After exploring Antalya, we continued on our Turkey adventure by going Southwest to the sea-side town of Demre to embark on another great experience.
With St. Nicholas in Demre
Demre
We only stopped in Demre for a couple of hours in the afternoon, mainly to grab a hearty lunch in the small town’s centre. After we finished eating our lunch, we walked up the main street towards a central square to check out a seemingly unusual sight: a statue of St. Nicholas (aka my famous namesake Santa Claus).
Why did I find it so unusual? Well, considering that the population of Turkey is over 98% Muslim according to statistics, it seems a little out-of-place to have a statue honouring a Christian Saint.
However, St Nicholas (or average person Nicholas, at the time), was a real person, who happens to be Turkish. Not only that, but he lived most of his life in this small town and was even the bishop of the area’s Orthodox Church.
Kekova Island & Mediterranean Sea
Ok, so we learned an unexpected fact about Father Christmas and had another great lunch, but the reason why we visited Demre was to participate on yet another amazing adventure: cruising the Mediterranean Sea!
Stunning Vistas Over the Mediterranean Sea
Cruising along the Mediterranean was one of the coolest experiences we had in Turkey –I know, I know, I keep saying that about everything… can’t help it! But in all honesty, the cruise was a really cool experience that is going to be one of my top travel memories of all time.
Look How Excited We Are to Be Cruising the Mediterranean!
Our group of 14 (plus our guide) boarded our private boat in Demre and took off into the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean, along with our Captain and a young handsome (but not very friendly) deckhand.
Our Private Boat
Our boat was basic (but not a shack!), consisting of two levels. The bottom level had a long table in the centre and two benches stretching the length of the boat on either side, a fully stocked bar and a bathroom, as well as the captain’s room, and a small outside deck. The second level, which was reached by a staircase on the first level’s deck, was simply a large rooftop open terrace.
Some of Us, Floating in the Mediterranean Sea
During the day, we cruised around the Mediterranean, often without any other boats in sight in any direction. Every so often, our captain set anchor so we could jump into the refreshing sea and swim around its azure waters. When on the boat, we spent time enjoying the sun with cold Efes beers on hand.
Me, Enjoying a Cold Efes Beer in Between Swims in the Mediterranean Sea
Most of our cruising was done around the pretty Kekova Island, a small uninhabited island which has remains of an ancient Byzantine empire-era town crumbling on its hills. Most impressively, we were also able to admire under the sea below us the remains of buildings and pottery from an even older settlement, which sank into the sea during an earthquake back in the 2nd Century AD.
At sunset, we stopped at a pier in the small village of Kaleköy on the mainland and climbed to the top of a hill, which is home to the ancient Simena Castle. The views from above were fantastic, and the remains of the castle itself quite cool!
Simena Castle Above Kaleköy Village
View from Simena Castle at Sunset
As the sun set and night approached, we returned to our boat and set anchor along the coast. Our captain and the handsome-but-not-very-friendly deckhand built a fire on land and barbecued an amazing dinner consisting of fish and chicken, stuffed peppers, rice, and salads. We had our dinner and then sat around the fire, enjoying more drinks and talking for a few hours until the fire burned out.
Everyone Enjoying the Fire at Night
Before going to sleep, we lay on the rooftop terrace of the boat in comfy make-shift beds, and looked at the night sky. Without any artificial light anywhere around us, the sky looked spectacular, pitch black and illuminated by thousands of shinning stars… we stared at the night sky in awe, which was made even more magical with constant shooting stars!
Tom, Jane, Me, Dacia & Ryan Having Drinks by the Fire
We woke up the next morning floating on incredibly still waters for a light breakfast of Turkish tea and fruit. As we ate, we noticed that the spot where we had anchored the boat was home to a family of wild goats, which sheepishly (pun intended) came to say good morning – or “baaaa,” anyways – to us.
One of our Goat Friends Saying Good Morning
Saying goodbye to our goat friends, we sailed off back towards Demre, taking in one more refreshing dip in the sea, and one more long look at the stunning scenery of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
Filed under: •Demre / Kekova Island
