Cleopatra’s Baths

Just outside of Göcek in a secluded little area aptly named “Hammam Bay” sit the remaining stone structures of the baths gifted to Cleopatra by Marc Antony. Like so many ruins in Turkey, this one is marked but unguarded, mostly unknown, and in early spring, we had the baths all to ourselves.

When Cleopatra was bathing there, the water was fed by warm springs from a crater lake; now, it is cold but clear. We hiked a bit to find them and then waded around imagining ourselves Egyptian queens, soaking in the sunlight with Roman warriors feeding us grapes.

Our friends in Göcek told us about the restaurant on this little bay, and it was quite a find. Probaby busy during summer, in early April we found ourselves dining by the center fireplace with only one other couple on a windy, rainy evening. The restaurant must be home to musicians, as it had a grand piano, drum set and guitar set in a modern glass library room. It was incredible! We wandered in and I played what I could by memory on the piano, a sound of land life I definitely miss.