Paulsen family year abroad: Antalya time with Josie

11/2: We enjoyed a lazy morning with Josie, then headed out to the beach (about a 1 mile walk). The walk through town was not too enjoyable, but the beach was lovely! It is a pebble beach, so a little different experience than a sand beach, but fun to look for interesting rocks. I wasn't sure what the scene would be like, so I didn't wear my suit (I only have a bikini) and was happy to just get my feet wet. As it turns out, Antalya seems to be a more liberal city, and there were quite a few women wearing shorts and bikinis. I'll get in next time!

Feet up everyone!

The kids loved using Josie's snorkel

Quinn found some cool rocks

A stop for fresh juice on the beach - pomegranate is popular

Almost back to our place - Bob took this to remind us how different this scene is from our ‘norm’ - though we’ve adjusted to a lot of new places, Turkey has been the most different (the call to prayer going on right now)

We went out for dinner and had a great meal near our place. No alcohol is served at this restaurant, which we've found is typical. We don't really mind, but it's an interesting difference for sure - I can't think of a full service restaurant experience in the States that doesn't serve alcohol. Once again I find myself missing my fizzy water as an option!

Enjoying the traditional tea (chai) and Turkish coffee (similar to French press but with a lot more grounds in the bottom!)

We all enjoyed such great conversation about real topics (family, relationships, friendships). Bob and I especially loved a part of the evening when we heard some of Quinn's thoughts about our journey. He was noting that we're over halfway done with our trip, and that brings up a lot of feelings for him. He said he's surprised, excited, and sad. He's surprised because it has gone fast, he's excited to go home, but also sad to go home because that means our journey is over. We asked him more about his sadness about the journey being over, and he said he thought the trip would be more emotionally taxing than it has been. We asked why he thought that was, and he said he loved and appreciated all the planning that we had done, that he has always felt safe, and that we have not gotten lost. It was heartwarming to hear his thoughts and feelings, and gratifying to hear that our efforts to expose the kids to various experiences has paired well with also keeping them feeling safe/secure.

Enjoying the walk home

11/3: Bob and Josie started the day with a run while I did an Apple Fitness in our large upstairs area (it was so nice to have the space!)

We drove to some ruins about 20 minutes away. The earliest parts were from 2000 BC. Wow! The stadium could hold about 12,000 people.

Kids in the shade

It was a very warm day - I think we may have preferred being at the beach! At this point in our trip, we have seen so many amazing sights, and these ruins did not impress us as much as other areas. The heat did not help - reminds me of when the kids were younger and I took them to the zoo when it was beastly hot - now the kids grumble at the thought of going to any zoo!

Josie reminded us that this experience qualified as "Type 2 fun," which means it might not seem fun in the moment, but that the memories later are fun. Type 1 fun is fun in the moment and fun to remember, Type 3 fun is not fun in the moment and not fun afterwards :-)

The funniest part of the whole experience was Bob lamenting that part of the ruins (the Theatre) was closed. There was a brief silence and then Quinn said, "that's a blessing." We all broke up with laughter!:-)

After we came home, Josie and I walked to the grocery store, and then Bob and Josie took off to check out the Old Town and see the sunset. Josie also wanted to find a specific souvenir that we loved too, so they bought one for her and one for us.