It always feels strange doing our monthly round up of life in Fethiye when it’s not the end of the month (we’ve done a few of these in the past and will no doubt continue to do so).
But then life doesn’t work in neat 4 week blocks, does it?
Any end of February round up will always prove difficult because it’s my birthday and we always take the bus to Antalya for the annual Runtalya event.
By the time we get back from there, depending on how long we decide to stick around for, well, we’re already a way into March.
Right, that’s the whys and wherefores out of the way. Let’s have a look at what’s been going on around Fethiye over the last few weeks…
Şehit Fethi Bey Commemorations & An Award
27th February is the date for the commemoration of Şehit Fethi Bey. He lost his life on this day whilst attempting to fly from Istanbul to Cairo. Commemorations take place at his statue in the park whilst paramotors flown by THK (Turkish Aeronautical Association) pilots perform air displays.
All of this is, of course, much more of an event since Fethi Bey now has his home in the park of the same name.
And such is the success of the park, it won an award in February at an events ceremony in Istanbul that celebrates leisure and recreation. The award given to Şehit Fethi Park was for Most Successful Municipal Park.
We’re sure the people of Fethiye would nod their heads in agreement at this. Families pour into the park at weekends – it’s quite a sight!
A Swell In Numbers For Fethiyespor
For any sports team, when things are not going swimmingly, that’s when they need big support.
Throughout February, Fethiyespor battled around the relegation spots, in the hope of inching away from them.
Rather than do this in front of a gentle sprinkling of hardcore, long suffering supporters, the club has done what it always does in these desperate times. Pack the supporters in by selling tickets for a tiny amount.
It’s a while since we’ve been in a queue this long at a match, we can tell you. And it worked. This particular match ended in a long-awaited victory.
Fethiyespor are certainly not out of the woods just yet. We’ll be there, as usual, at the next home match.
Whether we’ll be cheering and singing, or sitting with heads in hands asking ourselves why we even bother, remains to be seen.
Let’s hope for the former, shall we?
A Viewing Terrace For Butterfly Valley
When construction of the new glass viewing terrace for Butterfly Valley will begin, we don’t know, but having weighed up the pros and cons, we can only be happy that one will be built.
More and more people are coming to this viewing point to take photos of the famous valley, way down below. This was a close as I got to the edge to take this photo, a few years ago.
However, thousands of others are risking their lives – and some have lost their lives – by venturing right to the edge and even lowering themselves onto rock ledges to get their selfie with the sheer drop in the background. A quick scout around on Instagram will show you what we mean.
When we shared the news about the viewing terrace on our Facebook page, it got mixed reactions. Spoiling the natural environment was the main concern. And we do get all that.
That, too, was our main concern. But the fact is, streams of people come here to take photos and that’s not going to stop any time soon.
International base jumping competitions are held here so this little spot is well and truly on the map.
A glass viewing terrace similar to the one in Kaleiçi in Antalya is going to save lives.
On The Blog
Staying in the Faralya and Butterfly Valley area, we told you about our little foodie rest point after walking from Ovacık to Faralya.
We love the simple dishes on offer at the friendly Gül Pension.
In The Kitchen
We’ve been busy in the kitchen, too, over the last few weeks. Cold February weather kept us well and truly in soup-making mode so green lentil soup was on the menu.
That prompted us to improve and update our green lentil soup recipe.
If you do make this soup, give the dressing a go, too. For us, it’s a must!
And the cold weather couldn’t last forever. Eventually, last week, the heat of the sun gave us clues that it was starting to win the battle.
Don’t get us wrong, we’re not out of the winter woods just yet but a few sunny days and the blooming of the almond blossom does wonders for the springtime hopes.
A sighting of some baby potatoes on the Çalış Sunday market, coupled with the pleasant sunshine and it was straight home to make our Turkish potato salad. Delicious!
For more Turkish soups, salads and other dishes, here’s our collection of Turkish recipes so you can make your own Turkish meals at home.
Our (Life In Turkey) Online Jigsaws
Since starting this blog, way back in 2009 – wow, that seems like a long time ago – we’ve had a separate page for online jigsaws.
Recently, we decided to create a new jigsaw each week and post them onto our Facebook page on Saturdays. A bit of weekend fun.
One of our recent jigsaws was this broccoli creation of ours. As it’s broccoli season, we’ve been making lots of broccoli soup, curries and this oven baked dish.
We’ll be posting the recipe soon as lots of people have asked us about it so keep an eye out if you think it looks appetising.
As for the jigsaws, some are more difficult than others. They might take you 2-3 minutes to complete or they can take 15-30 minutes or so.
And, naturally, all the images you are recreating are based on our blog and life in Turkey.
If you love a bit of procrastination, fill your boots: Choose a jigsaw and have a go. Your time starts as soon as you move the first piece.
Instagram Fethiye Favourite
Well, this one’s an easy one. We had a runaway favourite recently that took us by surprise. Köşe Kahve is perhaps our favourite place to drink coffee in Fethiye.
It’s situated in the Kasikkapı neighbourhood. The heart of ‘old Fethiye.’
As you walk to the coffee shop, ancient Lycian ruins are either side of you, and, up above, beyond the coffee shop, you can see the famous Fethiye rock tombs in the rock face.
Just before we entered Köşe Kahve, recently, I snapped a quick photo by the doorway. And it’s this photo that takes the prize for the most Likes.
And that’s about it. Still time for lots to happen for the rest of March so we’ll see what those days bring…
Helen Falconer
Tuesday 12th of March 2019
I love Turkey
Turkey's For Life
Thursday 14th of March 2019
Thanks for your comment. And so do we! :)