S

We drove to Side after a most wonderful morning at Termessos which is on the west side of Antalya while Side is on the east. The drive was short and took us past our old friends Perge and Aspendos and then a string of seaside hotels for the package tourist. We weren't sure where we wanted to stay but we were sure it wasn't there.

Side

The village of Side is a very small place now devoted almost entirely to tourism. In that respect it is reminiscent of places like Carcassonne. Once an authentic walled city it is now a walled tourist trap. But we drove as far into the city as we could and were lucky to find a parking place right on the water's edge just beyond a long row of seafront restaurants. Gerry went off to explore and came back after about 20 minutes having found us a small guesthouse with sea views that had opened its doors specially for us. Like Ani Pansyon, most hotels and guesthouses were still preparing for the tourist onslaught and weren't quite ready for real tourists. But Gerry had sweet-talked the man and in the end he was happy to have some extra income. The room was small and simple, but had a private bath and was more than adequate for our needs.

We dumped our bags, parked our car in their back yard and set out to explore. Even though the hotels weren't quite ready, the restaurant trade was in full swing. The town is on a peninsula and every restaurant wants to be right on the water with the sea view that tourists love. We were no exception and wandered along the waterfront trying to decide where to spend our money. In the end we opted for a second-floor balcony lit with candles and offering "the best food in town", of course. The atmosphere was romantic, the food and wine were good, and we were happy.

Some of Side's Roman Ruins

After a very nice breakfast from the hotel, we spent the morning wandering around the remains of ancient Side which are scattered here and there among all the tourist paraphernalia. In the early morning sunshine before the tourist shops had opened it was almost possible to imagine we were 19th century explorers, discovering the amazing remains of an ancient culture. But once the tour buses started to arrive, we decided it was time to depart even though we hadn't managed to get as far as the museum. It would have to wait for another visit.

Information about Side can be found on the web at http://www.kusadasi.com/side.html