I don't want to leave.

Here are a few reasons why:

scenic splendor -- this is on the Mediterranean beach at Olympos

here we are in our little lemon grove

ancient old stuff, like this sarcophagus at Olympos

and more ruins -- still at Olympos

these brilliant orange-red poppies everywhere

this woman made us Turkish pancakes for breakfast this morning -- mine was banana, Marc's was lemon and sugar. She had an ingenious rolling-out method, and cooked the pancakes on that large flat surface on the left side of the photo. We didn't see Turkish pancakes in Istanbul or Antalya. The pancake is kind of chewy, like a wrap, but it's used like a crepe. There are both sweet and savory pancakes, and we really enjoyed them. I had a moment with this woman, who had been aware that I was watching her make our food. When she brought Marc's pancake, our eyes met and I smiled at her and gave a little nod that I meant as a thank you. She gave a little nod and put her hand on her chest, which I read as saying she was glad to make them for us. It felt like a moment, and it made me happy.

Turkish pizza, which I LOVED. With an Efes dark, it was a great great meal. In Antalya, the "Turkish pizza" was more like plain old round frozen American pizza, and badly prepared. But this is really Turkish pizza, and it's as far-removed from what we got in Antalya as it could possibly be. The bottom and edges are crispy but they don't shatter. This one had both meat and tomatoes; others have a kind of more finely-chopped meat filling, and others are mainly just cheese.

the scenery -- Marc captured this amazing cloud stuck on the mountain behind our hotel

We had a truly wonderful vacation together -- I am glad we came to Turkey, and I have a lot to write, filling in the spaces, when we get home. We just had such a good time, I'm sorry it's over. There's always another vacation to come......