Monday, August 24, 2015

Day Trip to Kastellorizo (Meis) Greece

I finally made it to Greece! Country #31! 6 hours counts right?

Kastellorizo is the easternmost island in Greece and is on the Mediterranean Sea. It is about 1 mile (2 km) from the coast of Turkey (from Kaş). The island is tiny at 3.7 miles (6 km) long and 1.9 miles (3 km) wide. The population is about 500. The harbor our ferry came to is the only city/inhabitable land on the island. The rest of the island is steep limestone hills and coastlines with minimal flora. There is no source for drinking water on the island, and it produces a limited amount of olives, grapes, and beans. Being extremely lucky to have American passports, Eda and I were able to take a day trip to Greece without the hassle of waiting 3 days for a visa. We spent the day walking around the small town, swimming and exploring the waters and nature around St. George Island, taking a teeny boat into the Blue Cave, and eating a hearty Greek meal! All in a day's work.

Kastellorizo is the Greek name for the Turkish name Meis.
The castle in Kastellorizo



Welcome to Greece!
We saw a turtle not 5 minutes off the boat!

Old and new. White and blue.
Taking in the Greek colors.

After all the mosques in Turkey, it was a culture shock to see churches!


A door in Greece.





As per Eda's step-mom's (my Turkish mom, Aybel) suggestion, we took a small boat to the blue cave. From the photos, I thought the cave would be lit up like the cenotes I saw in Mexico, but in fact this cave was lit up by the SUN!!! It took a minute for your eyes to adjust after sailing through a tiny crevice in the rock that the water was so blue because of the sun. It was so special over there. And our guide, Antadonis, was super fun and helpful!

We came through that crevice.



He was a really cool guy. Andonis.
dorks
Most people head over to St. George's Island to swim while they are in Kastellorizo.
There are free roaming goats!
Lycian Secret- Greek Edition

Lycian Secret - Greek Edition

Then we walked across this knee high water and rocks in our flip flops to get to the goats.
The goats were resting.
Shhhhhhhhh! (Lycian Secret - Greek Edition feat. goats)


If you know us, you know that we are such clowns.
I am in Greek waters and Turkey is the background. Amazing.
A municipal building under renovation. Not a church.
We ate at a great little spot off the beaten, touristy path. 
Greek food in Greece!
View of the whole town from the castle.
Travel buddy <3 =)

A mosque with bathers in front. Good bye Kastellorizo, Greece.

The beauty of Kekova Bay

Kekova Bay contains the sunken city of Kekova Island - it sank after an earthquake in the 2nd century. Boats go around Kekova Bay and allow the passengers to dive into the cold, salty, and invigorating waters of the Mediterranean Sea. We spent the whole day out there having a blast. It's about a 40 minute drive from the town of Kas, and well worth the money spent to float and swim all day. The boat we had was filled with chill people who kept to themselves and were at peace. That's my idea of a good time - no loud music, just everyone enjoying the beauty of and peace brought on by the views. I highly recommend it if you're ever in this corner of the world!












We did that. It was hella fun.

What a wonderful day. I was pretty happy!


The small town of Simena (Kaleköy) in Kekova Bay.


We had an amazing photo shoot. See below:
Lycian Secret Model: Dasha
Lycian Secret Model: Canan
Lycian Secret Model: Ozge
Lycian Secret Model: Eda

Upside down Turk