How we managed to see Kusadasi’s Fortress after all

As I told you in the previous posts, I was in Turkey earlier this Spring on an info-trip, which meant very little free time, and walking around after a tight schedule (not made by me, obviously), trying to see a lot in a mere four days. While we were cruising through the city for the tenth time, visiting hotel after hotel, my heart was aching as I looked out the window and saw the visually appealing and inviting fortress that was standing on a small peninsula next to the city.

The little peninsula is called Pigeon island, and has a castle and some swimming beaches. It really triggered my excitement, because I absolutely love old castles and fortresses, and in a city with so many new buildings (mostly hotels), one bigger and more modern than the other, it’s very nice to see something historic every now and then.

How did we manage to escape? There was a little gap in our program, when the group went shopping in the old bazaar. Luckily, my friends and I thought about this earlier, and went to the bazaar the day before (as you can read here), so we had plenty of time (well, two hours) to visit the old fortress and some of the main parts of Kusadasi while the others were out shopping.

As we were walking around the emptied castle, housing only a little church (we didn’t go in), I saw a little door leading to the sea. I finally managed to make my own version of a photo I saw on Pinterest (my go-to-place for inspiration every day):

Along the way to and from the peninsula, I managed to take a few shots of the surroundings too (well, a little more than a few because I am the Japanese-tourist type, who takes a zillion photos during one trip, but I promise I’ll only show you my two favorites) – a little art and the mini-marina:

All in all, I have to say that Kusadasi is a lovely place for a nice holiday. There are a lot of things to do – both in the city and in the nearby surroundings as well, both for families and for couples also. The hotels we visited were awesome, among my favorites I enumerate Hotel Korumar, Sealight Resort and my personal number one – Grand Onder, a three-star hotel delightfully designed and decorated in the heart of Kusadasi.

But don’t just stay in your hotel rooms, get out there and explore!
Besides the water park Adaland, which is the biggest in Europe, you can go and visit the ancient town of Ephesus, The House of the Virgin Mary, the natural thermal travertines of Pamukkale and the old city Hierapolis.

So tell me, did you visit any of these amazing tourist attractions in Turkey?