Turkey, part 3b: Antalya (with Laurie)

We really overdid it on our third day with Laurie. We got up early and headed for Aspendos, another ruined city which included this theater finished in 161 AD and still used for performances today (after some renovations 50 years ago)...
They were setting up the stage for an opera the day we were there...
This is the view in the opposite direction toward the rest of the ruins...
Here the ladies stand under the arch into the now roofless basilica...
The city gate...
Ella saw this little guy before the rest of us. She started yelling "wabit, wabit!" The funny thing is, we've never taught her that word. We've not seen any rabbits in Khujand, in the couple of books that she has that include rabbits, we have called them "bunnies". So we don't know where she got it. Smart kid.

After Aspendos, we headed off for Side (see-day). Behind Laurie is what remains from the 2nd century AD Temples of Apollo and Athena...
There were also loads of other ruins in the area, including this two story hospital (which I think explains why Laurie is feigning illness)...
After Side, we went to Perge (per-gay), an enormous ruined city including a stadium, theater, city gates, other structures, and a bazillion columns. Here is Laurie in front of the aquaduct...
While in Perge, Ella was bending down to look at a flower and tumbled over backwards. She hit her head (which was in a hat) on a sharp rock. When Jen picked her up, the white hat was quickly becoming red. We ran back to the entrance where a group of Turks were sitting around. After washing her head and puting some ice on it, we gave her an ice cream, which turned out to be the only medicine that she needed. After we got the bleeding to stop, we marched back in like the dedicated tourists we were. This picture was taken after we washed her head and she was happily licking her cone, but you can still see some evidence of the incident...
She can be a pretty tough kid. Once while walking down a city street in Antalya she fell and hit her head on a hollow wooden box, which made a surprisingly loud noise. She got back up, dusted off her hands (this is what we've taught her to do when she falls), and kept going. A German tourist came over, touched her and asked, "is she human?" That's my girl!

On Laurie's last day we went out to a nearby waterfall...

A tour boat approaching the waterfall...

The same inner urge that demands that I climb every hill I see with anything interesting on top also demanded that I find a way to the bottom of the waterfall...

On the way back we found a playground for Ella. Not a bad view from the swings...
These 5 days around Antalya were pretty exhausting. We all joked that after seeing so many ruins, we were all ruined (get it? from the ruins? haha). Notice Laurie passed out on the slide...
All three girls having fun at the playground...

Finally in the evening we had to say goodbye to Laurie...

Up next: Just the 3 of us in Olympos.