TURKEY TRAVEL UPDATE: Saying goodbye to Olympos
“…pretty soon I’ll be going back to civilization. Whatever that means.”
- Your Vagabond, talking about leaving Olympos, Turkey for new shores… in 2 days!
My time in Olympos is coming to a close.
This lump in my throat is unexpected but clear. I just booked a cruise up the Anatolian Coast. It’s official. Two months in Olympos and it’s time to ready myself to glide off to new waters, new friendships, new whatever.
The sun has returned in full force after last week’s insane hail storm - a signal that a change is coming. The beach couldn’t wait, so I’m actually writing this from the stoney shore of Olympos’ beach.
The first thing I did before arriving here, after passing the ruins of tombs, temples, and monumental gates, was jump in the sea. My head bobbing above the salty see-though waters, I could see a group of Turkish schoolkids in the distance taking their swimming lessons for the summer; and as my head came up for breath, that familiar view lay before me: the monumental mountain range, with castles on either side of the river, spliting the valley in two. It’s unreal, like a backdrop for a silent film with the sound of the sea its only score.
I swam back to the shore, eyes open underwater, undisturbed, watching my feet propel me forward. I lay now on the stones that form this part of the Anatolian coastline, and my body’s contours conform to the smooth stones beneath me. I taste the salt on my skin, look around and see Mt. Olympos in the distance. Its peak is smothered by cumulus clouds, as usual; adjusting my eyes focus, I gaze at the ancient seaside fortified structures, now in remarkably intact ruin built into the seacliffs just a few paces from where I now lay.
Then I see the bigger picture. This is no dream fulfilled, now is it some “fantasy land”, or some opposing state to something called “the real world” - this is reality. This is Olympos, Turkey.
Til next time…