Oosterdam European Adventure, Alanya, Turkey...

This is my first time to visit Alanya Turkey. It was a scenic sail into this resort town squeezed between the Gulf of Antalya and by the dark slopes of the Taurus Mountains and greeted by the iconic Red Tower. I was just loving every minute of this fabulous, scenic sail into Alayna.  Once off the ship, I walked around the port area to get some reflection shots before our tour began. We walked across the pier to see the Cleopatra Beach famous because of the legend that Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra is said to have taken a swim there. Once our guide Ali met us at the pier, we left for the ancient ruins in Side…Pronounced 'sea day' and meaning pomegranate.   This former fishing village is fortified with ancient walls and set on a small cape with long, sandy beaches on either side. Side has a well-kept Old Town that is also a National Heritage site. Built in the middle of an ancient Pamphylian city, the sixth century BC, it came under the sovereignty of Pamphylia and the Kingdom of Lydia. The city, which existed under the authority of Alexander the Great for a while, constantly changed hands between the Hellenistic Period kingdoms after Alexander's death. In later periods, the city was ruled under the Pergamon Kingdom, Rome, and the Eastern Roman Empire. We wandered around the cobbled streets to see the well-preserved Amphitheatre and the temples of Apollo and Athena. Returning to Alanya, our first stop was the Damlatas Cave. The cave is a 15,000-year-old natural formation and is one of the mysterious beauties in Alanya located in the very center of the town just below the Alanya Castle. In 1948 when Alanya’s peninsula was being quarried for stone for the harbor, workers stumbled upon a cave brimming with stalagmites and stalactites…Since it was first discovered, the Damlatas Cave has been hailed for its therapeutic effects for people with respiratory issues. Just what the doctor ordered for my recent respiratory issues.  Next, we climbed we climbed by car to the top of the Alanya Castle. This castle covers a significant part of the city’s landscape. It offers stunning views of both the ancient town and the modern beachfront city. The city’s steep peninsula, protected on three sides by the Mediterranean, is topped by a 13th-century castle with 6.5 kilometers of fortified walls. The castle was built in 1221 by the Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat, who captured the city and had it rebuilt. There are 83 towers and 140 bastions in the castle. Nearly 400 cisterns were built to meet the water requirement of the city, which was located inside the walls in the Middle Ages. Some of the cisterns are still used today. The castle was built on the remains of ancient fortifications, from the Byzantine and Roman periods. We explored the Inner Castle, an open-air museum at the summit of the peninsula. The views of the city and the harbor were stunning from this vantage point. After descending from the Alanya Castle, we went to the Red Tower located in the heart of the historical center of the city. Alanya’s emblem is the 13th-century Seljuk defensive tower, getting its name from the red brick. This rare piece of Medieval defensive architecture was constructed to protect Alanya’s harbor and shipyard and greeted people’s arrival to the city for many centuries. We had a very knowledgeable guide and beautiful weather…It was another great day!