We have had a busy day so far in hot Antalya. We are sweaty. The sun is strong, the traffic a bit heavy and the pool is calling!
(May I first mention that it was so nice to reconnect with our host families this past weekend.)
Antalya is a tourist destination. (500,000 tourism bed capacity- whoa is right!) We visited the Chamber of Commerce this morning. The building is stunning. Lots of windows and simple red decor straight out of a magazine. The chamber has 25,000 active members. It is compulsory to join as a trade company. The city is in constant motion towards improvements to accomodate its growing population. They are also working to improve their city's image through marketing (Antalya is Fun-talya - pretty catchy) and the marketing of their historical sites. Tourist have a tendency to trap themselves in their all inclusive hotels, sipping Effes and forgetting about the beautiful city outside the hotel compound.
We visited the Deputy Mayor as well. . .the Turkish title, the Secretary General. He gave us gifts of citrus jam and a cookbook, in English! It has all our favorite Turkish treats.
The beaches here are clean and the water is blue. The flowers are plentiful. 90% of Turkey's exported cut flowers come from Antalya. Looking out the windows of the Chamber meeting room, we could see a field of greenhouses.
We are free the rest of the day. So the plan is to explore the city center.
On a final note, the rotary president of the Olympos rotary club is working on a project called People for People. It's a bike tour beginning September 23rd in the Mediterranean countries raising money, specifically for world peace. The tour begins at the Vatican and ends in Mecca, Christians and Muslims unite! Bikers unite!
Peace,
Erin
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Thanks, Erin, for posting and keeping us up to date. All your efforts and busyness deserves a half day of R&R!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing the whole team in person back in Indiana! BTW, met with our GSE team heading to Korea in a few months. They've been following your blog as well. It keeps them pumped (not that they need it).
i love this post! it not only tells of the team's advenutes, but it points out a core value of rotary. working for world peace. i love the idea of a bike tour from the vatican to mecca. where can i sign up?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much to all of Team Turkey for the wonderful posts and photos. I look forward to checking in on the blog and I am always entertained and informed with what I read. I will miss it! I am with Mike, sign me up for the Vatican to Mecca trip. Take care to all and enjoy the rest of your GSE experience.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see photos and hear you talk about your adventures. I am especially interested in the food....it appears as if that may have been a big part of your visit........I know it would be for me. Safe travels---see you soon.
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