When Chris first booked this Turkey trip, he made sure that we’d be flying in and out of Istanbul with a good amount of time to explore and enjoy this multifaceted city, and at the same time, he also booked us a side trip to visit Antalya, a city in Southern Turkey along the Mediterranean coast that is also known as Turkey’s largest international seaside resort. He had some second thoughts about whether our side trip should have been here or to Cappadocia, a famous region in central Turkey known for its strange rock formations and hot air balloon rides. So he asked me to look up whether I’d prefer to go there instead since the flights and Antalya hotel were fully refundable. But when I read a quick description about Antalya vs. Cappadocia, I didn’t really have much of a decision to make: a seaside town with lots of historical spots and beautiful beaches would be a far more relaxing trip than a place like Cappadocia, where hiking would likely be the bulk of our activities. And while I normally do love hiking and look forward to our hikes on trips, while pregnant and obviously carrying extra weight that has changed my center of gravity, especially at this stage of pregnancy, I would prefer being by the water and having a more relaxing side trip.

And so we flew to Antalya this morning and already got a glimpse from the plane of the gorgeous turquoise waters. This area is also known as the Turkish Riviera, or the “turquoise coast,” and it’s pretty obvious why when you see it. The waters are literally crystal clear. And the mountains along the beaches in Antalya are reminiscent of the mountains that lined the famous beaches of Rio when we visited seven years ago now (hard to believe it was that long ago!).

While the beaches and the Old Town of Kaleici are quite famous in Antalya, the surrounding areas of Antalya are also famous for having a number of historical sites and monuments that have been well preserved, ranging from Perge the Ancient City to the Aspendos theater, and also a cable car “teleferik” that raises you high above the city and water for an aerial view of the Turquoise Coast. We started our day with yet another decadent kahvalti spread, but this was our first one overlooking the Turkish Riviera at a restaurant that had covered outdoor seating with a great view of the beach. And when we sat down and looked over the glistening ocean, I thought, yep, this is the place to be. Although I was initially hesitant about traveling internationally with the current pandemic and the growing concern of the Delta variant, this view itself had to have been worth the travel.

If there is just one thing that I could get behind in terms of taking as a Turkish tradition and bringing to my day to day (or at least, weekend) life, it could be Turkish breakfast, aka kahvalti, aka the most colorful and beautiful breakfast spread that likely exists in the entire world. When I was first exposed to it during morning rise-and-shines during my first Istanbul visit at the cozy family-owned hotel where I stayed, I was immediately hooked. Who could possibly decline a beautiful breakfast spread consisting of a rainbow variety of cheeses, olives, breads, jam, fresh fruits and vegetables, and eggs? Not only is it aesthetically pleasing with its many colors, textures, and shapes, but it’s also tasty and so satisfying, as there’s savory, sweet, umami, fresh — everything! As health experts always say, we really need to eat the rainbow in order to have a balanced diet, so I’m definitely on board with this.

While American children are oftentimes sent off to school with an Eggo waffle, Pop Tart, or a sugary sweet granola bar, Turkish children are told to eat a handful of cheese, olives, fruit, and/or a simit (a deliciously crunchy and soft Turkish version of a bagel, which can be easily found all over Turkey for less than 2 lira, or 25 US cents) before going off on their merry way.

Turkish breakfast spreads greatly vary depending on the day of week and where you are getting it from, but the general categories of foods you can expect to find on the table are: cheeses, olives, breads, fruit and jam spreads, fresh cut vegetables, eggs, and tea. On weekdays, the spreads may just be a handful of little plates, while on weekends when there is more time for preparation (and indulgence), you can expect the spread to overtake the table. And with all the above, there is rarely just one type of anything; there are always at least 2-3 types of cheese, two types of olives, several types of jam (my favorites were the sour cherry, fig, and apricot preserves), and two types of fruits or vegetables. Turks also love their tahini, so we oftentimes had a little dish of this on our table, as well, that would seem to be lightly sweetened, plus a hazelnut spread (mmmm, Nutella). And Chris would get very excited when he’d see a little dish of honeycomb with honey dripping off of it mixed with a bit of clotted cream — this really defined decadence on our breakfast table.

I really could not get enough of the fresh figs. Turkish people love their figs, as do many people in the Middle East, so not only are they plentiful here, but they are also cheap, whether they are fresh or dried. Figs are not only beautiful to look at (it always shows up heavily in my Instagram feed in the autumn), especially when cut in half, but they are just so sweet and delicious. They are a very underrated fruit back home and one I wish I had better and easier (and cheaper) access to in New York. Sometimes, I just wanted to stare at and photograph them without even eating them!

The other crazy thing is that the spreads, when you have them at restaurants, are quite inexpensive. We just had one today that was quite elaborate and complete with fried bagels, and it was only 80 Turkish lira (about $10 USD) for the two of us. That’s plenty for us to enjoy for a small price, plus no dishes for us to wash (and there are SO many dishes with these breakfasts!).

The learning of history and art in western countries like the U.S. is sad and pathetic, with an almost complete focus on western countries and a nearly total dismissal of Asian and African countries. However, the area where it can become grey in terms of what is actually covered is for empires such as the Ottoman Empire. Most of us here in the U.S. learned about the Roman and Ottoman Empires in school, and because of this, we got to learn a little bit about Islam as well as some of the famous mosque structures that were built during these grand old times. When I took art history in high school, we also covered these famous mosques, now in modern day Istanbul, and among the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in terms of fame and admiration was also the Suleymaniye Mosque. This mosque sits on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey, and was originally commissioned by Suleyman the Magnificent, a sultan at the time during the Ottoman Empire in about 1550. Like most mosques of its time, the entrance has a beautiful, grand courtyard with a fountain leading into the mosque itself, and the structure is made up mostly of marble and granite. I’m not even sure what I admire more: the interior of these grand mosques or the courtyards themselves. They all have great symmetry and design, and I can’t get enough of the arches and the elaborate tile details. While a lot of people look back at the Roman Empire and admire the architecture then, I think I get more excited at the Muslim style architecture of this period instead. In retrospect, I actually hated learning about Roman architecture in general, especially all the annoying nude statues that had overemphasized penises. That is NOT a turn-on for me.

What I always admire the most about mosques like these are how well preserved they are. It takes so much time, money, and energy to preserve these great, historical structures, and I always feel so lucky to be able to have the privilege of seeing them in real life with my own eyes.