Gypsies in Kumkapi

...Gypsy Dance by All about Eve

Leave me where I can do no wrong
It is night-time and their fires burn
Alt that matters here is song and dance
It is my time and their hearts, they burn

In a circle, in a ring
Gypsy dance, gypsy sing
Gypsy dance to the tambourine
In fields of green

Promises of fate and destiny
Old woman... I don't want to know
Anything tomorrow brings will be
When this hour is yesterday's ghost

                             

Kumkapi was recommended as the place where locals go for good food, drinks and music. The entire street is filled with restaurants; tables are on the streets next to each other.

Gypsy musicians and belly dancers go around the tables. Be warned that the entertainers expect to be tipped generously.

Temple of Apollo @ Side

Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?

first lines, voiceover, Troy the movie (2004)

Think golden god Brad Pitt - er..ehem..Achilles - leading the charge from shore to desecrate the temple of Apollo.

The beach resort town of Side (say see-deh).

Is it just me, or does Side look a whole lot like Santa Barbara (below)?

Old towne Antalya

Time stood still in this place.

We embraced the mysticism of Kaleici.

We surrendered to the quiet, the quaint,
the queer of this old quarter of Antalya.

For two full days, we forgot the world of today.

Clockwise from top left:
view of old quarter Kaleici, our hotel room (with open window),
view of castle wall from our hotel window, narrow winding street of Kaleici.

Clockwise from top left:
Rooftop of hotel, zigzag pattern of rooftop, carpet shop outside hotel,
tunnel leading to rooftop of hotel.

Be back soon

I think this is the most fascinating country to visit.

I love everything about it - the food, the shopping (carpets), the culture, the shopping (ethnic bling bling), the people, the history, the shopping (bellydance stuff), the nightlife, the shopping (girl stuff), the historical sites, the shopping (did I forget anything?)

Be back in 2 weeks.

Girl Stuff

No vacation is a real vacation without shopping for stuff. I don't do the serious high-end shopping of brand name stuff, Paul Ropp being the exception.

I enjoy picking up trinkets, ethnic jewelry, funky street clothing and such wherever I go. And I would pick up extra pieces of everything with the girlfriends in mind. Nothing useful. Just fun and quirky things. The girlfriends sort of do the same thing for me.

It just crossed my mind that if we actually wear what we get for each other, we end up dressing alike *haha*.

And we should all be so thankful that I recently dropped nudist camp from my list of vacation spots *GRIN*

Wedding Bells

We women just LOVE weddings. We love the idea that the princess meets her prince, they throw a grand wedding party and live happily ever after.

So when the girlfriend announced that there will be a wedding soon, we were all atwitter with excitement. And when the planning details got to be overwhelming, it was an excuse for us to spring into action.

We put together dinner, the newly-weds brought out the champagne, our favourite pole-dancer baked her famous buttercream cake. We make such a expert team of wedding planners.

It was a fruitful evening: we women shared tips, information and experience about throwing the perfect wedding party. We know we will get together again for progress reporting.

And maybe further along the planning path, we might remember to ask the groom-to-be what his preferences are...

Phantom of the Opera @ the Esplanade

I wanted to fall under the magic spell of The Phantom of the Opera. Just one more time, I wanted to be seduced by the Music of the Night, to live the romance of All I ask of You, to be haunted by the The Phantom of the Opera.

None of this happened at the Esplanade. There were the elaborate costumes, the seamless scene changes, the extravagant dance sequences, the lavish set. But the magical suspension of reality that draws you into the world of the Phantom did not happen.

There is a sense that this whole production is tired. I am not alone. Johnny Malkavian thought "even the chandelier looked a little squashed". The Pensieve thought Music of the Night "wasn't as powerful and lingering" as he remembered.

When the curtains finally, thankfully, came down there was no standing ovation; there was only polite applause.