Travelling Turkey - Train Anyone?

Anyone intent on exploring Turkey will find travelling between the towns and cities of the country extremely easy as the country has an indispensable network of intercity buses run by private companies. If you read this blog a lot, you’ll know we’re big fans of Fethiye Otogar (Fethiye intercity bus station) and the buses that use it. Budget airlines are also increasing in popularity - and choice of internal travel routes - and their low prices mean the intercity bus companies of Turkey are also cutting their fares and improving an already fantastic service to try to compete.

Functional Fethiye Otogar

However, there is one mode of travel in Turkey that is often overlooked by travellers. The train. If you have never considered rail travel in Turkey, you’re missing out on a memorable journey! It’s cheap, comfortable, takes in amazing scenery and, on some routes, it's a little piece of nostalgia thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, living in Fethiye, we don't have a train station for miles, but get yourself into rail road Turkey and you're in for a treat!

A few years ago, we were in Istanbul with only a couple of days left on our tourist visas and a vague plan of heading into Northern Greece by bus. The plan was so vague that by the time we got to the travel agents to book a bus, we were told there were no buses for three days. That would take us one day over our visa limit. This is where my mass panic set in and the world was going to come to an end.

‘Why don’t you just go by train?’ The woman behind the counter in the travel agents threw us (well, me. Barry doesn’t do panic) a lifeline.

‘Train? Can we get a train? Where from?’ (Don't forget, we're living in Fethiye. Fethiye doesn't do trains. We were in shock.)

Enchanting Istanbul Sirkeci Train Station

‘Where from’ was none other than Istanbul’s Sirkeci Train Station; the final destination of the Orient Express before passengers such as crime novelist Agatha Christie disembarked and headed for the equally famous Istanbul Pera Palace Hotel in the 1920s. That was where from.

The following morning, we rolled out of historic Sirkeci train station, leaving the beautifully ornate restaurant and stained glass windows behind. We had our own, private compartment, pull-down sash window, rolling hills, Thracian wetlands…and we had actually considered the bus. 

We have done this train journey between Istanbul in Turkey and Alexandropoulis in Greece twice (once in the daytime and once in a sleeper compartment) and it's fantastic. It's one of the few occasions where we would gladly forgo the option of the bus. The train's final destination is Thessaloniki; another city we would love to visit sometime...one day.

All trains to Europe and the European area of Turkey leave from Sirkeci Station in Istanbul.
NB: Trains leaving for the rest of Turkey (the West Coast, Central Anatolia and the East / Southeast) leave from Haydarpaşa Station on the Asian side of Istanbul. Please check with booking agents about the current situation as, sadly, a huge fire engulfed the station at the end of November 2010. At the moment, we are unsure where the train terminates / begins its journey.

Update 1.2.2011 - Please click comments below for more information.

For information about train routes across Turkey (including photos), Europe and the world visit seat61.com (this link takes you to the Turkey page). We've used this site a lot as it's so easy to follow. It's also updated regularly.

Mooching Around Fethiye - Kale Park

If you're reading this expecting a restaurant food and service review, you might be disappointed. As is the norm on Turkey's For Life, we're merely reporting a particular event in one of our days. The day I'm writing about here is the day Turkey's Prime Minister, Tayyip Recep Erdoğan, paid a visit to Fethiye. At the time, you might remember we acknowledged the visit and posted a photo of Fethiye on that day, police helicopter and all. 

The day began with a bit of a buzz. 'Oooooh, let's go into Fethiye to see what all the fuss is about.' And then we went into Fethiye, camera in bag, to see what all the fuss was about. Police, police helicopters, snipers, roadblocks, body searches if you wanted to pass into the viewing area. The reality didn't compete very well with whatever we were expecting (what exactly were we expecting?) so we took ourselves off into old Fethiye, away from the action. We were out and about anyway, it was glorious, crispy winter weather, so why not make the most of it? 

Entrance to Fethiye's Kale Park Restaurant

From Fethiye dolmuş station, walk up to the main road, take a left and almost immediately on the right, you'll see the road signs for Kayaköy, the Lycian Fethiye Amyntas rock tomb (and tombs) and restaurants. Follow this road through an old Fethiye neighbourhood and continue uphill. This was where we headed. As you come to the junction for Kayaköy to the left and Karagözler straight ahead, you'll see a huge Turkish flag flying above the ruins of the castle. You can't miss it. Maybe it's the angle from where you observe it; we don't know. We do know that you can't help but crane your neck and admire it. (You'll know this beautiful-looking flag from our Turkey's For Life photo on Twitter and Facebook page.) 

And just next to this sight is Kale Park Restaurant. Why are we feeling the need to write about this particular Fethiye restaurant? Because of this...

 The exciting bit - would you turn away at this point?

...You've got to admit, this is a pretty decent entrance to any restaurant! Walk down the steps, towards the doorway and you can see Fethiye and the bay slowly appearing before you. The building itself is a rather narrow half-moon shape with ornate, wooden ceiling à la Akyaka ceilings and a large, open kitchen. The outside, as you can see, is a vast, open courtyard with tables around the edge of the cliff face. Any slight breeze and you can hear the rapid flapping of the Turkish flag.

View over Fethiye from the cliff-side seating

Amazing panoramic views over Fethiye bay. The odd thing with Fethiye is, when it comes to restaurants, no one has ever set their stall out and claimed to be a gourmet, top end establishment. It will come; we're convinced. For now though, we can sit and ponder life and gush over these views whilst enjoying our 5 lira Efes Pilsen!

While the prime minister spoke to his listeners along the harbour below, we mooched around Fethiye's rock tombs and the castle and then quenched our thirst at Kale Park...and we weren't the only escapees to end up there! 

Gulf of Gökova - Akyaka

A couple of days ago, I posted a photo of the Gulf of Gökova near Marmaris. Sometimes, you view a beautiful bay from above and think, 'I've got to get down there.' You take yourself off down the hill, expecting a secret paradise. You arrive, glance around with hands on hips and think, 'Is this it?' And then the sense of deflation kicks in and you feel cheated. The awe inspiring view from the top of the hill suddenly reveals itself to be - well, the reality is a long way short of what you were hoping for. 

However, take yourself off down Sakara Tepe until you reach sea level of the Gulf of Gökova and you will hit the the beautiful, almost-hidden village of Akyaka. (The huge, gaudy road sign on the main road at the top gives the game away.)

 When in Akyaka, looking up can be rewarding!

Akyaka is special because all buildings must be built in a similar mock-Ottoman style with ornate wooden ceilings, window shutters and doors. Craftsmanship is alive and well in Turkey, it seems.  No high-rise buildings are allowed and, apart from a handful of hotels in Akyaka, accommodation is in these homes, since converted to holiday apartments.

The first time we went to Akyaka four years ago, we went on a whim when we were feeling a bit restless one summer's day in Fethiye. We went to Fethiye otogar, chose a random nearby place to go to and jumped on the bus. Not quite believing what we were seeing when we arrived in Akyaka, we decided we couldn't leave so soon and we just had to stay overnight. We traipsed up and down the two or three streets, knocking on doors, being turned away. No room at the inn. In the summer months, holidaymakers from the city of Muğla, just up the road, fill the pensions and apartments to bursting point. 

Ornate buildings in low-key Akyaka

And then, just at the end of the beach, dotted about the forest, we saw the campsite. This campsite is a very organised affair where you can hire a tent with (clean) sleeping mat and bedding. We were given a tent right on the hillside, surrounded by ancient pine trees and, when we unzipped the doors the following morning, we were faced with stunning views out to sea. This was all in my pre-digital-camera days so you'll have to use your imagination. 

The photos you're looking at in this post were taken at the end of December when we were on our way to Bodrum airport. Scenes from Akyaka on a dull, winter's afternoon and evening. (One day, we will hire a car and we will be blessed with sunshine on that day!) We were expecting a ghost town but there were people milling around, some of the bars and restaurants were open and they had customers. 

Akyaka's Blue Flag Beach

We walked along the promenade lining Akyaka's Blue Flag beach and stopped at one of the beach bars for a drink. Normally packed with sunbeds in the summer season, on this December day the sandy beach was home to a fisherman, five or six street dogs and a sign reading, 'No dogs allowed on the beach.' 

From Fethiye otogar, it's possible to take the Marmaris bus, get off at the Marmaris turn-off and walk to Akyaka in around 30 minutes.
Alternatively, take any bus to Muğla and you can either get off at the top of the hill (where you see the sign for Akyaka) and walk down - about 15 minutes - or continue all the way to Muğla otogar and then take the regular dolmuş to Akyaka. Note: this dolmuş is usually marked 'Gökova' rather than 'Akyaka.' 
If you're travelling by car, it's simple. Take a left onto the D400 and keep going till you begin to climb Sakara Tepe (you'll know!) just after the Marmaris junction. Akyaka is signposted to the left. Journey time from Fethiye: around 90 minutes. 

Turkish Recipes - Bulgur Wheat Craving

In Turkey, there is a type of restaurant called Ocakbaşı. You go to these restaurants when you want to eat grilled meat, cooked on an open barbecue within the restaurant. My favourite meal, whenever we go to places like this, is chicken şiş kebab. Skewered chunks of chicken and vegetables are placed on the grill and once cooked, they're usually served on a bed of lavaş bread, with a side salad and bulgur wheat. 

Bulgur wheat - A serving of bulgur pilav

Along with rice, bulgur wheat is a bit of a staple in Turkey. Walk around Fethiye market and you'll see a number of stalls selling it by the kilo from huge plastic bowls. Supermarkets stock it, pre-packed, on their shelves alongside rice, lentils and other dried foods. Fine bulgur wheat (köftelik bulgur) resembles couscous and we've used it in the past for other Turkish recipes. (Click here to see our kısır recipe which uses fine bulgur.) However, it's the larger grains which are used to make bulgur pilav.

Last night, I was craving chicken şiş served with bulgur wheat (bulgur pilav) and as we weren't about to head out into the cold night air, I set about creating my own version. Şiş kebabs are just not the same unless barbecued so I decided to do grilled chicken breast to go with the bulgur. Our fridge was also decidedly sparse of salad so we had a serving of stir-fried Mediterranean vegetables instead.

Vegetables for the side serving. The tomatoes will be used in the cooking of the bulgur.

• First of all, butterfly two chicken breasts, cut them into goujons and score one side.
• Pour around a tablespoon of olive oil onto your grill pan and spread it around. Just enough to prevent the chicken pieces from sticking.

A spice rub for the chicken breast

Chicken breast, especially when it's sliced thinly, can get a bit dry so I always make a spicy (of course!) rub for it.

• In a pestle and mortar, place a clove of garlic, pinch of cumin seed, coriander seed, just a couple of fennel seeds (they're strong!), black peppercorns, chilli flakes or chilli powder, a pinch of salt, a glug of olive oil and the juice of quarter of a lemon. The lemons in Fethiye are super juicy at the moment so you might need to use half a lemon if you're not in a citrus-growing area.
• Mash and grind all these ingredients together in your pestle and mortar to make a rough paste.
• This is the messy (but fun) bit. Get your fingers in and rub the mixture into the scores you made on the chicken breast.

I squeezed a little more lemon over the top of the chicken, just for good measure.

FOR THE BULGUR PILAV

The bulgur wheat takes on the colours of the tomatoes and pepper paste

As with the Turkish rice recipe, we're going to be using double the amount of liquid to bulgur wheat. 

• Chop a couple of medium-sized tomatoes and saute them in a little olive oil in a large saucepan.
• If you want, you can also add some finely chopped onion. I usually do, but last night I was using onion in the vegetable stir fry and I didn't want to overdo it.
• After a few minutes, fill a coffee mug with bulgur and add it to the pan.
• Stir for three or four minutes.
• Using the same coffee mug, fill it with water, pour it into the pan and then fill it again (about three quarters full this time) and add that to the pan. Give the mixture a good stir. 

I used just less than 2 mugs of water because my tomatoes were quite watery so that made up the extra liquid. If you want (we want!), you can also add some chilli flakes or chilli powder at this point.

Bring to the boil and then turn to a medium heat and cover. I usually leave a small gap. 

Bulgur wheat takes around 10 minutes to cook. You need to cook it till the liquid has evaporated and then leave it to stand for about 5 minutes. It does tend to stick to the bottom of the pan while cooking so give it a stir every so often.

Just as you remove it from the heat, add a dessert spoonful of red pepper paste (biber salcası) just for extra colour and richness to the taste. Stir it in and then place the lid back on the pan. 

The home version of ocakbaşı chicken served with bulgur pilav

Once you've got your bulgur wheat underway, you can prepare your salad or, in our case,  stir fry your vegetables and grill your chicken.

When you serve your chicken, there will probably be juices left behind in the grill pan. Lemon, oil, spices. It's naughty, I know, but drizzle these juices over the top of your chicken. Lovely! 

We made this dish for two of us and we have got more than enough left over for lunch today. I've mixed the vegetables into the bulgur, there are a few chicken goujons left and we're going to eat it all with a piece of lavaş bread and some cacık. Roll on lunchtime.

Gulf of Gökova - Photo Favourite

Fluffy animal anyone? Gökova Bay View

I came across this photo whilst rearranging my filing system yesterday and decided to post it today because it's one of my favourites. 

The D400 highway is a magical road that spans the whole of the South coast of Turkey. It's my ambition to do a tour and drive the full length of the D400 one day, but for now, we'll have to be content with the stretches we've had the pleasure to traverse.

Set off from Fethiye and take a left onto the D400, heading in the direction of Muğla. After passing the turn-off for Marmaris, the road climbs and winds very steeply up the side of Sakara Tepe (Sakara Hill) and just as you reach the summit of the hill, you're rewarded with this amazing view...and if you want, you can stop your car, get out and buy a fluffy lamb, camel or donkey. It makes me chuckle every time we pass this spot. I've never seen anyone making a purchase. Well, would you be brave enough to go to the edge and pick up one of the bigger donkeys at the back? 

Gökova bay was once chosen as the site for the development of a huge power plant. Thankfully, and not surprisingly, as soon as the information was made public, there was an outcry and the site was built elsewhere. 

Fethiye Weather - Surviving Wet Winter Days

Yes, I know we keep harping on about how much we love winter in Fethiye. Deserted beaches, crisp, clear mountain scenery, afternoon strolls, trekking...but sometimes, it rains...for days. 

In mid December, we were faced with Baltic temperatures in Fethiye and then a week later, a pretty hefty storm rolled over Fethiye and Çalış leaving us with a stark reminder of the power of nature. After working so hard, Winter then decided to take a break, go off on its holidays and treat us to continual sunny days and temperatures in the high teens. Snow that had settled on the mountain tops during the Baltic temperatures was melting at a rapid pace and we couldn't see where the next cold spell was going to come from.

And then Winter decided it was time to get back to work and, feeling fully refreshed from its holidays, it set about its tasks with a renewed vigour, as though it's feeling guilty for being away for so long. It's rained every day since Friday and temperatures, although not ridiculously low, have slumped to single figures. The snow is back, too.

 Even the Fethiye seagulls seem fed up of the rain

As you know, we like to see the positive side of life on this blog. All of this rain is much needed; we haven't had nearly enough this winter. And how do we survive these rare days when Fethiye turns into a wet, grey world? Well actually, I'm feeling very pleased with myself right at this very moment. The ironing is done (the pile has been there for months) but more importantly, I've caught up with all my photo filing, labelling and numbering. 

When it comes to my photos, I'm (perhaps) overly fastidious in how I normally label them all. But, since we started Turkey's For Life, I've taken more photos than ever before, they've been quickly uploaded and some have gone straight into a blogpost. The whole thing had started to run away from me so that every time I went into my photos on the laptop, it was driving me mad that there were just random numbers instead of titles and albums with bits and bobs in. If you're like me and have an annoying obsession with filing anything that can be filed, you'll sympathise with me. If you're not one of those people, then you can no doubt think of much more interesting things to do with your time! 

Apart from a quick dash to the supermarket during a rain break, I haven't budged all day and I can now sit and admire my photo folders, folders within folders, albums, individual photos and each photo is numbered and labelled. Oh, the joy. Thank you, wet winter Fethiye weather. Now I just need to upload some photos to Flickr and get geotagging! 

Sarıgerme - Winter in Turkey

This winter, we've had a sprinkling of friends out to visit Fethiye. That's meant we've had more access to a car than we normally would, resulting in a mini-series of posts on Turkey's For Life about enjoying winter in the Fethiye region. We've basked in the winter sun in Ölü Deniz and savoured a cold Efes Pilsen at Gemiler Bay. When our friends were leaving just after New Year the sun wasn't shining, but we still managed to spend some time taking in the winter scenery in Göcek, before taking them to Dalaman Airport for their flight home.

We're not car owners and, living in Fethiye, we don't really miss one because the public transport is so good. That said, when we spy an opportunity for having a car for the day, we snatch it. Last week, some other friends were due to fly into Dalaman in the evening and asked us to arrange a transfer from the airport for them. 'We'll pick you up!' Pick up the hire car in the morning, go out for the day, meet friends at Dalaman airport and then drive them back to Fethiye. Everyone's a winner! We get a car, they get a lift. Unfortunately, we can't choose the weather. It was a tad dull.

 A deserted Sarıgerme Beach

We thought it best not to stray too far from Dalaman, so getting a few winter photos of the nearby beach at Sarıgerme seemed like a good option. It's many years since we last visited Sarıgerme so we were expecting major changes...there weren't any. Well, there are a few more villas in the village, perhaps a couple more 'genuine fake sunglasses' shops and the ridiculously potholed entrance road from Dalaman has had (most of) its potholes filled in, taking a good few minutes off the driving time.

Perfect picnic spot - Sarıgerme Beach

Sarıgerme is every beach lover's dream come true. Hence the reason we've not been there for so long. There is absolutely no reason to be there in winter unless you're like us and enjoy a bit of solitary. Apart from us, there was one other guy there doing his exercises and he is the only other human being we saw until we left for Dalyan a little later on. Not a single business open in Sarıgerme village, situated about 1.5 kilometres from the beach. It appears the buildings here exist purely for the holidaymakers.

Allocated sunbathing space along Sarıgerme Beach

We don't know much about Sarıgerme (I'm wondering, is there much to know?) so I had a quick look in our The Rough Guide to Turkey as a bit of research, before starting this post. Sarıgerme is praised for its natural beauty - yes, we could definitely see the natural beauty! What we have learned is the beach, as with nearby Iztuzu Beach, is a nesting area for the loggerhead turtle. Hopefully, this is why development hasn't happened on as large a scale as we expected. 

Turkish Breakfast In Kayaköy

Over the last couple of years or so, there has a been a growing trend in the Fethiye area and the growth is showing no signs of abating. In fact, it seems to be picking up speed and the local restaurants are taking full advantage. Walk along Fethiye harbour late morning, early afternoon on any given Sunday and you'll be hard pushed to find a seat at any of the restaurants as families and friends get together to while away a few hours over the new fashion that is the village Turkish breakfast (Köy Kahvaltası).

Obviously, the Turkish breakfast has been around for many a year, decade, century. It's the going out to a restaurant for breakfast that seems to be taking Fethiye by storm. Not to be left out of all the fun, we're fully enjoying being fashion victims by joining our Turkish friends to eat far too much and be full for the rest of the day.

Yalçın Restaurant, Kayaköy

So, which ingredients make up a Turkish breakfast? Well, if we're keeping it simple; fresh bread, cheese, jam, honey, olives, egg, tomato, cucumber. However, the Fethiye restaurants have to find ways of tempting the breakfast-eating masses into their place and it appears they're doing this by advertising how many different choices they offer. It's becoming quite comical. One restaurant will put out a huge banner, reading, 'Köy Kahvaltısı - 15 Çeşit' which basically translates as 'We're serving Turkish breakfast and we've got 15 different types of food that make up our breakfast.' Not to be outdone, the restaurant next door will hang out their breakfast banner: 'Köy Kahvaltısı - 50 Çeşit.' Surely, that must include the salt and pepper and the sugar for your tea? 

At the moment, amongst our Turkish friends, the current favourite Sunday-afternoon-Turkish-breakfast-munching restaurant is Yalçın Kebab in Kayaköy. Who are we to argue? A few of us spent around 4 hours there on Thursday (well, who said you can only go out for breakfast on Sundays?) and well, the Turkish breakfast should maybe change its name the Turkish breakfast banquet.

So, what was on the menu at Yalçın on Thursday? This feast of yumminess was served to 8 people:

Turkish breakfast ingredients slowly fill the table in Kayaköy

We ate home made butter, super spicy antep ezmesi, sliced cucumber, green and black olives, strong tülüm cheese topped with walnuts (think parmesan), mild kaşar cheese...

A colourful feast in Kayaköy

...spicy green peppers, tomatoes, sigara böreği (cheese rolls), spiced tülüm cheese, strawberry jam, blackcurrant jam, rose jam, honey, sucuk and fried eggs, fresh, crispy, green salad...

And that makes up the Turkish breakfast in Kayaköy

...white cheese (think feta), chilli and thyme olive oil dip, salami and a mountain of fresh bread and hot toast. And, not content with the feast before our eyes, one friend disappeared inside for a sharp knife. She took a few of the walnuts and chopped them into a bowl. Then she added some of the honey and butter and mixed it all up (see top, right photo). We were instructed to eat this spread on hot toast. It was rich! 

Turkish tea being served

Well, we are in Turkey. Our full-to-the-top, grumbling bodies were soothed with unlimited glasses of hot çay (Turkish tea.)

As you can imagine, going out for Turkish breakfast is not something you do when you are in a rush! It's a day out. Some restaurants deliver all the plates to your table whilst others offer a buffet service. We've decided we're going to make it a mission to sample as many of the Turkish breakfasts of Fethiye as we can...and of course, we'll keep you posted on our progress!

We've eaten breakfast at Yalçın a few times now and the breakfast table has never twice looked the same - so if you do go, don't be surprised if your breakfast doesn't resemble these photos exactly.   

Fethiye Rumours - Kont The Dog

Kont the Dog in Deep Blue Bar, Fethiye

A while back, we did a post on our favourite Fethiye animal, Kont the Dog. If he could sit down to write his autobiography, it would make for interesting reading. A former Paspatur resident, Kont the Dog has had a strange old life of ups and downs. Passed from one owner to the next, he finally became a street dog, adopted Deep Blue Bar as his home, got a doggie girlfriend, lost his doggie girlfriend in a road accident, found a new girlfriend...

...and then last year, local officials decided it was no longer right that Kont could wander the streets of Paspatur. That's when a few of the infamous Fethiye rumours kicked into action and by last summer, we were hearing stores around Fethiye that Kont was no longer of this world (to put it politely). He was actually very much alive and was up at the animal shelter on the road to Üzümlü.

Fortunately and deservedly, the end of Kont's autobiography is going to be a happy one. Someone visiting the Fethiye animal shelter saw Kont and decided he was the dog for them. He is now living with his new owner, under a new name, in a few thousand square metres of garden, he's looking great and he's got a new girlfriend who he is very happy with. Lots of people miss Kont very much (we miss him every day) but we're really happy to know he's finally settled in a lovely, new home.

Fethiye Fish Market Shopping

When we lived in England we developed an obsession for buying cookery books. Of course, there are millions of recipes online these days but there is just something about thumbing through the pages of a book. Over the years, we've managed to transfer those books from England, over to Fethiye. They're heavy - it's been a gradual process. 

One of our favourite chefs is Rick Stein, but as we were young, poor students in England, all the enticing recipes were an unaffordable dream. Sea bass? Sea bream? Out of our league. We could stretch to bit of frozen cod but that was about the limit - and Rick Stein's recipes always seemed to tempt us with the untouchable luxuries of the ocean.

Strolling around Fethiye fish market

When we came to Fethiye, all of a sudden, cold water fish such as cod was off the menu and sea bass and sea bream from Fethiye fish market became the cheaper alternatives. Time to dust off the Rick Stein books and get recipe hunting.

We had friends round for food last night and we wanted it to be something simple that could be left in the oven. We chose a baked sea bass over chilli cannellini beans with thyme recipe from Fruits Of The Sea- one of Rick Stein's earlier books. Sea bass with beans? Trust the chef. It's fantastic!

What to buy? 

Yesterday, Fethiye fish market was stocked high with a variety of seafood and I almost got carried away; completely forgetting what I'd gone there for in the first place. I walked full circle, around each stall - snapper, king prawns, red prawns, mackerel, various fish that I only know the Turkish name for, and lovely, plump sea bass and sea bream. I wasn't going to be getting many fish to the kilo! Yesterday, these fish were looking in tip top condition. 

We've posted in the past about the Fethiye fish market restaurants but we also love to go shopping in this area just for goodies to take home. Our local butcher is here as well as our favourite spice stall.  

Sucuk dangles from hooks at Fethiye fish market

'You need sea bass, you need sea bass, you need sea bass - oh look, sucuk.' This is me, talking to myself, trying and failing to keep myself on task. Well, this is our local butcher's home-made sucuk. And doesn't it just say, 'Admire me, buy me, eat me!' Well, that's what it does for me, anyway and I almost bought some. 'No. You've come for sea bass. Just buy it and go home!'

2 kilos of oven-baked sea bass.

Three, meaty sea bass were eventually purchased, taken home, baked over the top of the chillied beans and enjoyed by all of us.

Turkey's For Life Just Got Easier

If you visited Turkey's for Life yesterday, you may have noticed a new addition across the bottom of your screen. We're really excited about this new addition to the blog and it should mean we don't need to make any more significant changes in near future. 

Let's take a quick look at the main buttons on the new bar. 

1. Recommended: Click this button to see which of our blog posts have been shared around on Facebook. We've spent a bit of time looking at this, too - it's interesting to see what people feel the urge to share. 

2. Link Menu: This is a navigational tool and we've added some of the main search terms. Click on one of these and you will taken to all posts with that search label.

3. Recent Posts: We like this one! A very quick scroll through the titles of our last 25 posts. 

4. Random: And we like this one, too. Just a bit of fun if you're idling the day away. Self-explanatory. Click this and a random post will pop up. I've been playing with this one when I should have been doing other things. Maybe we should relabel this 'the procrastination button.'

5. Contact Us: We get quite a lot of comments from people who try to use the 'contact us' tab at the top of our page and it's proved to be a bit temperamental. Some people have no problem whilst others get blocked. Hopefully, this new tab will let all of your messages through. 

6. Photos: As you know, we have Turkey's For Life group on Flickr and people's photos have been displayed in a slide show which sometimes took a while to load. Click this button to view the new display. We think it's much quicker and displays people's photos of Turkey in a more effective way. 

7: Subscribe: Another place from where you can subscribe to Turkey's For Life. If you'd prefer to subscribe by email, you can use the link on the top left of the page.

8: Facebook: This is good! Click the Facebook tab and you can now view our Facebook page, 'like' and add any comments from here. Well, I think that's pretty impressive.

9: Twitter: As with the Facebook button. View the Turkey's For Life Twitter page, tweets and all.

So what's going to happen to the 'contact us' and the 'Turkey Flickr Photos' tabs at the top of the page? They'll stay there for now...but we have other, better plans for them. Watch this space...

The Day Turkish Politics Came To Fethiye - Photo Story

Helicopter, circling Fethiye Bay

A perfect Fethiye sunny day for the visit of Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. We don't do Turkish politics on this blog, but today, Turkish politics came to Fethiye, in person. 

We did walk into Fethiye to see what was going on - huge crowds of people, police searching the huge crowds of people, police snipers. Our cue to vacate the area. We decided to head uphill, away from the masses. And what a perfect day to do so. An amazing view over Fethiye bay - note the circling police helicopter.

It's a beautiful town we live in! 

Dalyan - M&M Rock Bar

If you've ever been trekking on a crisp, sunny, winter's day and have found yourself trying to get back down the hills as quickly as you can because the light's fading, the temperature's falling fast...and you can see the village in the distance with the warm glow of twinkling lights from the local pub, and you want to feel warm and have a beer in your hand and...well, if you've been in that position, you'll know exactly what I mean. It's just the cosiest form of bliss I can think of. 

We didn't go trekking yesterday. We went to pick friends up from Dalaman Airport and took advantage of having a car for the day. The daytime is another post, but, as it got darker, it started to get quite cold - colder than Fethiye for some reason. We decided to head to Dalyan to see if there was anywhere open where we could get warm and get something to eat and drink; after all, it's only a 20 minute drive to Dalaman airport from Dalyan.

The Cozy Looking M&M Rock Bar - Dalyan

We parked up by the river in Dalyan and attempted to walk down the street we're normally so familiar with - except it was very dark. In fact, the street was almost unrecognisable. We were just about to turn back and return to the main street when we saw that tell-tale, warm, inviting glow. That, 'You're going to be really warm and cosy if you come inside,' glow. It was coming from the M&M Rock Bar.

Interior of M&M Rock Bar, Dalyan

A few people inside playing pool, tangerines on the table rather than the customary nuts (Dalyan is part of citrus country), a dart board, oval-shaped bar in the centre of the room, good music...

Live music - and bike parking area - M&M Bar, Dalyan

...motorbike parked up inside! And when toilet time came, I have to admit to being a bit wary. However, it was a very pleasant experience. Ladies; after you leave your area, you are bid farewell by a poster of the oh-so-pleasing-to-the-eye, Jim Morrison. Gents; you get a lady without clothing - except for a strategically placed guitar! 

We're bar people, as you know (sometimes we even get a mention in the footnotes of blogposts about beer) and we can safely say we've found our little area of familiarity and comfort whenever we're next in Dalyan. Live music at weekends (rock and folk) and to top it all off, a friendly landlord in Müfit. Müfit looks like a bit of a rock fan himself (the clothes, hair and jewellery give it away!) and is a very friendly chap - hence us knowing his name after just two drinks. He also knows Fethiye quite well. Good to have something in common!

We're already pondering a night or two in Dalyan during the upcoming warmer months and this bar will definitely be our night time haunt. We're thinking about camping, just so the warm glow from M&M Rock Bar will look just that bit more inviting.

Fethiye in Winter - Ölü Deniz

Why go somewhere on a winter's day when everything's closed and there's nobody around? Precisely for that reason. You may have guessed by now that we absolutely love the winter months in Fethiye. We've been to take photographs in Göcek and Gemiler Bay and today, it's the turn of Ölü Deniz.

Belcekiz Beach - Ölü Deniz

The friends who came out for New Year really wanted to see Ölü Deniz in winter seeing as they spend two weeks every July on a sunbed down here. It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday so what better day to choose for a winter visit? A couple of places open, Turkish families ambling along the kordon (and some swimming!), the odd paraglider coming in to land and the stunning, clear stretch of sand and shingle that is Belcekiz Beach. The boulders you can see are what were thrown up by the sea during the recent Fethiye storm and, by May, these will have been replaced by hundreds of beds, parasols and sunbathers.

Kumsal Pide - Ölü Deniz

Whatever the time of year, you can always rely on Kumsal Pide Restaurant being open. It was actually starting to get a bit nippy once the sun had started to go down so we didn't sit at these tables (I just thought they made a good photo). We piled inside and ordered three medium pides and bowls of chips between five of us. Just perfect! Click here for tempting, make-yourself-hungry photo of a Kumsal pide.

Ölü Deniz Winter Sunset

Feeling more than full from our mini pide feast, we walked back slowly along the promenade and enjoyed a particularly striking Ölü Deniz sunset.

The dolmuş goes over to Ölü Deniz from Fethiye throughout the winter months but it's a reduced service. Always check with the driver when the last one is, otherwise you'll find yourself with an expensive taxi ride.
Of course, if you're feeling energetic, you can always trek from Kayaköy to Ölü Deniz. On a crispy, clear, winter day, you'll be rewarded with breathtaking views and you'll see this area of Turkey in its full glory.

Istanbul - Karaköy Fish Market & The Perfect Snack

Tucked away, just to the edge of Galata Bridge is the not-very-big, but hugely exciting Karaköy fish market. If you've read any of our past posts on the wonder that is Istanbul, you may remember us gushing over the freshness of the Black Sea hamsi (seasonal anchovies) and getting all over excited about our hamsi ekmeği (deep fried anchovies served in a half bread).

Karaköy fish market, Istanbul

Well, maybe we're easy pleased but I've just re-read the Black Sea hamsi post and I must have done a pretty good job because I can just imagine us sitting in the Karaköy fish market right now, chomping our way through a mound of fresh fish.

Of course, we couldn't spend our whole time in Istanbul hunting out fresh hamsi. We all need a bit of variety in our diets but, as we were so fixated by the fish market, we decided we'd go for an alternative fish meal.

Fresh mackerel on display at Karaköy fish market, Istanbul

Watch any cookery programme on television and the tips you always get for buying fresh fish are, it should smell of the sea (not of fish) and the gills should be deep red. Well, at Karaköy fish market, there's no need to rummage around in the gills of üskümrü (fresh mackerel). Each fish is displayed with gills on full show, loud and proud. Maybe not to everyone's liking but we were in our element! Oh yes, and it doesn't smell of fish either.

Fresh mackerel was available on every stand and if we were forcing a bit of variety into our Istanbul street food diet, there was only one thing for it - üskümrü ekmeği. Yes, we moved on from anchovy sandwich and instead, plumped for a mackerel sandwich.

Preparation of the mackerel half bread

Our sandwich was expertly prepared for us by this friendly looking chap. A fresh fillet of mackerel, mixed herbs, chilli flakes, crispy salad, the juice of a wedge of lemon, all served between fresh Turkish bread. Not too bready, not too fishy. Just the perfect 3 lira snack.



Compare prices of Istanbul hotels on Turkey's For Life

Fethiye in Winter - Gemiler Bay

Whenever we have friends out to visit, we usually try to go out and about so that they can visit places they haven't yet seen. Winter is no exception. We had a few hours in Göcek on the way to Dalaman Airport but one of the places they really wanted to see was Gemiler Bay. It was perfect winter weather the week they were here - sunny and clear - so our friends got to see Gemiler Bay at its beautiful best.

View of Gemiler Bay from the mountain road

In the centre of Kayaköy, there's a signpost for Gemiler Adası (Gemiler Island). Follow this road sign and you'll be taken on a short journey out of Kayaköy, through the pretty village of Kınalı and on through a forest road. All of a sudden, you will be faced with this beautiful view of Gemiler Bay with the island just opposite.

We talk about this a lot as there are so many beaches and bays in this area of Turkey, but I'm going to go out on a limb and state here, in black and white: Gemiler is our favourite! There, I've said it. You can hold me to that if / when I forget and declare favouritism for another of Fethiye's bays in a future post.

Terraced snack bar at Gemiler Bay

Zigzag your way down the hillside road and you'll reach the only evidence of civilisation in the form of this snack bar - amazingly, open all year! One member of staff and the hum of a generator. Thanks to the generator, we were able to sit at the raised waterside tables, enjoy the warm winter sunshine...and enjoy a cold can of the Turkish beer, Efes Pilsen. Just one of those unexpected perfect moments where all is well with the world.

Ducks enjoying the warm sea at Gemiler Bay

In summer, when the sea isn't quite so high, this little area has a few sunbeds and the beach bar receives a decent sprinkling of customers. If you're like me and not very brave in the crashing waves of Belcekiz Beach at Ölüdeniz, then Gemiler is a perfect place to swim and snorkel. It was so warm when we were there a couple of weeks ago, one of our friends had a paddle with beer in hand.

In the summer season, the Fethiye to Kayaköy dolmuş comes all the way down to Gemiler bay, every few hours.
As it's winter, there was no entrance charge but in summer, there is a small charge to park your car and use the sunbeds. If you arrive on foot or by dolmuş and are only visiting the snack bar, it's worth mentioning this to the guy on the gate and you may get in for free. 
Gemiler Island (St. Nicholas Island) is one of the stop-off points on the Ölüdeniz boat trip if you're interested in the Byzantine ruins there. 

A Turkey's For Life Random Round Up

As you're no doubt fully aware by now, we are constantly tweaking the look of the Turkey's for Life blog and every so often, I try to do a quick round up of the changes and improvements we've made and also remind people what's already there. It's that time again.

Search Turkey's For Life
I mentioned that we'd introduced a new 'Google Custom Search' box in the last round up I did. I'm mentioning it again today because we're really happy with it. We want people to be able to search within Turkey's For Life and find what they're looking for. Since the main search box has been moved to the top left of the page, it's been really well used so we can only assume it's a handy addition.

Subscribe To Our Free Fethiye Updates
Did you know you can subscribe for free to Turkey's For Life? Well, maybe you do now as we have added a posh new 'subscribe' box (just underneath the search box). If you don't want to miss out on any Fethiye updates, Turkish recipes, photos from the Fethiye region and other places in Turkey, the odd video, travel information (just about anything that we get up to in Turkey, really!) then click inside the box to receive posts in a feed reader. If you want our posts to go to your email inbox, then all you need to do is click the 'Subscribe to Turkey's For Life by Email' link, add your details and you're away.

Your Comments
We love to receive your comments. Until just before Christmas, all comments just looked like they were floating in a sea of white and neither of us were particularly happy with the look of it. Cue Barry sitting up for far too long one night, refusing to be defeated and the result is shaded comment boxes which are easier on the eye - and easier to follow. 

If you've got a Google account, your account photo is displayed to the right of your comment. If you haven't got a Google account and you'd like to put in your two penneths' worth on a post we've done, you can always comment as 'Anonymous' and leave your name at the bottom of your comment (if you want to, that is!). If you're unsure about how to go about the whole comment thing (I used to be and now I'm a prolific commenter on other people's blogs - I can't resist!) click this link for info about how to leave a comment on Turkey's For Life. 

Links (of both varities)
Links Between Posts: We link to other posts within the blog if we think it's relevant. These are now in blue bold lettering and the great thing is, when you hover over them, they go bigger and change colour. We just thought that looked good! Go on, have a go. You know you want to! 

Links To Other Sites & Blogs: Remember the blog roll on the left of the page? Well, it's not gone; it's moved. It was all getting a bit silly and disorganised as it grew. So if it's useful Turkey links you want or if you just want to nosey at the other blogs we read, browse our Turkey, Fethiye & Other links or click the 'Links' on the tabs across the top of the page. (I should point out that this is still a work in progress and not all the links and descriptions are finalised yet.) 

Facebook & Twitter
No changes here;  just a reminder. Nearly 1,600 of you follow Turkey's for Life on Twitter. Meanwhile, we're heading towards 1,300 people who 'like' Turkey's for Life on Facebook. Feel free to join either, if you haven't already, and join the discussion. Such hot topics as the weather in Fethiye, the price of tomatoes and countdowns to people's next visit to Turkey (the current discussion). Yes, we deal with all the hot potatoes! 

If you'd like to add your two penneth by telling us what you think about the tweaks and changes we've made, then by all means, leave a comment below.