Some Places Are Best Appreciated From a Distance

Can getting close show you too much?

For the audio version of this article, read by the author, go here.

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In my twenties, before I met Brent, I somehow got up the nerve to ask out this very handsome guy: jet-black hair, a six o’clock shadow, and gorgeous hooded eyes.

He was way out of my league, and I was surprised when he said yes to going out with me. We even dated for a couple of months.

But the longer we dated, the more dull I found him — largely because he wasn’t very curious about the world. After two months, I broke it off.

I recently thought of this guy when Brent and I visited the Blue Lagoon, a unique geographic formation on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. In Turkish, it’s called Ölüdeniz, which means “Dead Sea,” and it’s a small, sheltered bay with a very narrow entrance, making it incredibly calm even on stormy days.

It’s also a protected natural area and, yes, it is very blue. But what’s really unique about it are its different shades of blue.

Incidentally, there is more than one “Blue Lagoon” in the world. You can find places with the same name in Thailand, Malta, Iceland, and a certain cheesy old movie starring Brooke Shields.

From a distance, this Blue Lagoon is stunningly beautiful.

That’s how Brent and I first saw it: from a distance. We were ten kilometers away, looking down from the Lycian Way, a hiking trail that runs east along the coast.

It looked so tranquil and unspoiled, its turquoise water surrounded by lush green hills.

The Blue Lagoon, to the right.

“That’s amazing!” I said. “We have to go check that out.”

A week later, we did.

The first sign that the Blue Lagoon might be different close-up was the massive parking lot. There was even an admission charge to enter the area.