Having only been back at work for 3 weeks it seemed like a perfect time t take 10 days off and find some sun.
We went to a hotel largely chosen for the pools (and slides) in the Turkish town of Side (pronounced '
see-day' - this lead to a running theme of mispronouncing 'side' all holiday as in, "have you looked out of that 'seeday' of the bus" and "let's eat outseeday" - you had to be there really!).
Lovely archecture and mosques although the constant being called in by people selling stuff and the wish to haggle grew tedious.
The sea was really warm even with a few fish in it.
We had 'our own' gerek ruins - a temple to Apollon as well as an ampitheatre and roman baths.
The food was out of this world - this is a 'testi kebab' - sort of a tomato-y casserole cooked in an earthen pot which they crack open at the table (no, no splinters in the food).
To Tristan's delight and our surprise there was a flourishing pirate (think galleon rather than Somali) industry, catering to excitable 4 year olds - yes we had to do a pirate day out.
Tristan at the daily 9.30pm mini disco (at the back in stripes). He took it very seriously and git so into the various songs (particularly 'zeo zeo' and 'ram san san') that we are now the proud owners of a whole 2 cds worth of birdie song equivalents in different languages!
