Our first morning in Turkey we got up and ate a lovely Turkish breakfast, consisting of honeycomb, several types of homemade jams and marmalades, several different types of breads, cheeses, and of course, tea. It was delicious!
Then we changed and went to one of the beaches near the Yensel’s house. There are several beaches nearby, but the one we chose to go to was the rocky beach, which was more private. It was a block away from their summer home, and was made of flat white rocks overlooking the sea that you could dive off of to get in the water. The water was clear for miles (and really salty!) and there was barely any sea life to be seen. There were a few sea urchins and a couple tiny fish, but that was about it!
We spent a few hours tanning in the sun, swimming in the sea, and Suzy and I even attempted to learn to dive. It was a scary experience. It was definitely very hot, but the water felt cool so we wanted to stay all day! While we were at the beach the four of us kept looking at each other saying, we can’t believe we are actually here! What are we doing in Turkey swimming in the Aegean Sea!?
Then we changed and went to one of the beaches near the Yensel’s house. There are several beaches nearby, but the one we chose to go to was the rocky beach, which was more private. It was a block away from their summer home, and was made of flat white rocks overlooking the sea that you could dive off of to get in the water. The water was clear for miles (and really salty!) and there was barely any sea life to be seen. There were a few sea urchins and a couple tiny fish, but that was about it!
We spent a few hours tanning in the sun, swimming in the sea, and Suzy and I even attempted to learn to dive. It was a scary experience. It was definitely very hot, but the water felt cool so we wanted to stay all day! While we were at the beach the four of us kept looking at each other saying, we can’t believe we are actually here! What are we doing in Turkey swimming in the Aegean Sea!?
After the beach we went to the town of Cesme for dinner. Irmak’s dad, Umur, took us to a famous seafood restaurant owned by one of his friends. We sat right on the waters edge, and we tried lots of different kinds of seafood. I was surprised that I liked the oysters, but I wasn’t such a big fan of the octopus, the calamari, or the sea bass. I have never been much of a seafood person anyways, but I’m glad I tried it!
There were a lot of people at dinner, and we had a lot of fun. It was the four of us plus Dave, the four Yensel’s, Irmak’s grandmother and her friend, and Irmak’s cousin and his girlfriend, who is visiting from Poland. There were lots of different languages being spoken at the table, but somehow we all managed to understand each other and we had a great time.
There were a lot of people at dinner, and we had a lot of fun. It was the four of us plus Dave, the four Yensel’s, Irmak’s grandmother and her friend, and Irmak’s cousin and his girlfriend, who is visiting from Poland. There were lots of different languages being spoken at the table, but somehow we all managed to understand each other and we had a great time.
After dinner we went for a walk along the harbor, and saw lots of cool boats. There was one giant yacht, and one of the guys was spearfishing off the back of the boat! There was a whole crowd of people watching him try to catch one.
After our walk we went to another part of downtown Cesme, where we met up with Semo and her husband, Memet, who we had never met before. They also have a summerhouse in Cesme. We got ice cream with them at this really cool place that served the ice cream in slices! After ice cream we were all exhausted, so we headed home to sleep before waking up to go to Ephesus in the morning.
After our walk we went to another part of downtown Cesme, where we met up with Semo and her husband, Memet, who we had never met before. They also have a summerhouse in Cesme. We got ice cream with them at this really cool place that served the ice cream in slices! After ice cream we were all exhausted, so we headed home to sleep before waking up to go to Ephesus in the morning.
Love from Turkey,
Julia Marie
Cesme
The view from the Yensel's summer home
Typical houses in Cesme
Dad and Dave preparing to go to the beach
The Yensel's house
The rocky beach
Irmak, Sukran, and Mom walking back from the beach
Suz and Irmak at dinner
The whole gang at dinner together!
Our family out for a walk in Cesme after dinner
The harbor in Cesme
