Relaxing in Kas

Kas is sometimes called the Seaside Jewel of Turkey and I think it deserves the title. It is the kind of place that attracts people from all over the world for different reasons; relaxing by the seaside, cruising the Mediterranean, exploring ancient ruins, fishing, dozing in the square, getting away from the rush and rumble of big city life. It's the kind of place you could visit for a while and then decide not to go home. It is also a very ancient city; a centre of the Lycean civilization, there has been a settlement here since 6000 BCE.

 The Romans left there mark as well. Just a short walk from the hotel, beside seaside villas, the AntiphellosTheatre, nestles into the hillside. Built around 1BCE it could seat up to 4,000 people.

There is no one to take an entry fee. We walk all over the site, practice our oration from centre stage and then scramble over the wall at the top, attracted by siting of what seems to be rock tombs. 

In this way we discover a whole area of tombs and unidentified ruins. 

The Doric Tomb has a sign explaining that it was cut into the bedrock in the 4th Century AD. There is a very faint remnant of a frieze of dancing girls painted on the interior.

Continuing our ramble, we head up the hill above the town centre. It's a pretty nice residential area with white painted villas looking over the bay. I could settle here for a while! Stairs and pathways lead between the houses to more tombs which dot the landscape; tombs with a view. We clamber up and peak inside a few. All of the doors have been broken open and I wonder who looted these tombs. What happened to the remains and the grave goods? Perhaps I should have visited the museum in Antalya after all.

On our way back to the centre, we find a long rainbow painted stair, leading way up the mountain. We've earned a break so we follow the sign that says "beach" where we get a free chair if we order lunch. The real joke is that there is no beach; just a wide deck that extends from the cliff edge. To get to the water, we have to jump or take a steep ladder into the waves. Food is mediocre, but drinks are icy-cold.

 We realize that in a couple of days we have gone from the chilly 

temperatures of fall, to basking in glorious sunshine. Ahh, nice!