Dalyan River and Kaunos, Turkey
We berthed in the busy little marina of Marmaris this morning and embarked on a drive south. Our destination for the day was the Dalyan River and the ancient site of a town called Kaunos. The drive provided a wonderful opportunity to go through the mountains, and to see the variety of the foliage all around. There were many different species of pine, contrasting with the ubiquitous “liquid amber” trees, deciduous trees with ample shade cover.
We soon arrived in the small town of Dalyan and embarked on small boats for a tour of the river. A highlight of the river, and something that has made the town famous, are the imposing royal tombs carved into the cliffs, high above the water. With many still-intact features, the beautiful facades are a focal point of any visit to the Dalyan River. We motored around and through a habitat different from any that we have seen so far, dominated mostly by giant reeds. The brackish water of the river is also host to many anadromous fish who enter its freshwater during the breeding season every year.
We disembarked the boats for a walk up to the ruins of the ancient city. Set atop a rounded hill, the site overlooks a freshwater lake, the snaking curves of the river, and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance. Blessed with a relatively intact theater and many more buildings reflecting daily life around 400 B.C., it was a wonderful place to explore and photograph. Many of us became distracted by the multitudes of wildflowers in bloom and the beautiful, red blossoms of cultivated pomegranates on the walk up to the site. We returned to another section of the river and cruised slowly back down toward Dalyan town. The unique estuarine habitat around us made for interesting exploration on the boats.
During our drive back to the ship in Marmaris, we saw more than a hundred white storks feeding in a field, amongst herons and egrets. After arriving in the port, we set out to continue our cruise along the coast of Turkey. Shortly after lunch, we heard the anchor drop and the call came out that we were pausing for another opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean. Although significantly colder than our foray a few days ago, many of us still took the plunge (literally!). Later in the afternoon, Bob described the perils and wonders of sailing these same seas at the time of St. Paul, giving great insight into the difficulties of navigation, weather hazards, and commerce in an earlier era.
The evening brought a beautiful, but bizarre, sunset amidst thundering clouds and lightning. A steady rain fell on the decks—our first since arriving to the Mediterranean—and we waited it out indoors until the heaviest rain had passed. It was a wonderful, varied day, and we retired to our rooms with a plethora of mental images to process and enjoy.
