This week, temperatures in Warsaw have hovered between 16-20 C (60-68 F), which is not exactly the kind of summer weather I had in mind.
So once again, I find myself dreaming of the summers we spent on our Turkey trips. I long to swim in the warm, turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea or the Mediterranean Sea.
I realize there are so many destinations we never experienced in Turkey, and I�m just torturing myself with my daydreams. We don�t have any beach trips planned this year, but we will be spending four days in Italy next month with my visiting in-laws. I cannot wait!
In the meantime, here are 5 Summer Spots in Turkey I Wish I Were Right Now:
1. Of course, one of our all-time favorite Turkish destinations is the lovely wine island of Bozcaada. I can�t really add much more info than what I already covered in my Top 10 Things to Do in Bozcaada. Just go!
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| Sunset in Bozcaada at Polente Feneri (Lighthouse) on the western side of the island. |
2. One small, Aegean seaside resort town we liked was Fo�a, located about 1 hour north of Izmir. We stayed here one night during the summer of 2011 as part of our Ramazan road trip. Fo�a, called Phocaea in ancient times, consists of two parts, Eski Fo�a (Old Fo�a) and Yeni Fo�a (New Fo�a) and is located along small bays and a fishing harbor.
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| Nothing but blue when you're at Fo�a, Turkey. |
We liked this area because it was full of locals (not yabanci tourists) and open-air restaurants lining the shore. Considering its history, Fo�a has few ruins except for the Byzantine-era Beskapilar Kalesi (Five Door Castle), a bit of aqueduct and a nearby old tomb. If we ever returned, I�d stay at the charming B�lb�l Yuvasi Butik Otel, recommended in the Boutique Hotels of Turkey book, which was full when we visited.
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| Just one of the many Turkish fish restaurants in Fo�a. |
3. Another atypical beach destination we visited during the summer of 2011 was Phaselis, located an hour south of Antalya. At this ancient Greek and Roman city, you can admire the historical ruins, such as agoras, Roman baths and sarcophagi, and take a dip in the crystalline waters along the nearby beach.
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| Here you can see the remnants of the Roman baths at Phaselis, Turkey. |
4. Another favorite beach destination of ours and of grandpa�s is �l� Deniz near Fethiye. I�m jealous of my blogger friends at Turkey�s for Life who live nearby because they can visit this amazing beach and watering hole whenever they want!
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| My favorite photo of Jason with his 90-year-old grandpa at �l� Deniz last year. |
I�m sure we�ll return again to �l� Deniz someday.
5. Located along the Aegean Sea, the �esme Peninsula offers numerous beach destinations near the cities of �esmeand Ala�ati. I wish I could meet up with a few of our Istanbul friends that have summer homes here.
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| One of the many popular, beach clubs near �esme, Turkey. |
Actually, it�s difficult to narrow my list down to five choices because Turkey is spoilt for lovely summer beach destinations.
Where do you wish you could be right now?