We surprised our 4yo with a visit to Kuşadası, a coastal tourist town that means “bird island” in English. I think she kept imagining a literal island full of birds and was a bit let down that it was just a beach, and a cold one she couldn’t swim in.
Because I welcome any trip to the seaside, I didn’t read up on Kuşadası beforehand…and wow was I surprised–it’s HUGE! Massive hotels and resorts line the rocky coast, and blocks of smaller bed and breakfast places and summer houses (a popular thing here) build up to the city center. There’s also a short elevated beachwalk next to a sandy beach called Ladies Beach, which Koray says was popular for topless sunbathers back in the day.
Exploring coastal developments in Turkey always makes me wax romantic about the what ifs of Philippine coastal towns. With 7,107 islands one would imagine the average Philippine lifestyle to be coastal, but we have yet to really build cities by the sea back home.
Here in Turkey, we’re on the Western side, facing the Aegean Sea, and the beaches pale in comparison to Ph beaches, but they’ve been developed to be liveable and with enough economy to sustain lifestyles on and off season.
Lots to learn!