Saturday mornings are always filled with the exciting prospects of freedom, leisure, and exploration. The words “free day” rattle around in our heads, dizzying us with excitement as we imagine what the day holds for us. This Saturday, however, is no ordinary Saturday. Today, one of our fellow classmates and honorary St. Olaf student, Liza, celebrates her twenty-first birthday. We simply couldn’t spend the morning sleeping on such a beautiful day, cooled by the previous night’s thunderstorm, so at 9:42 am, a group of students piled into the van and we made our way to our breakfast destination. This was no ordinary early morning eatery – no, today we went to a cave to celebrate the day.
We headed down the road to the cave; the highway soon turned into winding alleyways between greenhouses and homes as we dodged dinosaur chickens. After a slow ascent up the single lane road, we arrived. A small restaurant rested on the side of a mountain overlooking Gazipaşa, and we crowded around a large table, our stomachs rumbling. Almost immediately, the table began filling with bowls and plates of breads, cheeses, jams, olives, vegetables, butter, eggs, guacamole, potatoes, and many other unknown concoctions. Once the table was completely filled with food, we dug in. Never have I experienced such a delicious breakfast. Each flavor bested the last, and we ate more than our stomachs could handle.
After we finished last piece of bread and drank the last cup of chai, we followed a set of stairs down into the cave. The cool and humid air was a welcome blast as we escaped the sun and descended into the darkness. Crouching through small passes and gripping onto slippery side rails, we finally reached our destination 450 meters into the breathtaking cave. After taking some group photos and appreciating the impressive stalactites and stalagmites, we turned around and started to leave the cave. Before the final staircase out of the cave, there is a large room, and in this room, a cake and sparklers waited for Liza. The men at the restaurant ordered her a cake, played a birthday song, and lit sparklers, as we all clapped and sang. Next we left the cave and went back to the restaurant to enjoy the decadent chocolate cake. As we all sat and pondered the view, we all realized that no matter what happens the rest of the day, we already have had an unforgettable day.
