Turkey has been a part of my life since many years. I have been going to holidays when my daughter was still very small, because there was such a child-friendly environment, everyone took care of her and I, as a mother of a small child, felt really good. Now that my own mother is already in her years, I feel the same respect and care towards her. This respect for the elderly and love for children were the first things that made me fall in love with this country and its people. Every time I returned to Riga, I shed tears. So now, so that there are no more tears, I have settled here, arranged my daily routine and work from home, just like in Riga. That is the modern advantage that the place does not matter, as long as there is internet and a computer at hand.
I live in Alanya, a small city on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, about 120 km from Antalya airport. The nearest airport and larger city is Gazipasa, about 40 km. The second largest neighboring city is Antalya and a 1-hour flight to Istanbul. Although the city is small by Turkish standards, in the summer, when tourists and people working in tourism-related industries come, you feel like you are living in a real city, not a coastal resort. Alanya is beautiful in my eyes. Squeezed between the Taurus mountain range and the sea, it stretches along the coast, so you can walk, run, or cycle up to 30 km along the seaside promenade. Another beautiful place for walking is the Cleopatra beach with beautiful sunsets, which I never stop photographing, each one seems unique. The old castle ruins, which have survived since 7000 BC, are evidence that Turkey is not just a beach resort. The history here reaches back to unfathomable antiquity. Remains of the Roman era have survived to this day, including theaters, amphitheaters, columns, water storage tanks – cisterns. If you wish, you can go on an excursion in the footsteps of history and see many numbers and historical sites.
The Antalya region is also an agricultural region. Fruits and vegetables are growing in the mountain valleys all year round. It is so easy to live healthily here. All you have to do is go to the market and buy fresh vegetables that were still in a farmer’s furrow yesterday. The various greens in the market literally form mountains of greens, the fruits smell, the Turkish merchants call: come, come….all this brings joy to both the eyes and the nose and, when they reach the table, also to the taste buds. Towards the end of autumn, it is also the harvest time for exotic fruits. Recently, local farmers have also started to grow avocados, mangoes and dragon fruits.
Statistics say that Alanya has 300 sunny days a year and it is true. Even in the winter months – December, January and February – there is a lot of sun. The houses do not have heating systems. Some houses use small stoves, some use air conditioners to warm up on colder evenings. In winter, it sometimes rains, sometimes quite seriously. There can be thunderstorms. Thunderstorms echoing in the mountains create a very ominous and powerful sound. The rain can also be very heavy, but after a few hours everything has dried up and the sun appears again on the horizon.
In the coastal cities of Turkey, a large part of life takes place on the street, creating a lively and good atmosphere. The streets are almost never empty. At every shop, someone is sitting drinking tea or coffee, people go for walks with their children in the evenings, many run and play sports or walk their dogs. People use outdoor terraces in cafes and restaurants. On the beaches during the day tourists sunbath and swim, in the evenings, people spend time with their families, organizing small picnics.
I gladly share all this, taking both tourist groups and my friends for walks. Many of my clients come here to get a beautiful smile. I have personally enjoyed the dental services here, which are of high quality and competitive in price compared to Europe. The dentists are skilled and their offices are equipped with the latest technologies. It is safe and high-quality and I can recommend to everyone to combine a beautiful and sunny vacation with dental services in order to return home rested, tanned and with a beautiful smile.
