We continue along the coast and make a detour to the small tourist village of Çıralı on the coast. Here we take a short walk along the beach to the ruins of the ancient city of Olympos. The next morning, we want to go on a hike to Mount Chimaera, where burning gases have been erupting from rock spars for many centuries as a result of a rare geological phenomenon. There is a theory that there was a place of worship for Hephaestus here and that the legend of the three-headed chimera also originated here. Unfortunately, the weather is currently getting worse and worse and we really don’t feel like hiking in the rain.
So we drive on to Antalya. Surprising is the word I associate with this city. Because I actually thought Antalya was just the eternal beaches of the Turkish Riviera and one hotel agglomerate after another. In fact, however, Antalya’s old town, Kaleiçi, may be touristy, but it is actually really pretty with its winding alleyways paved with light-colored marble. As the bad weather is now at its peak and in the first night is turning into a full-blown storm, we treat ourselves to a hotel room and are happy to spend two quiet days here, strolling through the little streets and simply enjoying some comfort.