We arrived in Fethiye..and I learned a very important lesson. Never book your travels when you are sick! We book our travels literally the day before we leave for the next country. It is a long day of planning, reading and internet time. I had a difficult time finding a mid-range place to stay in Fethiye…and finally gave in…what could be wrong with Calis Beach only 5K away? Let’s see….the 20 minute (or longer) packed minibus ride with no air-con for starters. Then there is the fact that the beach is a combination of Ocean City and Seaside. It is a “narrow stretch of gravel beach lined with mass-produced hotels and British retirees” according to Lonely Planet. Oops…missed that quote.
The good news is that the sunset off the rooftop of the hotel was magnificent! This is a view of the islands we would soon be sailing around.
Tombs carved into the sheer rock façade in 350 BC.
We took a minibus out to the town of Kayakoy, an eerie town of 2000 stone houses. It was deserted by its mostly Ottoman-Greek inhabitants after WWI and the Turkish War of Independence. The League of Nations supervised an exchange of populations between Turkey and Greece. As there were more Ottoman Greeks than Greek Muslims, many of the Turkish towns were left unoccupied.
We wandered through a beautiful church with black-and-white pebble mosaic floors, and explored many of the houses.
We ended our explorations at the Levissi Garden, a 400 year old stone building that has been a horse stable and the home of the mayor. It is now a stunning wine house and restaurant. We asked for a tour of the impressive wine cellar which has over 400 Turkish wines. Even got in a little tasting.
Had lunch and a glass of wine on their patio, overlooking the stone houses on the hill. Now on to our gullet cruise….three nights under the stars!
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