Hiking to Keçi Kale

Every time we're driving on the highway and we pass by the mountain with the castle on top, I always tell Joel I want to hike to it. Well, one Saturday in May, we finally did it! It took about an hour and 20 minutes to get to the top, but the castle ruins and the amazing view was so worth it! And the kids did a great job - it was such a fun family day!

At the start of the trail. See the teeny tiny castle on top?

Brooks even did really great hiking - for the first 10 minutes. Haha!

Getting steeper!

About halfway there.

Almost there - it finally doesn't look so teeny tiny anymore!

WOW! Just beautiful!

 What a view!

Family selfie in the castle!

I tried to find out more of the history of the castle, but I couldn't find a whole lot of info other than that it dates back to the Hellenistic period. It's called Keçi Kalesi, which means goat castle and there is a legend that "an attacking army was brutally outnumbered and waited until nightfall to attack. They took thousands of goats, mounted candles to their heads and led them up the mountain. The castle guards, seeing the "massive army" storming up the mountain, decided to surrender without bloodshed to the massive offensive of goats.”

I love getting outside and exploring with my family, seeing new places and learning new things! It's not always easy with little ones who quickly get tired and start to complain. But the more we do it, the easier it will get - my goal is to be more active as a family this summer!