Petar Petkov’s visit to Antalya, Turkey
(Erasmus+
participant)
I’ll start with our arrival in Istanbul after a long (but enjoyable) bus
trip starting from Vidin. To be honest, we couldn’t see much because it was 2
am but I was really amazed by how large and wide-open was everything there.
After a while we got to the airport and when the time came we took our flight
to Antalya.
The first
thing I noticed was that it was full of palm trees everywhere instead of the broad-leaved
trees we are used to in Bulgaria. The whole greenery was completely different
from what I’ve seen before and I really appreciated the atmosphere it creates.
Anyways, after a few minutes some teachers from the Turkish group took us to
have lunch – ‘’Turkish breakfast’’. In spite of the name, I don’t think I’m
able to eat so much food as I wake up, it was amazing. Then they took us to the
dorms where we were going to spend the nights. I won’t lie, I didn’t know what
to expect but as we came in and saw the rooms, I knew I was in a good place.
Then, in the same day, they took us to see a fascinating waterfall right next
to the seaside.
In the first two days the weather wasn’t really good so we mostly stayed
in the school area, where we met a lot of new people with whom we had fun
around the different classrooms. I enjoyed visiting the Philosophy, Music and
Art classes where we once tried a unique painting technique.
The next days
the weather was getting better so we started visiting some outdoors places,
including the ancient town Perge, Pamukkale, Kurshunlu Shelalesi and much
others. All of them were not only amazingly beautiful but also soaked with
history which makes them much more interesting to visit. I also shall
acknowledge the adventure in Davraz where I went skiing for the first time – I
can’t tell I’m a professional but it was fun still.
I should not
miss the part when we had some work done in the schools. All of the groups had
a couple of presentations connected with bees and bee products, which were all
interesting to see. There were also some workshops where we were crafting,
painting or trying stuff which as a whole was really enjoyable.
Also, this essay wouldn’t be full if I don’t say anything about the
great food I tried in Turkey. Starting with kofte and piyas, going through ishkembe,
kele paca (my favourites) and doner with some ayran and finishing with kadaif
and BAKLAVA (soguk baklava is better). With surprise I found out that a lot of
things from the Turkish cuisine are very similar to some from the Bulgarian
one: kaymak, kofte, yogurt and so on.
In order to keep the essay from turning into a novel, I can’t really
tell everything in a great detail but all in all, I should tell that seeing
those fascinating places, trying the delicious Turkish food, doing some
activities for the first time and most importantly – meeting a lot of kind and
funny people, with whom we will stay friends for years by now, are things that
I’ll be thankful for for my entire life. Firstly, thanks to the nicest hosts
I’ve ever had and secondly – thanks to the Erasmus project that makes such a
great experience come true.
The paintings are inspired by my experience in Antalya and are made by me after I returned to Bulgaria
Petar Petkov
