On the way to Sanliurfa we first passed Adana on the toll road E90 towards Ceyhan.

After visiting Yilan Kalesi fortress near Ceyhan and some very interesting days in Sanliurfa and Göbekli Tepe, we arrived in Tarsus on the way back towards Alanya.

We leave Adana on road 815 in the direction of Kazan, as our acquaintances in Tarsus told us about some historical buildings and interesting castle complexes on site.

Adana, situated in the middle of the Cukurova Plain, is the fourth largest city of Turkey and the centre of a thriving agricultural area. The city is also known for its textile industry.

In the past weeks we have already reported about the mount Tahtali, near Olympos with its beautiful sandy beach as part of our reports on XC Turkey.

The Theatre of Aspendos was built during the second century AD and is one of the best preserved ancient theatres in the world. It offers seating for up to 20.000 visitors and is well known because of its marvellous acoustics. 

Antalya Airport (IATA: AYT, ICAO: LTAI) is 10 km (6 miles) east of the city center of Antalya, Turkey. The airport is operated in Turkey's primary holiday destination located on the country’s Mediterranean coast. The airport is big and modern, built to accommodate the millions of passengers who come to Turkey's Mediterranean beaches in summer.

If you believe or not, there has been a real Saint Nicholas, to whom we owe so much pre-Christmas entertainment today.

The magnificent place of Düden Waterfall is about 10 kilometers distance to the beaches South East of Antalya away and can easily be reached by dolmus or with a rented car on well prepared asphalt roads.

As part of our two day journey, we took off in Korkuteli direction after Termessos to reach our next target; Gömbe near Uyluk Mountain (elv.3024 m.). Many of the Turks residing along the shore relocate to mountain sides known as “uplands” in order to escape from the summer heat.

Once visiting Antalya, please do not miss to visit to the archaeological museum of Antalya. It is located on the western outskirts, about 2 km from the center and was founded in 1919. If you are close to the old center called Kaleici, you may even use the old Nürnberg tram to get to museum.

According to the Greek Writer Strabon (63 BC-19 AD) Perge was founded by Greek colonists led by Mopsos and Kalchas who came to Pamphylia after the Trojan War around 1200 BC.

Besides the historical structures with Hadrian city gate and the city walls, there are three traditional old trolley´s at work in Antalya. These trains belonged to the former Nuremberg trolley. A line of about 5 kilometers parallel to the coastline was allocated for the traditional Antalya trolleys in 1999.

The Hadrians Gate (Turkish: Üçkapılar = "the three gates") - is a significant landmark of Antalya, the ancient Attaleia, next to the famous harbor in the old town center of Kaleici.

Myra, located in the south-west of Turkey, in the magical landscape of Lycia, was the city where St. Nicholas had worked as a bishop in the fourth century.

Each year between 4th and 6th December, the village of Demre (whose historic name is Myra), well known usually for the quality and the taste of their delicious tomatoes and oranges, faces an invasion of scientists and amateur historians. Then a very special event takes place: The world-famous Santa Claus Symposium.

From Kas, our journey was leading along the coast road D400 in direction to Kumluca and nearly into the center of Finike, when we turned right to the national road 635 towards Elmalı.

And once again, we had arranged to meet with Wolfgang Dorn and his tour group, this time in the small town Yavu near Kas to visit the ancient city Kyaneai in Lycia.

The iconic Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour was a gift from France, in 1886. But, did its inspiration originate almost 2000 years ago, in Turkey? A recent discovery in the remnants of excavation in one of the country’s most important archaeological sites is cause for speculation.

Near the beautiful Taurus Mountains, covered with wild macchia, about 110 miles to the north of Antalya, you will find the still-dreamy, beautiful village of Kaş, situated on a scenic slope. A place to forget all your cares!