THERE’S SOMETHING about watching fishing boats return to their harbor sunset, while bobbing up and down in warm, turquoise water, that makes you feel the urge to pinch yourself. You’ve got to remind yourself this isn’t a dream. You’re here. In Turkey. And it’s incredible.

That’s the sensation that overtook me so many times while traversing Turkey’s Turquoise coast, the sensation that I was living in a dream. From the cobblestone back streets of Alaçatı, to eating freshly caught octopus in Kaş—Turkey does not disappoint. You have to see this coastline to believe it. It’s a place where ancient gods once walked, and one where it feels like they may still walk today.