People are sprawled out lying in olive groves basking in the bright summer sunshine. Some are cooling off in the adjoining sea, refreshing on such a hot summers day. The islands of Greece can be seen just a stone’s throw away overlooking the Turkish coastline.
Observing such a relaxing and beautiful lifestyle makes me envious, stuck here in my bus seat. The home to my backside for at the last least eight hours. With just a small change in my choices, I too could be on that beach.
Right angled houses start to jump out at me. The houses are painted an assortment of colours, each individual and breaking up the olive groves that have lined the entire shoreline we’ve been driving along.
With Greece not so far in the distance my mind wanders as I ponder whether it would be possible to swim across. Assessing that is possible I put it on my “maybe” bucket list. The bus rounds a bend and we are pulling away from Greece.
The sea drifts away as we twist into a small mountain range. The olive trees now have new friends and neighbours made up of a variety of different tree species and vegetation. As we wind higher up through the mountains, we are treated to snippets and glimpses of the view below. The coastline we just experienced and beyond.
Turkey has a diverse set if landscapes that continually shock you. Each headland you come around and every hour that passes surprises you over and over again. Desert to coastline to mountain ranges, no vista is the same. Driving throughout Turkey provides you with rare snippets of nature, so stunning and new to your retina. Most of all a glimpse into everyday Turkish life.
I stare mesmerised out the window, taking in everything and I feel I have the moment to myself. All mine as the rest of the bus slumbers. These private moments on the road are always magical and renew my appreciation of the world and travelling to experience it all.