The thing I most want to see once I arrive in Turkiye is the landscape and geography in and around the site and surrounding land. I have been traveling for most of the summer so far and learned a lot about how strongly geography directs the way that people live. Obviously I know what the general environment is like from all the pictures I’ve seen, however, nothing is the same as being somewhere in person! I recently visited a castle fortress on the Isle of Mann, which is of course much more recent and very well preserved comparatively, but I noticed that being able to walk around the structures in person not only allowed me to understand why they were constructed, but also how. So in particular, I’m interested to see the Great Bath and the Peristyle south of it. Seeing the Peristyle and its odd formation and “off-center”-ness is of particular interest to me because I would love to puzzle over the circumstances of construction!!
In terms of what I want to do in Gazipasa before the dig starts, I would like to go shopping for all the necessary items that I cannot bring (towels, water tub for laundry, etc), and would like to go to a coffee shop if I can. I’ve heard so much about Turkish coffee, and it is one of the first foods I’d like to try authentically!
