Time has slipped away and I have less than a week left in paradise. So much has happened in the last two months; it's been hard to digest. First there was Greece. At the last minute, I decided to join some friends in Athens. I flew in on a Monday and that night we took a ferry to Santorini. The island is exactly how you imagine it - white buildings, blue shutters, rolling hills. Although the island was beautiful, Athens wasn't much to write home about. The city is in shambles - graffiti on most buildings and prostitutes and drug dealers on every corner. The historical sights were inspiring, but one day in the city is enough.
Santorini
Ruins in Athens
Athens
Following the short jaunt to Greece, a few friends and I capitalized on a long weekend and headed to Kelebelek Vadisi, otherwise known as Butterfly Valley. In southern Anatolia, Butterfly Valley is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Standing at the doorstep of our bungalow, the view of the valley took my breath away morning after morning. We trekked down the valley and spent a day at the beach. The water was warm and the sand even warmer. I fell in love there and will certainly go back.
The sunset. Soak it in.
The view of the valley.
Our hostel. Amazing people.
Our time here feels more brief with each passing day. This morning, the first of my roommates left. At a restaurant on the Asian side we ate entire fish (heads and eyes included) and drank too much Raki. We took a water taxi back, played with some street dogs and ate waffles in Bebek. It was a beautiful night. It was a beautiful end to what we've had here.
