Antalya

So the first time we’d come to Antalya was two years after we’d moved to Turkey—so not typical of Russians.

I’d assumed that Antalya was going to be about burgers, ice cream, and burned noses. Partly, it was—the sun was blazing despite it being January. But had I known how stunning the Kaleici area is (literally translated as “within the fortress”), I would have visited that fortress first thing in Turkey.

The main gem of Kaleici is, of course, the marina with its boats, palm trees, the panoramic elevator that takes you from sea level to the main road, and, yes, restaurants with burgers and ice cream.

Another reason to visit Antalya during the off-season in January is the oranges, which make the streets sunny even when the sky is grey. At first I wondered why nobody picked the oranges up for eating—considering the soaring inflation and all—but then locals told me that the fruit I saw was, in fact, so-called bitter oranges, suitable only to make jam and mix with vodka.

Then. Though I’d been judging Antalya for being one big disco under the sun, I fell in love with this particular bar, located under the stars inside an actual garden with warm yellow light bulbs and waiters on roller skates. The place is called Luna Garden, and the coffee there always comes accompanied by pink cotton candy.

My final Antalyan sketch was made at Kircami Cemetery. I tend to like Turkish cemeteries for the typography on the gravestones and the candid inscriptions. Once, for example, I saw a “Here lies Mr.Ali who used to cook the best lamb in town” gravestone.

As for the cat, it looked as if it’d killed and eaten a dog.