So, after spending a relaxing day on base on Sunday, we decided to take a guided group trip on Monday. Jesse worked in the morning, as I leisurely slept in until eleven! We had some lunch and then met up with the group for our little adventure.
First stop: The town of Tarsus, which is home to beautiful waterfalls, St. Paul's church, the Apostle Paul's birthplace, and Cleopatra's Gate.
The waterfalls were really pretty. It's a local hangout for swimming, cliff jumping, and picnics. Jesse made friends with some of the local guys and just had to get in on the action.
Then we headed over the St. Paul's church. This church was first constructed around 1100 AD as a tribute to the Apostle Paul.
The next stop was the birth place of Apostle Paul. It absolutely blew me away that I was standing in a place that is referenced in the bible! The stone well is the original well that was used by Paul's family.
Cleopatra's Gate was our next stop. This is the arch that Cleopatra and Mark Antony were reunited under. Leave it to Jesse to find it a great location for some handstands, very typical.
That was the conclusion of our tour of Tarsus, so we headed south to the Mediterranean sea! We got a great view of Kizkalesi Castle, or often referred to as The Castle on the Sea, while we did some exploring of Korykos Castle. Korykos Castle sits right on the coast and overlooks the Castle on the Sea. We spent quite a bit of time walking, hiking, and climbing all over the Korykos Castle. It was absolutely stunning.
First stop: The town of Tarsus, which is home to beautiful waterfalls, St. Paul's church, the Apostle Paul's birthplace, and Cleopatra's Gate.
The waterfalls were really pretty. It's a local hangout for swimming, cliff jumping, and picnics. Jesse made friends with some of the local guys and just had to get in on the action.
Then we headed over the St. Paul's church. This church was first constructed around 1100 AD as a tribute to the Apostle Paul.
The next stop was the birth place of Apostle Paul. It absolutely blew me away that I was standing in a place that is referenced in the bible! The stone well is the original well that was used by Paul's family.
Cleopatra's Gate was our next stop. This is the arch that Cleopatra and Mark Antony were reunited under. Leave it to Jesse to find it a great location for some handstands, very typical.
That was the conclusion of our tour of Tarsus, so we headed south to the Mediterranean sea! We got a great view of Kizkalesi Castle, or often referred to as The Castle on the Sea, while we did some exploring of Korykos Castle. Korykos Castle sits right on the coast and overlooks the Castle on the Sea. We spent quite a bit of time walking, hiking, and climbing all over the Korykos Castle. It was absolutely stunning.
We left the castle ridiculously sweaty because it was sooooo hot that day. We headed out to a restaurant that sat right on the sea. It was amazing. We were able to jump right into the water from our table between courses at dinner. It was surreal to be swimming in such a beautiful place!
After dinner, we made a quick visit to some ancient Roman ruins.
And we just might of ended our day at the hookah bar right outside of base. ;)
Talk about a full day!!! More to come.
Loving the pics and details of your trip. Y'all look very happy to be together.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible time -- Keep the recaps coming!!
ReplyDeletewow, sounds amazing! i can't imagine seeing things that old. what an amazing experience for you guys!
ReplyDelete