Salla VartiainenLooking for spring by the Turquoise coast!
Originally posted 24-04-20
Hello friends!
We´ve been eagerly waiting for spring back home, but it´s just refusing to start for some reason.
It´s nothing unusual though, the weather in Stockholm is usually very unpredictable during this time of year and you never know what to wear. One day you find your self sweating like a menopausal woman, while the next you wonder why the hell, you, of all people, were destined to live in some Siberian climate that tries to make you part of the permafrost while you´re innocently waiting for the bus.
So when my mother asked if I wanted to go to Turkey with her, it was really a no-brainer for freezing me.
Houses and a mosque in Cikcilli
Cikcilli and Alanya
Cikcilli is a district of the famous tourist destination Alanya and located near the coast of the so called Turkish riviera. A lot of tourists come to Alanya every year to enjoy sunny vacations and cheap counterfeit clothes from the bazars.
My parents have been spending time here the past 10+ years and they have an apartment here, so naturally, I´ve also been to Alanya several times before.
Alanya is located by the Mediterranean sea
The turkish people and culture
The turkish people are in general very friendly and family oriented. It´s easy to make contact or ask for directions and I find that most people are very helpful and considerate. It might be worth noting, that not everyone speaks English though, but people still tend to try and help you if they can.
Islam is the main religion here and you can hear the callings from the many mosques during prayers time. Other than that (and amulets protecting from the evil eye) religion seems to be a private matter here and I as a secular tourist hardly notice it.
Food here is great imo, and cheap compared to Sweden. Turkey has a crazy inflation at around 68.5% which makes it hard for people to make ends meet here.
Many men here still smoke cigarettes and the majority drives like crazy people, so crossing a road here can be a menace! But besides that I think that Alanya is a very welcoming and safe place.
Taurus mountains reaching for the sky in our backyard
Two ways to fly to Alanya from Stockholm
There is two ways to fly here from Stockholm really. One is to fly to Antalya airport and then take a 2 hour transfer bus to Alanya (it´s good if you pre-book). And the other is to fly to Istanbul (Sabiha Gockcen airport) and take a plane to Gazipaza. From Gazipaza the transfer takes aproximately 1 hour. We chose the later option and arrived here very late last night.
May the weather gods be on our side
This week (end of april) the weathermen have promised temperatures between 23 to 30 degrees celcius, so I´m looking forward to meet the spring on the Turquoise coast!
xoxo/Salla V
Originally posted 24-04-20