Kas, the Sleeping Giant, and a New Friend

The Turkish Riviera, also known as the Turquoise Coast, is quite popular for its hundreds of miles of beaches, welcoming beach towns, and favorable climate. Our itinerary includes driving along the beautiful coast for seven days. Today we are driving to Kas, a charmingly small seaside village with al fresco dining, a quaint cluster of pedestrian cobbled lanes dripping with bougainvillea, and a cute square. I read that shopping for souvenirs here is an absolute must – for both the setting and the quality – but am glad I did it in Istanbul where I found the prices to be half the amount they are here.

Uzun Çarşı is the most famous and pretty shopping street in Kaş

Six minutes walking distance from Old Town, Küçük Çakıl is a cove that sits inside a narrow break in the seaside rocks

We stopped to buy a Turkish fried treat, and were a bit confused when we didn't have to pay. Not entirely understanding the free transaction, I asked Derya. She explained that they have traditions performed after burial. A dessert made of flour is cooked immediately after the funeral so that the dead can smell it.

The direct translation of "kadir erdil ruhuna" is "be grateful to your soul"

A pup patiently waiting for some scraps from the local butcher

Our big activity of the day was a 2.8-mile round trip hike 1,200 feet up to the top of the Sleeping Giant, the hill behind Kas. Looking up to the top of the mountain, no one - except me - was excited about the afternoon hike. Greg thought the view from our apartment was impressive enough.

From our apartment (building on the left), the summit of the Sleeping Giant (the mountain behind us) is not your leisurely afternoon stroll

After we left on the hike from our apartment, a dog ran up and greeted us. As if she knew exactly where we were going, she stayed in front of us the whole way, like she was guiding us. And every 10 minutes she would loop back to check in on us. Or maybe she was herding us. She guided us all the way to the top, enjoyed the view with us, and then delivered us back to the door of our apartment!

Our sweet guiding angel checking to see if we were still with her

When we arrived in Kas, Rachel's phone said, "Welcome to Greece".  Just 2 km off the shore of Turkey, the island of Kastellorizo (named "Meis" in Turkish) became part of the Greek Dodecanese islands in 1948.  Meis is the island in the center of the picture below.  

Tremendous birds-eye view from the top of the Sleeping Giant in Kas - an elevation gain of 1200 feet

Google shows the path as a straight shot up the mountain from our apartment in 23 minutes (with a "not handicap assessable" icon).  A bit steeper than the hike to Yosemite Falls, I would give the trail we took a "difficult" rating. As part of the Lycian Way, there may be an easier, slightly longer path up. (I also read a local bus drives up near the top, if you want to figure that out.)  

The steep, slippery trail

Enjoying the view from the top

She kept looking out from the very edge of the cliff, making me a "nervous mom"

The sunset view from the top is amazing but I wouldn't recommend going down the trail in the dark. It is steep and covered with loose rocks. All of us slipped many times on the way back down.

Saying goodbye, we showered our gratitude and pets on our new fur friend 

Comments: "Mom, wherever you found that hike, don't look there again." "I'm glad I went." "I liked the view." "It would've been better if it had a travelator" (referring to the moving walkways at Istanbul's airport).

Greg's preferred sunset view from our nice Kas apartment, our home for the next two nights

I have not yet mentioned all the dogs in Turkey. They're more prevalent, or at least more visible, than the cats. And noticeably oversized for the breed. Only big dogs exist here, as if the small ones were picked off by the cats. The government tags their ears to track them, but in Kas most of them have collars. Our "guide" pup had an AirTag!

Cat Dog of the Day