Antalya, the Mediterranean jewel of Turkey!

Hey Steemit community!!

I'm Thebackpackingchef and I wanna share with you one of the most beautiful places I've been to.

The Antalya province!

Antalya is situated on the southern coast of Turkey, and the city itself is perched on the cliffs of the Mediterranean Sea. This means all year round the weather is beautiful, the food is delicious, the people are so warm and hospitable, and if you're into swimming, sunbaking or my favourite, diving! This is the perfect place for you!

Antalya is one of the most unique places I've been, especially for the landscape. You can be lying on the beach working on your sun tan, while looking out onto snow-capped mountains. You'll find most of the locals from the Antalya region are very liberal and progressive, and the Turkish are famous for their hospitality!!

Some locals showing us their Turkish hospitality, by treating us with traditional Turkish breakfast!

In the city you'll find the old town full of ancient structures, such as Hadrian's Gate, local vendors selling handmade jewellery, bars with fellow backpackers trading stories and the picturesque harbour where you can fish or catch a cruise ship over to Düden waterfalls.

Overlooking Old Town, Antalya

One of my favourite places to explore is Kurşunlu falls. Kurşunlu falls are a great way to spend a warm day walking around and explore winding trails, and even climbing some trees if you're feeling a little adventurous. The park is scattered with waterfalls around every corner, and if you're feeling a bit hot and thirsty from all the exploring, the cafe next to the 'big bridge' is famous for their home grown lemonade with fresh mint to cool you down

Enjoying the peace and quiet at Kurşunlu Falls

Düden falls are beautiful scene, with cascading water leading down the cliffs of Antalya into the Mediterranean Sea. It's especially an unforgettable scene when the skies are clear, and the sun is setting

Düden Waterfalls

There's also beautiful beaches to relax or have a swim at, just a stone throw away from the centre of the city

One of the best things about Antalya is the food. Antalya's food is all local and incredibly fresh. You can walk down most roads, paths and trails to find fresh fruit for the taking during spring and summer. Right next to where I'm staying we have grapes, oranges, lemons, pomegranate, raspberries, passionfruit, figs and lots and lots of mulberry and olive trees, and the best part about it is it's all on municipal land and free for the public to pick as they please.
As a backpacker on a budget, this has really helped my wallet while I've made Antalya my 'base of operations' for the meanwhile. There's also a huge array of fresh seafood available at the markets and restaurants around Antalya all caught fresh and local.

Fresh white mulberries coming into season

Getting around Antalya is easy too, as they have a tram system running through the entirety of the city all the way to the airport on the outskirts, and buses heading to all the towns and cities in every direction. My prefered method of transport is hitchhiking though, and I've been using it throughout all of Turkey. I find the Turkish people are so kind and welcoming to tourists hitchhiking that once you start, it's difficult to stop. On numerous occasions drivers have bought meals and tea, to share while we exchange stories about our homes and cultures.

I'll be sharing many more stories with you about Turkey, and other countries I've been traveling. Don't forget to add Antalya to your Turkey itinerary if you plan on exploring this vastly unique, and inviting country.

Antalya's coastline

Please don't hesitate to ask me anything about my posts, or my backpacking, especially if you want info or tips on hitchhiking or budget traveling. I'll be doing a future post on those topics too when I can get more of you beautiful people following my blog. Keep an eye out for my next post as it will be a cooking one for all of you with a sweet tooth!

I look forward to hearing your travel stories too so please hit me up if you have any!

Lots of thanks to my partner @jessbear who introduced me to Steemit and to all of you in the Steemit community for being so warm and welcoming to me for my #introduceyourself post