Over the winter of 2021-2022, we lived in Antalya, Turkey (old spelling) for about seven months. The country was mostly unknown to us, and we loved it much more than we expected. Why? Lots of reasons, but the people there were a big part of it. Kind, courteous, pleasant, and they made us feel safe and comfortable in our first Muslim country. There was also an abundance of history on so many levels, complete with ruins, monuments, and abandoned cities.

Now, 3.5 years after we left, we returned for a quickie visit. We went to retrieve a bag of “stuff” we left behind at the time—the first of several! We knew it had some winter clothing in it, since we were going towards warmer temps when we left, and DID plan to return the following year. That never happened after Turkiye clamped down on residency permits… We vaguely remembered what was in it, and truthfully acknowledged that if the bag was gone, ie, missing, it would not be a tragedy. As it was, the bag was there, but 90% of everything in it was ruined from mold. We’ve now learned our lesson about HOW to pack things we leave behind. Kat was able to use a couple pairs of shoes, a few undamaged items of clothes, and I found over $100 left behind in various currencies! So the trip was worth it.

Aside from the bag, there were two things- two things- I was most looking forward to reexperiencing: Their amazing breakfast buffets. And cats. Cats, everywhere cats!

NO ONE does breakfast buffets like the Turks, and I reveled in every morsel that our old hotel placed before me! The brothers who owned it shared the downturn Turkiye has taken over the past four years, which is another story, and they will probably leave the business. Such a shame.

Now, more important: the cats. For anyone who has visited Turkiye, you know that they revere cats there, and they run pretty much wherever they decide to live. On the streets, inside businesses, parks; you name it, cats will be there. Usually healthy and well fed, too. So this guy, a major cat lover, got his fix.

In addition to the great breakfast and the felines, we also visited all three of our favorite coffee spots, and two of our favorite restaurants. We had a weekend of indulgences and partied like it was 2022! Aside from the higher costs of all the above, it was a worthy three days, and knowing that there are cheap DIRECT flights from Antalya from Tirana, makes this trip an easy weekend getaway