Day one on the Lycian Way (May 9, 2022)

This morning I had my hiking boots on my feet and poles in hand and I was off on my first trek along the Lycian Way. 

The paths were narrow and rocky but with proper foot wear and walking sticks it was definitely doable. Along the path I saw poppies, sage, shells, acorns, pine cones and many new plants and flowers that I have not seen before. 

The view of the mountains was breathtaking and in the valley below I could see many green houses and one mosque.  The path led up to a Roman Aqueduct that is in relatively good shape although they do not recommend walking on top of it. 

After traversing the length of the aqueduct we stopped in a beautiful grassy area. Standing with our backs to the aqueduct we had a magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea. There is also a small path that I took to see the ancient harbour. The view is spectacular and the coastal water along the shoreline is turquoise!!! 

Our guide is a historian of Anatolia (ancient Turkey) and an archeologist, so here is a little of what I gleaned: 

Ninety- seven percent of Turkey is in the Asian Continent and three percent is in the European continent. Anatolia comes from the Greeks and it is the true heritage of Anatolia. It is considered a land bridge between Africa, Asia, and Europe. 

Anatolia has gone through five periods: Hellenism, Romanism, Christianity, Ottoman, and Islamization.

Long ago the land was swampy and silt came from the ancient river and covered the land. Ash from a volcano in the Aegean Sea came as far as the valley and covered the silt which created a fertile plain in this area.  This valley was between the ancient cities of Xantos to the right of where we were and Patara on the left. 

The aqueduct is quite impressive and brought water to the ancient city of Patara during the Emperor Nero’s reign  54 - 68 AD. At the very top of the wall the blocks take on a different shape because they consist of one male and one female block with a pipe in the center which siphons the water along. The aqueduct was also added onto by the Byzantines. 

There are many olive trees in this area and according to our friend and storyteller Cem, in the fall the trees should yield an abundance (Shefa in Hebrew) of olive oil. The reason being is that the trees are very full of flowers. 

When we walked along the path we were tasked to pick something up from the nature that would be added to a ceremonial shamanic ritual that we would perform in this grassy area. 

One by one we added our object with a wish or prayer that we wanted to say. A cup of water was added each time until there were forty cups of water. After each wish or prayer we said Amen. Then we were given this blessed water in our hands. It is an ancient ritual and our prayers are now out in the world. 

Some of us continued hiking and at the end of the day we reached 9.5 km of trekking. 

In the evening we went to the ancient amphitheatre which had been restored and we walked along the ancient ruins where the shops once were. 

Patara was the seat of a democratic government and this is where the American Democratic system has its roots.  

Ninety minutes before sunset we took turns telling stories in this beautiful setting. We began the evening by using our own languages to begin a story as we are gathered from many cultures. I said mine in Hebrew לפנה הרבה זמן - long long ago!! It was incredible to hear the many different languages to begin a story. 

I was invited to end the storytelling evening with a Canadian Folktale “Ermine and the Hunter”.