16. Alanya, Turkey

Late yesterday (Monday), we sailed past Sicily and Crete. While we were not close enough for good pictures, we were able to see both islands from the deck of our ship. It was significant to me that we were sailing on the very same body of water that the Apostle Paul sailed on as he journeyed to Rome. The years between just seem to melt away as I realized that the horizon I looked upon was the same view that he saw from the deck of his ancient, much smaller vessel, as he sailed these same waters 2000 years ago. The significance for me is not lost on the awareness that we are approaching the land of Israel, where surely at least some of the sights we will see were essentially the same that the persons of the Biblical record also looked upon. Today, Tuesday, we landed in Alanya, Turkey. It is an old city, with a Red Tower fortress adjacent to the harbor, and a larger castle atop the hill behind the harbor. City walls, in the turreted medieval style, creep along the shoreline and then climb up the hillside to the castle. It makes for a most picturesque scene from the cruise ship, which is the only big ship in the harbor today. Several motorcraft and medium sized sailing vessels make the marina appear quite crowded, and doubtless many of those boats will be utilized for the various excursions offered by NCL while we are in port. We have chosen not to book any of the shore tours, except the two days we are in Israel, so today we just walked ashore and spent our free day in and around the pier which extends from the middle shoreline of the city. The shops are reminiscent of some of the market areas we remember from Cairo. Lots of hanging goods outside of the storefronts, with many goods spread out on the floor inside the shops. But the traffic is much lighter, with most vehicles reflecting a late model appearance, while the buses are ultra modern. It was apparent that a ship was in port, since much of the foot traffic appeared to be passengers from the cruise ship, as compared with the Middle Eastern appearance of the merchants and locals. The restaurant we found that offered internet service was very modern, and the staff most friendly. I enjoyed a coffee while checking our email and updating this travel blog. The Muslim call to prayer sounded out at the appointed intervals, and could be heard all over the area, although I saw no one cease their current activities to engage in the kneeling and prayer that we so often saw in Egypt. Perhaps the devout found other more private places for their prayers. We bought several large bottles of water before returning to the ship to enjoy our lunch while the computer battery was recharged in our cabin. Then we returned for a second visit to the city to upload some pictures and get a few more water bottles (5 liters = $1 US). With the ship charging $5 per liter, we think we found a real bargain! Our last treat in Turkey was a cone of gelato (chocolate ice cream) that we enjoyed just before passing through the security check point at the pier. Umm, umm, good! The sunset sailaway gave us the opportunity for some beautiful photographs of the castle on the hilltop, the harbor tower and the old city walls, all of which were lighted for full photographic effect as the night surrounded us. Alanya is a beautiful city at night.