Thursday, June 27, 2013

This week, temperatures in Warsaw have hovered between 16-20 C (60-68 F), which is not exactly the kind of summer weather I had in mind.

So once again, I find myself dreaming of the summers we spent on our Turkey trips. I long to swim in the warm, turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea or the Mediterranean Sea.

I realize there are so many destinations we never experienced in Turkey, and I’m just torturing myself with my daydreams. We don’t have any beach trips planned this year, but we will be spending four days in Italy next month with my visiting in-laws. I cannot wait!

In the meantime, here are 5 Summer Spots in Turkey I Wish I Were Right Now:

1. Of course, one of our all-time favorite Turkish destinations is the lovely wine island of Bozcaada. I can’t really add much more info than what I already covered in my Top 10 Things to Do in Bozcaada. Just go!
Sunset in Bozcaada at Polente Feneri (Lighthouse) on the western side of the island.
2. One small, Aegean seaside resort town we liked was Foça, located about 1 hour north of Izmir. We stayed here one night during the summer of 2011 as part of our Ramazan road trip. Foça, called Phocaea in ancient times, consists of two parts, Eski Foça (Old Foça) and Yeni Foça (New Foça) and is located along small bays and a fishing harbor.
Nothing but blue when you're at Foça, Turkey.
We liked this area because it was full of locals (not yabancı tourists) and open-air restaurants lining the shore. Considering its history, Foça has few ruins except for the Byzantine-era Beşkapılar Kalesi (Five Door Castle), a bit of aqueduct and a nearby old tomb.  If we ever returned, I’d stay at the charming Bülbül Yuvası Butik Otel, recommended in the Boutique Hotels of Turkey book, which was full when we visited.
Just one of the many Turkish fish restaurants in Foça. 
3. Another atypical beach destination we visited during the summer of 2011 was Phaselis, located an hour south of Antalya. At this ancient Greek and Roman city, you can admire the historical ruins, such as agoras, Roman baths and sarcophagi, and take a dip in the crystalline waters along the nearby beach.
Here you can see the remnants of the Roman baths at Phaselis, Turkey.
4. Another favorite beach destination of ours and of grandpa’s is Ölü Deniz near Fethiye. I’m jealous of my blogger friends at Turkey’s for Life who live nearby because they can visit this amazing beach and watering hole whenever they want!
My favorite photo of Jason with his 90-year-old grandpa at Ölü Deniz last year.
I’m sure we’ll return again to Ölü Deniz someday.

5. Located along the Aegean Sea, the Çeşme Peninsula offers numerous beach destinations near the cities of Çeşme and Alaçatı. I wish I could meet up with a few of our Istanbul friends that have summer homes here.
One of the many popular, beach clubs near Çeşme, Turkey.
Actually, it’s difficult to narrow my list down to five choices because Turkey is spoilt for lovely summer beach destinations.

Where do you wish you could be right now?

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9 comments:

Ilke said...

Now you had me wanting to go so bad! But I have to stay and study! Boo :((
Enjoy the cooler weather though. It is already killing in SC!

jaz@octoberfarm said...

you can tell i am polish! 68 degree weather for summer is my idea of heat!!!

Unknown said...

Would love to trade you. We are going to have triple digit temperatures for the next week. Not my kind of heat. I would love to have 68 degrees right about now.

Alyson said...

I miss the Turkish summers! We've been hovering in the 50's and 60's in London too (plus rain). I'd love to head back to Olu Deniz right about now, or try out Antalya, I never made it there and wish I would have.

Joy said...

@Ilke, Hang in there! I know I just want a little sunshine before winter rolls in.

@Joyce, Ha ha!

@Unknown, I've heard from friends in Dubai, Doha and Oman that it's been pretty brutal lately 100+ every day! :-(

@Alyson, I didn't know London was having such crap weather too right now. Yuck! Looks like temps will warm up slightly for us next week. Yay!

Unknown said...

Those temps are just crummy but so typical of Europe. Where do I wish I was right now? Assos in our house overlooking the beautiful Aegean ...

Iain Mallory said...

I've not visited the resorts of Turkey but I can understand why you would want to be there right now. Lovely pictures of some beautiful places, thank you.

Sara Louise said...

Turkey looks like an amazing summer destination! I hope to make it there someday :)

Joy said...

@Claudia, Rest up my dear! I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon!

@Iain, thank you! Since you love to travel, I highly recommend going to Turkey someday. Beautiful landscapes!

@Sara Louise, Keep an eye out on good airfare prices to Turkey on Skyscanner.com I often use this website to plug in from Warsaw to Everywhere and search for cities that have the best prices. You'd love Turkey!