No sooner had I said that the Fethiye weather had cooled down in last month’s Fethiye news roundup – the temps and the humidity shot up again and it was like the high summer had never left us.
So let’s try again for the month of October…
Because I am sitting here and we’ve got a lovely cool breeze, the temperature is mid 20s and it’s bright, clear and sunny.
Glorious October weather!
We did get high winds out at sea on the last day of September which gave us some lovely crashing waves along Çalış Beach.
Festival Season
As soon as the intensity of the high summer heat leaves us, festivals and events almost tumble over each other and it can be difficult to keep up with what’s going on.
Towards the end of September, we had:
- The start of the Turkey Super Enduro Championships at the motocross track in Esenköy
- A small festival in the village of Incirköy with both local and international folk dancers
- The 2nd Fethiye International Gastronomy, Culture & Friendship Festival which aims to promote friendship between Greece and Turkey. This year, there were guests from places like Rhodes and Mykonos as well as local chefs and producers. Events took place in Kayaköy and on the main Beşkaza Meydanı in Fethiye centre.
- The Fethiye Folk Dance Festival. This took place on the last day of the month at the Özer Olgun Culture Centre on the edge of the town square and featured local and international folk dancers.
All of the above happened within the space of 5 days!
And throughout October, proceedings are a bit more sports orientated.
Look out for running events such as:
- The Babadağ Ultra Trail taking place in Ölüdeniz with one route going through Kayaköy.
- The Fethiye Sporfest which features: a half marathon and 10k and also a Gran Fondo, Open Water Swimming event and the Fethiye SUP Cup. Most of this also takes place in Ölüdeniz.
- Yaşam İçin Yariş – The Fethiye Race For Life Fun Run
And then, of course, we have the annual Fethiye & Ölüdeniz Air Games.
Always the perfect round off for the summer season.
This year’s event will take place between 23rd and 27th October.
In The Kitchen
It must have cooled down a little bit because we’ve seen fit to once more start cooking and preparing different international and Turkish recipes.
Nothing too strenuous. September might signal autumn but the Fethiye temperatures remind us otherwise!
Mücver
We hadn’t made it for a while and it’s a great dish for slicing up and keeping in the fridge for snacks and meals.
I made a tray of yummy fırında mücver – Turkish oven baked courgette fritters!
We’ve now updated that recipe with more accurate measurements and also some nutritional info.
Sunday Treat Food
On the Turkish food favourites, Barry’s been busier than me in the kitchen.
A couple of batches of homemade hummus and he also treated us to a big plate of sucuklu yumurta!
Very naughty but nice!
Daring To Feel Autumnal
When it comes to seasonal eating in this neck of the woods, this is the time when the huge kapya biber (long red capsicum peppers) and end of summer plum tomatoes are all over the local markets.
This is the time people make salça (tomato paste and red pepper paste) and jars of kahvaltılık sos – a great homemade ketchup.
It’s also the time when we see ‘turşuluk’ veggies on the markets, too.
These are the goodies you buy up to load into your big jars for making turşu – Turkish pickled vegetables.
We’ll confess to not having got round to doing any of the above, yet, this year, but we definitely will be doing soon, once it’s cool enough.
On The Blog
We have, however, celebrated another seasonal autumn fruit: the apple!
These really quick and easy Turkish puff pastry apple tarts – elmalı tart – taste great and can be eaten as a dessert with cream or ice cream.
Or just grab one to eat as a sweet snack.
More Food Choices
Wow, it’s been a foodie September, hasn’t it?
Also added to the blog, this month, was our article about the new Fethiye Sokak Lezzetleri – the Fethiye Street Food area.
We went there a couple of weeks ago, en route to the Tuesday market, and wandered along them all before plumping for a bao bun.
Lots of famous Turkish street foods are also available from the vans there and it’s a great addition to the already varied Fethiye bar and restaurant scene.
Article Update
Also on the blog, in September, we updated our article about the recently restored Kariye Mosque in Istanbul.
Lots to see and do in that area of the city so it’s worth your effort to get there next time you’re in the city.
Fethiyespor
We wish we could give you joyous news – but we can’t. The team did manage a 3-3 draw away to Altay on the 29th.
Hopefully, that will be a turning point for them.
Here’s how the current league table looks. And these are the previous results and upcoming fixtures.
In Other News
Away from all that Fethiye has to offer, random bits of news do catch out attention and we like to share them here.
Here’s what stood out for us in September.
Recognition For Lake Salda
Salda Gölü – Lake Salda – in the Burdur Province of the country is famous for its otherworldly features.
At the annual meeting of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) which, this year, was held in Busan in South Korea, Salda Gölü was added to the World Geological Heritage List.
Sites added to the list are those deemed to have the highest scientific value – the world’s best demonstrations of geologic features and processes.
Salda joins the Cappadocia rock formations (the famous fairy chimneys) and the Pamukkale travertines.
An Amazing Find
Imagine going out into your fields to plant some vine saplings and suddenly coming across a buried ancient mosaic – a massive floor mosaic from the Roman era!
That’s what happened to this farmer in Elazığ in the east of the country.
Don’t Try This At Home
Sure a few drivers had to do a double take if they looked whilst driving across the Bosphorus Bridge, recently.
This Estonian chap managed to cross the bridge – via a slackline. Also managed to carry a Turkish flag in the process!
And Into October
As usual, we’re already a few days into the new month.
We’ve got more friends over throughout the next few weeks and also a few days away planned.
Let’s see what the rest of the month has in store for us…