TURKISH ROAD TRIP

After a final swim in the Mediterranean, we packed up and left our beautiful hotel perched on the cliffs in Antalya.  This has been my favorite city in Turkey, so far.  We turned N. from the coast and drove through fertile agriculture and "seas of greenhouses" growing tomatoes, peppers, egg plants and most of the vegetables supplied to Northern European nations, especially in the winter. As we continued our climb into the rugged Mts. we passed small Mt. villages and many goat  and sheep herds guarded by the fierce Anatolian sheep dog.  Don't mess with this guy! They are placed as puppies into a heard the farmer wants protected from wolves or other predators...and these dogs will fight to the death with anything that messes with their herd!  The are invaluable in these parts and we see many of them near their charges.  We see the ancient Lebanon Cedar trees, and surprising..small Turkish bananas which don't have a long shelf life, but smell delicious and taste very sweet.  AS the land flattens again we pass miles and miles of sugar beets and cotton fields.  We take a break and stop in the 'conservative town of Koyna.  Conservative, because people here observe the conservative dress of the Muslim faith, and it is a "dry" city.  No wine with lunch. The lunch is delicious featuring a lamb who was been cooked in pottery in ashes since 5:00am.  It literally falls off the bone.  The most weird but delicious okra soup made with tiny little dried okras which I have never seen before, and a yummy desert called 'flour halva' which in indicative of this region.  We tour a Mosque dedicated to Sufi poet MelvanyThis is the longest drive of our trip, and we get into our next hotel in the town of UCHISAR fairly late and ready for whatever comes next.