Maidens Castle is a Crusader Castle that hovers 200 meters offshore, in the Mediterranean Sea on the far Eastern Turkish coast.  The castle was built in the 12th century, during the Byzantine period, and in ancient times was linked to another castle on the shore by a giant causeway built on a large slab of bedrock almost at water level.  Swimming out to this floating castle from the beautiful golden sand beach was one of the most rewarding moments of my life.  There is nothing more timeless and authentic than swimming out to a monument built centuries earlier, scaling the walls barefoot, and exploring the ruined interior.