Having a Mediterranean swim

 We finally got to go in the water and have a swim. The beach was quite shallow which made it fun, but definitely not as nice as in Australia. Didn't matter, it was the beach we had and we really enjoyed it. 

Going to the beach club

 Our villa was close to the beach so the next day we decided to go for a swim, but first we wanted to have a bit of lunch. There was a beach club that served some food and we stopped in for a meal under the trees. It was a very pleasant place to sit and enjoy the cool breeze, although the sun was quite bright and warm. The food ended up being surprisingly good and set us up well for a swim.

Beachside dinner in Kuşadası

 After a big day of exploring and driving we were ready for a nice dinner. We stopped and dropped off our luggage at our villa before we headed to the nearest big town of Kuşadası. There was a whole bunch of restaurants along the promenade and we picked one that looked good. It ended up being very nice and the food was tasty. Plus they had fun drinks and a few cat friends of course. 

Finishing up at Pergamon

 We made our way back to the main temple of the Pergamon site and made sure to get some lovely photographs. The heat started to get to us though and we sought out shade wherever we could. It was really amazing to see the size of the columns and the architecture up close like this and TV ended up having a lengthy conversation with a German couple about Pergamon and all sorts of other things. Alas it was time to head out as we still had quite a drive ahead of us. 

Walking through Pergamon

 After the amphitheatre we walked to some of the lower parts of the site to see some of the construction including some really nice arches. We then made our way to the upper most parts to take in the views. It started to get quite hot and we were trying to drink water to stay hydrated but it was hard with the bright sun. We didn't mind because it was so interesting seeing the history in person.

Exploring the ancient city of Pergamon

 We were having a bit of a long driving day but KT found a place to stop for lunch and explore the ancient city of Pergamon. It ended up being a fantastic stop as the ruins and location were absolutely spectacular. We of course had to stop to pat the kitties but then we really enjoyed exploring this very well preserved site. The view was so good and we were free to walk around the entire site. There were hardly any people there so we could really enjoy it. The amphitheatre was definitely one of the more spectacular parts of the site and it was incredible to see how steep it was. Watching a performance there would have been quite the experience, even now it would be amazing.

Visiting Küçukkuyu

 We stopped in the city of Küçukkuyu for the night. It was just a random beachside town that was convenient but we ended up really liking it. There were cats just outside our hotel which were really friendly and enjoyed playing with the girls. Since it was a pleasant evening we decided to walk along the waterfront to a restaurant on the beach. The town turned out to be a popular holiday destination for Turks and nothing was in English, but the food was fantastic and quite cheap. The next morning we had breakfast at a place just around the corner from the hotel and the menemen was fantastic. Actually all of the breakfast plates were generous and good. Set us up for a good day of exploring.