Pages

5.05.2025

The Cool Bloggers Walking Club: April 2025

As you may know, every April and October, Elisabeth invites us to join her in walking at least 10 minutes every day of the month. She also kindly compiles and summarizes everyone's walks each week! 

For the month of April, I was in Türkiye. In Antalya, I had a mostly daily routine, where I would walk or run down to Konyaalti beach each morning, which is about 2-2.5 miles (4 km) each way. Some days it was very hazy, or rainy, but rest assured, I have picked only the best photos for you! 

Some of my favorite things to do were: Friday market, where I would get fresh fruit and vegetables for basically less than a dollar a kilo much of the time (0.50/lb.), and it was always fresh, plus it is so fun to just wander around. One of the things that I do know how to say in Turkish is, "bir kilo!" (one kilo) or if you only want half, it is "yarim kilo." This is very important, maybe even more important than how to say bathroom/toilet, which is "tuvalet." 

In case you are wondering, here are a few more handy phrases: 

Hello - merhaba
Good morning - günaydin
Thank you - teşekkürler (pronounced Teh-shek-u-ler)
Let's go (needed when hiking and people are dawdling) - hadi gidelim

Now you are ready for your trip to Türkiye!

April 1st - 7th: Antalya, Türkiye and surrounds

1. Konyaalti beach
2. Ruins of Hierapolis
3. Hadrian's Gate
4. Hadrian's Gate
5. Fresh strawberries at the Friday market
6. Fresh juice (pomegranate, carrot, orange) on the street

April 8th - 14th: Antalya, Türkiye

1. Konyaalti beach
2. Beach day (Konyaalti)
3. Water fountain
4. Wild olive trees on the cliffs
5. Friday market day!
6. I walked to the mall, did not buy McDonalds though


April 15th - 21st: Antalya, Türkiye

1. The kitties are everywhere
2. Beach day
3. Friday market
4. Early morning SUP
5. Trip to IKEA (my 2nd time ever, and I don't need to go back!)
6. No explanation needed

April 22nd - 30th: Lycian Way, Türkiye


Average steps per day: 19,668 (I didn't realize I was so close to 20k! If I did I probably would have tried to do more to get over that bump!) 

Thanks to Elisabeth for hosting this party and I'll see you guys all again in October! 

Where did you walk in April? 

26 comments:

  1. I put in a lot of miles on the trails and walked in three different states, but I can't compete with Turkiye! What a gorgeous place!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't wait to read about your adventures! Three different states?! And one more coming up soon!!

      Delete
  2. Ooooh Türkiye looks amazing and it's on my list of places to go! But I have a question - what did you get at Ikea in Türkiye? I've been many times in my life to Ikea but that feels so exotic and also random.
    Such gorgeous views and yum - produce!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since I was going to be hiking, and I was using my backpack for hiking, I need a cheap bag to hold my luggage that I was leaving behind. So I got one of those bags that are made out of woven plastic (?) to hold my stuff. It was a bit of a trek to get there but the bag was only like $3, and it was just what I needed!

      I have only been once before and have never bought anything from IKEA before!! I don't think I need to go back again. It's not really my bag baby. Haha.

      Delete
  3. I love all the colours!!!! And so many trips to the beach. AND THE PHOTOS. *swoon*
    I'm with Nicole - IKEA in Türkiye does strike me as particularly random. Which I LOVE.
    Have you been to Türkiye before?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See comment above re IKEA. Yes I lived in Istanbul for a few months when I was in my 20s!! Antalya is a lot less chaotic though, and some of the small coastal towns are very sleepy! I will report back on that later!!

      Delete
  4. Oh, gosh, that first picture of Konyaalti Beach--absolutely gorgeous! I'm so glad you finally got to go to an IKEA, but it seems like a long way to go just to get some meatballs and a cheap tote. Good thing there are other places to see and things to do while you're visiting that part of the world. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! And I didn't even get the meatballs! Dang it!

      Delete
  5. Great photos. Wow. I especially like the beach one. Beautiful. I had no idea Turkey was so pretty. Fun face: I've never been to an Ikea. I have no desire. Not sure why, but sometimes places that are so hyped up don't appeal to me. Plus, that sort of furniture doesn't appeal to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I completely agree, which is why I only went once before when a friend dragged me there and I didn't buy anything!

      Delete
  6. Count yourself lucky for that only being your 2nd trip to Ikea. I know many people love that place but it's kind of my personal hell. They want you to walk through the entire dang store and that is painful as there are a lot of slow walkers. Yeesh. We got things for our wedding there and have also bought furniture there. I think Will's bed came from there but we paid extra to have it delivered. We need a mattress for his trundle bed so will have to back there at some point which I dread.

    But Turkey! Wow! So so gorgeous! If there are lots of cats, that will sell Phil on the destination! And cheap produce, too? The mountains in the backdrop of the ocean picture - so stunning!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had to walk through the entire store just to find the damn bags at the very end! Luckily it was not busy so I did not have to deal with slow walkers. I know that it's a good place to get certain things but it's not my cup of tea.

      They call this part of Türkiye the Turquoise Coast, and it does live up to its name!! Phil would love it, there are cats galore!

      Delete
  7. Gorgeous photos! I have never been to Turkiye but it looks so beautiful! And roaming kitties? Yes, please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most of the kitties are very friendly too! They are not like mean or feral!

      Delete
  8. I mostly walked around my neighborhood, but I had a couple of Michigan walks, too.

    I feel like I need to defend IKEA here. It's such a mecca of affordable, sturdy enough bookshelves. That is my defense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sturdy enough! Enough said. They do serve a purpose but I have always bought stuff at goodwill, found it on the street or got it from someone else and that has worked for me!

      Delete
  9. Wow, these photos are stunning! This looks fascinating. You have beautiful scenery, delicious fruits and vegetables, beer and cats!!! That's all you need.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! It really is. Except (no offense!!) the beer here is not really my preference. I am an IPA girl and it's hard to go back to lager after that!

      Delete
  10. Wow! What a beautiful place to walk! I've never been there and I don't know much about it, but from your photos, I'm completely charmed. There isn't an Ikea close to me, but I've been to the ones in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Edmonton, and thought they were really fun. I loved the Swedish meatballs and the shop with all the cookies and candies. I got lots of kitchen items - silverware, plates, cutting boards, etc. I didn't buy any big furniture, but I loved seeing all their model rooms. But that was way back in the 1990s, so maybe things have changed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nope, I think it is still like that! I'm not a big shopper and large stores with a lot of stuff are especially taxing. Except for Costco, of course! Which I know is kind of like calling the kettle black, but food i can get on board with.

      Delete
  11. It was good to see a bit more of where you’ve been travelling. I walked in Melbourne, Hong Kong Airport, London and Oxford in April.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds like fun! I love wandering around a new city, or getting to know one that I've already been to better!!

      Delete
  12. Oh, I love these pictures! Thank you for curating the best for us. I love a good beach walk, to be sure.

    LOL about McDonalds. I’m glad you didn’t eat there. I have nothing against McD, I even crave it occasionally, but when there is so much better food available, I wouldn’t pick it either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had my first McDonald's hamburger last year while cycling, but I was not super excited about it. If I'm going to have fast food, I would go for Chipotle.

      Delete
  13. That is a whole lot of walking. Wow.
    Gorgeous photos. I have been to Antalya – or outside of it – but have not seen much. It was my first all inkl. vacation it was well... not the best experience. But it was cheap, I had no money and I wanted t travel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never done an all inclusive, and the reason for that is that I don't feel like I would like the experience. However, I would never knock it till I try it! I am sorry your time in Antalya was not the best, but hopefully you can go back and see it with new eyes later!

      Delete

Thanks for commenting! I love to respond to comments, so please check back soon for my reply!