Side and a Side of Some Caverns

No, that isn't a typo in the title. That first "Side" is actually pronounced 'see-day' and is the name of an ancient costal town in Turkey.

Some arches around the outside of the theater.

Side is a small resort town, but it is probably more famous for the seventh century port town. Or more correctly, the ruins of that port town which was an important center of trade in its day.

Ruins along the coastline.

There are lots of ruins to explore such as the theater and the agora (open marketplace), but maybe the most iconic ruin is the partial reconstruction of the Temple of Apollo. It sets on the edge of the sea and must have been quite a sight to sailors of the Greek era.

The Temple of Apollo.

Additionally in this photo set are some pictures from inside two caves near Alanya, Turkey. The closest cave to Alanya is sometimes know as the 'asthma cave' due to the belief that spending time breathing the humid air of the cave can reduce the symptoms of, or supposedly cure, asthma. This interior of the main cavern is a large room with few of the traditional cave accoutrements such as stalagmites and stalactites. There really is just the one main room in the cavern, but it is interesting and offers a respite from the sun of the seashore.

Small stalactites on the ceiling of the 'asthma cave.'

The other cave complex is about 20 - 30 minutes east outside the main city and up in the hills. There is a bus that goes that direction, but during the winter it only goes as far as the cave once or twice a day and doesn't allow for a lot of time to look around. I take what I can get, though. The road winds back and forth as it heads up the canyon to the cave entrance. If you get the bus driver I had, you may want to keep your eyes closed seeing as he tends to use one hand to hold his cellular phone and the other hand to talk with (gesture) leaving no hands to hold the steering wheel.

Stalagmites in the larger cavern outside of the city.

You walk down down some stairs into the cave and then have a choice of going left or right. Go ahead and go left first, since that trail is shorter and then come back to the stairs. Following the path to the right leads you off into the cavern, up and down ramps, and through some spectacular cave scenery.

Looking back through the cavern.

I had the whole cavern to myself on my visit. I didn't have a lot of time to explore, but I do think I saw almost everything and did make it all the way to the end of the cavern. The views of the canyon and coast in the distance are also quite nice.