Turkey > The Düden Waterfall

During the night, I visited the toilet several times. All the food came back up. Unfortunately. I suspect a severe food poisoning. Usually, it starts after six hours. This means that my döner sandwich at lunch must have been the culprit. I skip breakfast. I try to get some more sleep. With less energy than usual, I pack my luggage. Today we drive back to Antalya. We had planned to see caves and a waterfall along the way. We decide to stick to just the waterfall. Around eleven o’clock, we leave Pamukkale. The limestone terraces are already being visited by new groups of tourists. We pass Denizli and get on the highway toward Antalya. The road is quiet. Very quiet indeed. Sometimes, there is no car in front or behind us. Driving on the wide highway to Antalya feels a bit lonely. At a gas station, we stop briefly to buy some simple biscuits. I need to eat something. The vendor points out that we can have free tea outside. Funny. The Düden Waterfall is located in the suburbs of Antalya. The growing city has literally swallowed this area. Our navigation system doesn’t know most of the roads yet. By following the signs, we arrive at the parking lot. Around the waterfall are many stalls and attractions. Many families picnic in the shade under the trees at the tables.

Turkey - The Upper Duden waterfall in Antalya

We follow the water flow to the waterfall. We cross a narrow bridge to see the waterfall better from the other side. The water falls down from a height of 15 meters. A beautiful sight. Behind the waterfall runs a cave. I duck slightly to avoid hitting my head in the ‘cave of wishes’. We come right behind the falling water of the waterfall. Through a natural window in the rocks, I see the water falling. From the waterfall, it is still twelve kilometers to the old historic center of Antalya. Our hotel is practically next to the hotel from last Sunday. We’re getting the hang of it. The barrier to enter the neighborhood opens when we show the confirmation for our hotel. We drive through the narrow streets. At the hotel, it turns out we drove into the street against the direction of traffic. A hotel employee takes over the wheel to park the car. He first has to reverse. Via a parallel street, we get to the parking lot. To make the turn, he has to maneuver several times. Everything is tight in the old city. The hotel is a nice, centrally located hotel in a historic Ottoman mansion. The staff is very friendly. This does not change the fact that I still feel weak. I lie down on the bed for a while. In the evening, we walk into the old city.

Turkey - The calm sea at Antalya

Behind our hotel runs the bar street—the informal name for a street full of bars and restaurants. Everywhere we are asked if we want to come and eat. “Good price for you! Very cheap.” At the end of the street, we reach the sea. Here stands the Hidirlik Tower, a small fortress tower formerly used to guide ships into the natural harbor. A beautiful spot to watch the sunset. In the distance, we see the beach, the large hotels, and a colorfully lit Ferris wheel. The coastline of Antalya stretches for many kilometers. Next to the tower is a cozy terrace by the sea. They have no problem with me only ordering bread and soup. On the way back, we get lost in the maze of streets. We end up at Hadrian’s Gate. This is exactly the other side of the old city. Quickly, we take the right turn back to our hotel. In the restaurant, there is live music. Unfortunately, the terrace opposite our room also has music. The loud dance music from the bar sounds loudly in our room. We knew the old city could be noisy. But if you don’t feel well, you’d rather not have this. Fortunately, all the music stops at midnight. I had already fallen asleep earlier to the beat of the music.