Flowers and Children
Welcome back to apostcardfromturkey.com! This week’s postcard is from the Antalya Expo 2016 which is being held in Antalya.
Expo Antalya 2016
The focus of this year’s expo is showcasing a greener life. The event is being held from April to October with the theme “Flowers and Children” and the motto “A Green Life for Future Generations”. Over 50 countries are participating in the Antalya Expo, including Kenya, Comoros, Thailand, Italy, Ethiopia, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Qatar, Germany, and Japan. Each participating country will design a garden relating to nature and sustainable environmental growth.
A flower made of flowers
A garden at the Expo site
Chinese Pavillion
A total of 8 million visitors, 5 million of which will be tourists from foreign countries, are expected to visit Expo 2016. Two thousand people attended the previous expo, in 2012 in the Netherlands.
Expo 2016 includes three exhibition buildings, home to 3000 square meters of gardens representing 51 countries, a Science and Technology Center for Children, two amphitheaters, an Observation tower, an arts and Exhibition building and a lake. The Antalya 2016 Expo opened April 23. 35,705 people visited it on the first day.
The iconic Expo tower
Children showing their flowers after the workshop
“Childrens Village” on the Expo site
Antalya, with its sun and warm weather 10 months of the year, is a popular tourist site in Turkey and boasts many historic sites, special museums, and beautiful beaches. Antalya is looking forward to welcoming its 8 million visitors with special tours, programs and special, low hotel prices.
In addition to the Expo, of special interest to visitors is the Kaleici, or Old City, in Antalya and many nearby historical sites: the theater at Aspendos, Side with its extraordinary Greek and Roman ruins, the Manavgat, Duden and Kursunlu Waterfalls, the ancient city of Thermessos, Demre, where St Nicholas lived, and Myra with its tombs carved in the cliffs. There’s also Kekova, a sunken city with ruins to explore by boat.
Myra, Demre, Antalya
Kaleici, Antalya
Apollo Temple, Side, Antalya
Aspendos Theater, Antalya
For an even more nature themed event, this one in Istanbul, you might want to check out the Lettuce Festival held in Yedikule, Istanbul. The Yedikule urban gardens have existed since the Byzantine era, providing the city with fresh vegetables and especially lettuce. These gardens, next to the Theodosian walls and close to the Yedikule fortress, are an integral part of Istanbul’s urban and culinary heritage. That’s why the city is celebrating its own lettuce festival May 6-7. For those interested and in Istanbul, there will be a talk on the history and current state of the Yedikule Gardens at SALT Galata, from 5-7pm. Check out the details on the guide İstanbul. (http://www.theguideistanbul.com/event/istanbul-lettuce-festival-yedikule)
