Ortahisar - Mersin (day 12)

Slowly but surely, the holiday is unfortunately coming to an end. Today we started the return journey towards Antalya. We left Ortahisar (and thus Cappadocia) behind us and drove to Mersin. On the way, we first made a stop at an ancient underground city. It’s similar to the cave houses we had seen the past few days, but this time as a complete underground city. It very much resembles the nest-like architecture of ants, with tunnels and chambers going in all directions and spread across several levels. We walked through it twice; the first round we ended up behind a bus load of tourists, which caused traffic jams in the narrow tunnels. The second round was much calmer and allowed us to explore and look around at our own pace. After this morning exercise, the drive to Mersin could begin!

On the way, we stopped at a gas station where we ate our packed sandwiches and used the restrooms, and we also bought a small souvenir. After this short pit stop, we continued our journey to Mersin. Once we arrived at the hotel, I found out I had a sofa bed, but without any sheets. So, it was a matter of waiting until it was brought to the room. On top of that, there was a power outage. When we asked at the reception, it turned out to be due to (unannounced) maintenance. We then decided to walk towards the city center via the (beautiful) boulevard along the sea. After walking for quite a while, I had the feeling that the city center was still far away. A quick look at Google Maps confirmed it: it was still a two-hour walk (so my instincts are still spot on!). My dad then walked back to get the car, while my mom and I waited on a bench in the shade until my dad returned with the car. About fifteen minutes later, after a short drive, we ended up just outside the city center, where we parked the car and walked a bit into the center. We went into a restaurant for dinner, and after eating, we strolled around for a while. But to be honest, Mersin doesn’t have much to offer, so we headed back towards the car, picking up some groceries along the way. Driving back to the hotel was a bit of stop-and-go traffic; Mersin is a busy and chaotic city, and not really a recommendation. Luckily, we are only staying here for one night and are just passing through. Tomorrow we’ll first visit a castle and then continue on to Anamur.

Day 11

Travel overview

Day 13