A few days in Göynük/Antalya Part 1

Wednesday 7th to Thursday 8th October 2020:

After a short night of three hours of sleep on a bench in the airport departure area, I sort my luggage. There was still something to consider 🤔. No drinks, electronic devices separately, etc. I leisurely walk to the check-in. A nice lady is already sitting at the Norwegian Airline counter, it's just 6:30 a.m. She hands me the boarding card and asks me to put my luggage on the scales. My backpack weighs 17 kg. The little one probably added another 5 kg, that's the luggage I'll have to transport in the future. Let's see how this works 🤭.

So now everything is safe with my flight🙏. Soon I will get off in Antalya at 30 degrees...what a joy it is now😇. I stroll through the duty free shops and try to spend the last Norwegian kroner change. And there is nothing better than chocolate 🙃😋.

There is still a long line waiting for me at passport control. The nice officer asks me: "And have you ever had trouble here with the police?" Oh! Yes of course... I briefly tell him the story of how they sent me back on the ferry in Oslo. Because of Covid 19 I was not allowed to enter Norway at the beginning of July. We both laugh and he wishes me a good trip. It is interesting that we are registered everywhere😳.

In Antalya I can get through the border control without any problems. Again, I have to wear a mask throughout the airport area. Even on the street this is desired in this country🙊.

So now I'm in Turkey. A blond woman traveling alone. I'm curious what awaits me 😇.

Not knowing what prices are usual here in the country, I'm just a little overwhelmed 🙉. I'm on the phone with a dear friend in Germany about an offer I got from a driver here. He would drive me to Göynük for 35 euros. The place is about 40 km away. My friend has already reserved a room for me there for 100 TL (10 euros) per night. She advises me to accept the driver's offer. Later I should learn that I can take the bus from Antalya bus station for 9 TL, which is about 90 cents. Since I no longer generate any income, it is always important to me to spend as little money as possible. I decide to take it into my own hands from now on to find out prices and opportunities in a "new" country.

My hotel is right on the main street. I have to get used to the noise first 🙉. My first thought: "I won't stay here long🤔"

The next day I make plans on how and where to continue the journey. My new plan is as follows: I want to travel west along the coast to Izmir by mid-November. I would like to walk part of the famous Lycian long-distance trail.

https://www.bergzeit.de/magazin/lykischer-weg-wandern-trekking-tuerkei

A bus ride from Antalya to Izmir costs 100 TL (10 Euros), so it shouldn't be difficult to take the bus for some sections of the route.

The groceries in the supermarket are also very cheap here. I pay 10 to 20 cents for a liter of water. I can get a dish in the restaurant for about 3 euros. I don't eat out in restaurants, only in the mornings I visit Mustapha's little coffee shop just around the corner. The coffee belongs to his uncle. Mustapha is 22 years old and thanks to Google translator we can understand each other. Hardly anyone speaks English here. So now I'm learning Turkish😇. Merhaba... Nasilsin?🤗 I don't really like the Turkish coffee, but I really enjoy the chaitee, as they call it here. Thank God I like it, because I can't count the countless glasses of tea I've been invited to here for a long time. I am so impressed by the hospitality that is shown to me here. This can certainly be explained by the fact that German women are very popular with the Turks, especially the male ones😇. There are very many Russian residents here who have married into Turkish families. It seems to me that the Turks are not very happy about this. There are also almost exclusively Russian tourists here, so that I am mostly addressed in Russian. When I say "Alleman" the Turkish people start to smile and are extremely accommodating. They tell me that unfortunately hardly any German guests have come here this year.

I can now understand it even better if they are happy about a German visitor😅