Reisebericht

Square Dance Reise Türkei
Karin Heidrich, Percolators Germany e.V.

While Germany is buried in snow we are dancing in Turkey

Today is November 11^th, 2010.

The first snowstorm of the season is predicted for tomorrow - but not for us!!

We wanted to dance and at the same time soak up some sun. Towards the end of November a small group of five dancers took off from Hamburg airport in the direction of Turkey and a five star "all inclusive" hotel, the Kumkoy Beach resort, to be exact (which can be highly recommended!).

Although we were very tired when we arrived well past midnight, the room compensated for the strain of the journey. We had booked a normal room with a sideways view of the sea. Instead we were given a two-room suite with a shared bathroom and a breathtaking view of the rain- and wind-whipped waves.

The weather calmed down after a day and a half so that we could enjoy the beach and the sea at a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. Even the sea still had an acceptable temperature.

The vacation schedule called for one week of dancing for plus and A-level dancers and an additional cultural excursion. This way 30 of the 38 dancers with friends and relatives participated in the excursion to Ephesus, Pamukkale and other points of interest. As participants told me, it was a very interesting trip, however also rather exhausting, due to the long bus rides. My girlfriend and I preferred to use the days to recuperate from the stress of our jobs, to wind down and just relax.

Together with our caller Anders Blom we explored the nearby markets in Manavgat and Side for some extended bargaining and shopping. But we never stopped worrying about the airline's hefty surcharge for luggage exceeding 20 kilos.

After the return of the "culture travelers" the dancing started. The management put a giant ballroom at our disposal and had even covered an area of the carpeted floor with parquet flooring, large enough to accommodate three squares. The size of the room provided sufficient air, so that we had comfortable temperatures for dancing, even without air conditioning. Anders kept us going pretty well and always adapted his calls to the level of the dancers, so that experienced dancers as well as "fresh" A-dancers got their money's worth.

It certainly was high time we got some exercise since the "all inclusive" in all the bars and above all in the restaurants left an impressive mark on the weighing scales. I, being a gourmet, have not enjoyed such delicious buffets with sushi and scampis in all variations, grilled foods and national specialities for a long time.

At this point my very heartfelt thank-you to Uwe and Edeltraut, who together with Dominik of Dominik Tours selected this hotel and took excellent care of absolutely everything regarding this trip. All we had to do was relax and enjoy.

For the time off during the day we found a travel agent close by who offered us additional interesting trips without excessive sales talk. This way we also got onto a threehour boat trip on a reservoir in the mountains and into a giant canyon which made us feel like we were in a Norwegian fjord.

Since Anders had come along on this trip we even could dance a "canyon square" very much to the delight of the other guests on the ship.

For the last night together, Anders had reserved for us a table at the Mexican "Alacarte Restaurant" on the premises, where we again could feast on the foods and chat a lot.

All in all it was a well rounded vacation with nothing to gripe about. It makes us look forward to the next trip - this time to Andalusia.

So long - till the next trip

yours, Karin

transl:. Ursula Kreis