. Our trip was well planned and booked in January/ February for this October.
In this post, I will refer to our time spent in Turkiye in October 2023.
Our closest town was Side.
Side 2024 is now benefitting financially from the ancient streets as well as the museum. Excavations continue in this ancient town, still open to shoppers enjoying the modern town with many visible ruins.
I was fascinated by the removal of wheelbarrows of red sand and then asked rather hesitantly: ” Is this the first time you are seeing this floor?”
A clever reply came back: ” It is the first time I am seeing it.”
I stood quietly and enjoyed the moment. Press on Turkiye to see my 2023 post on Side showing some of the excavations.
For the most part, we stayed close to the sea, sand, and date palms often under a blue sky of 33 ‘C. No rain at all.
The sea was deeply mottled in warm salty water and cold, fresh water as we swam near the mouth of the Evrenseri river.
The river is home to turtles. I saw one large, two medium and a young one. Their pointed snouts, then bulging, beed- like black eyes followed by a long neck and what seemed to be a smooth shell, attracted all of us looking into green waters filled with small fish circling around lumps of bread.
There was a fisherman who said:
” The water is Kaput.”
What he really meant was that the water was so clear that his hook couldn’t deceive the fish.
No bite, no fish for lunch.
I was right inside with water over my shoulders and a wide brimmed hat, much like a turtle with eyes just above the surface.
A sea churned up with sand
or
A sea so clear as to see the fins on a small fish
Our Earth,
our Mediterranean sea.
My attempt to capture a moment of colour.
The sky and sea were filled with the fun of water sports, and us, people. We, time sculptured, and food moulded walked and lay in and out of the sun. A 2024 sample of humanity, mostly exposed , proud, and happy to be that way.
The date palms.
The crown of the tree can grow from 6m to 10m.
These were mature, well established, and healthy.
Some facts:
The trees are separate male and female. Archaeological evidence of their cultivation in Arabia is from the 6th millennium BC. They are symbolic in Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religions.
They grow singly or in clumps.
Slow growing they can reach 100ft / 30m tall and when treated well, 100 years old.
The fruit is oval- cylindrical and dark brown to bright red in colour.
There are 12-19 species of date palm worldwide.
I took the liberty to look higher than lower and enjoy their texture by painting while I was there.
I wrote more for our 2023 visit in my posts: Turkiye 2, Turkiye 3,Turkiye 4, Turkiye 5.
I guess this will go in my memories section and be remembered as a good time with friends.
Thank you to Turkiye, a place of fine contrasts, and thank you to you for sharing this simple view of a few days in the sun. It is raining , has been raining, and will rain more this week here.
Sandy 🙂
Ps
” With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take,you’re connected to the sea.” Sylvia Earle ( born 1935 American marine biologist and oceanographer. Press on her name to hear her speak.)
Glad to see you back and glad you had a good time. It sure looks interesting!
Thank you Shelly.