Photos by Caner Erol
Olympos is in a valley at the south coast of Turkey, approximately 90 kms away from Antalya. The city of Olympos was initially founded in the Hellenistic period and was attested its name as a result of the nearby mountain Olympos. According to Homer, from these mountains, Poseidon saw Odysseus sailing away from Calypso’s island, and called up a great storm that wrecked him on the shores of the island of Nausicaa. Legend also has it that these mountains are the birth place of Santa Claus.
In more correct words, Saint Nicholas’ church is in a small town called Demre -which is a Lycian town of Myra by the mountains. Saint Nicholas is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker and had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. It is this metamorphosis of Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus that gives credit to Demre as the hometown of Santa Claus.
With or without the Santa, word has is that New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Mount Olympos is a legendary experience on its own. Kadir’s Tree Houses are one of the tree-house establishments in the region and a perfect place to pass the holidays. Moving into the establishment, guests are welcomed by dogs and cats and a variety of different farm animals. Tree houses are all equipped with air conditioners and heaters. The establishment is approximately 20 minutes away from the coast -where the brave enough can go swimming in the middle of December!
As for New Year’s Eve celebrations, the best of its kind are arranged at the tree houses and are open to the residents of the little town and other nearby residents. That means all sorts of adventurous people, travelers, mountain climbers join the party and share their most adventurous and secretive nature stories. Rock band plays rock music, hot wine warms hearts and the body and a night of celebration goes on and on with the traditional “sucuk & ekmek”s of the Turkish (grilled salami and bread).
You will find on Donuz, everything that is unique to where we have been and where you would want to be. Be it food, be it lodging, be it a special feet massage, a bottle of wine, a person… Be it for 7 days, a day, a week, 36 hours or a single moment. On Donuz, is everything, you will need to make your holidays special. We hope you share with us your experiences.
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:44 am
I have actually been to Kadir’s Houses three years ago and it was indeed for New Year’s Eve celebrations (year 2006). For me it was an exceptional experience in many ways. First of all the tranquility of the place, the sense of belonging to the nature was very extreme. There are not enough words to describe the natural beauties as well as the historical significance of this place.
It did get cold in the evenings and I had to wear a skier’s sweatshirt to warm myself under the blanket, but I cannot and should not complain. Sleeping in a tree house was already a major experience in itself and feeling a little bit cold made it more genuine for me.
From the tree house to the Lykian road is approximately a 20-minute walk. A guide or someone knowledgeable is a great asset as the history is very interesting and rich. A little path on this road leads to the coast. We actually swam! on 31st of December 2006! It was amazing! A further walk on the coast leads to the village of Ciralı. And is worth the walk for fresh grilled calamari on the beach.