Museum and Mosques and Bazaar

Today we went separate ways, as Sky and Bonnie went off to a large, sandy beach which was a 45 minute bus ride from where we are staying.  I did not really want to bake in the Mediterranean sun on a 90+ degree day, so  I chose to go visit the Antalya Museum, which is a phenomenal archeological museum, with a truly impressive collection of artifacts from the Stone and Bronze Ages through the Hellenistic and Roman periods and Byzantium, as well as collections from the Ottomon Empire in the 17-18th centuries.  They have prehistoric artifacts recovered from many archeological digs that have been done in the Antalya region over the past 30 years, which includes a real wealth of statues, frescoes, tools, implements, coins, sarcophogi, burial grounds, religious artifacts etc.  There is a Hall of the Gods, with remarkable statues of Greek and Roman gods that are in wonderful condition. The museum is listed in the guide book as a "must see" and I get why, as it contains some stunning material.  I spent nearly three hours in there engrossed in the history and enjoying the air conditioning!  On my way there I wandered through the old city where we are staying visiting a couple of old, but still active, mosques on my way out.  This part of the old city is known for its "fluted minaret" which is unique to Antalya.   As I looked out over the water today I was delighted to see the mountains much more visible than they have been thus far.  There was not as much mist around them so you could actually see them rather than simply see the silhouette of them.  They are quite stunning to look at and, alas, my camera does not begin to capture how impressive they are as you look toward the horizon.

I walked to the museum which is a couple of miles away and walked back stopping at the bazaar which was teeming with people by late afternoon.  I enjoyed a gelato and poked about some of the stalls in the bazaar.  By then I was getting tired and hot so came back and enjoyed my G&T while waiting for the girls to return.  When they got back and got cleaned up we went just down the street to a lovely garden restaurant that had simply delicious food.  Bonnie got duck, with a beef carpaccio appetizer, and I had a goat cheese and broccoli soufle followed by Beef Wellington.  The food was excellent and the atmosphere gorgeous.  At about 8:30 we were serenaded by the call to prayer coming from two mosques nearby, with the restaurant's mood music continuing in the background!  It was quite an array of sounds!  The girls are going to go out later to enjoy the nightlife, while I am enjoying relaxing in the hotel courtyard and reading.  Today's pics include the mountains in the distance, the fluted minaret, a shot of the interior of one of the mosques, the wall of icons from the museum, and Bonnie and I at dinner with shots of our signature dishes!