Captain Clara
This morning we headed back to the Old Town area, but decided to take a water taxi, which was only a 15 minute walk away from our Airbnb. The water taxi was super cheap only 8.50 TL per person one-way (children did not have to pay) but it offered the same great views as an expensive yacht. The kids liked it too because they saw ducks and got to ride a boat! It was especially fun for Clara because on the way back the boat captain had her help 'drive' the boat for a portion of the trip! Connor was a little hesitant, but she thought since he declined, she should get to go again. :-)
We played down at the playground right next to the water taxi stop - they had cool 'new-to-us' things like a partner swing! It was especially handy on the way back when we could play for a bit while waiting for the taxi to depart.
Fethiye Fish Market & Fresh Seafood Prepared for Lunch
Slightly before lunch we headed to the Fish market. I had read that the Fethiye Fish Market is one of the best in Turkey. However, the biggest draw was you can purchase your fish and take it to one of the several restaurants around the market and they will prepare it for you to eat.
We had read some awesome reviews about Oztoklu Restaurant and how they will come to the market to help you pick out your fish/seafood. As we aren’t seafood experts, we decided to check out their restaurant. The owner of the family restaurant spoke great English and he took us to the market and suggested some sea bass as well as some prawns and calamari. For the sea bass, 16 prawns and 5 calamari it was 140 TL (roughly $30 CND).
We went back to the restaurant and waited as they prepared our fresh purchases. They prepared all the seafood, provided a salad and bread for the low price of 8.50 TL. We got our first Turkish tea as well, which was some of the best tea I have had! So the total for seafood + preparation & drinks + tip was about 220 TL ($40 CDN). It was one of the more pricier meals we had in Turkey, but the experience was definitely worth it and the taste was DEVINE! The prawns and the calamari were definitely our favorite, and were the best we had ever had in a butter sauce with spices.
While we waited for the food to be prepared, the kids and I walked around the fruit and vegetable market and found a 1 pound container of strawberries. They really wanted it so we asked. I thought the man said 30 TL, which did seem a bit much, but they really wanted the strawberries. However, when I gave him 30 TL, he replied “That is too much! It is only 13.” The Turkish people are very considerate and definitely aren’t out to scam tourists like some other places we have visited.
Kayacoy - Ghost Village
After coming back to the Airbnb for an afternoon siesta and early dinner, we drove out to Kayacoy, which is 8 km outside of Fethiye (about 20-25 minute drive with all the windy mountain roads though). It was an ancient city, but is most notable because it has been termed a Ghost Village.
The sign as we entered the town said the population was only 150 people, but in the early 20th century it was home to as many as 20,000 Greek Orthodox who lived peacefully with their Turkish neighbours. However, post World War I and after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, there was the land grabs of the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922). There was violence and retribution of those Greek Orthodox within the new Turkish borders; and as a result, against Muslim Turks in Greece. Greeks fled Turkey and as an agreement the governments agreed to a mutual compulsory population exchange in 1923. The residents of Kayacoy (or the Greeks called it Levissi) were moved to an area outside of Athens. As a result approximately 350+ homes were left abandoned on the Taurus Mountainside. These houses still remain bare with no roofs on top of them. There are some churches within the village as well - normally you can go inside one of them, but there were signs up stating it was closed for renovation.
We decided to go in the evening because we didn’t think the kids (or us) could take being out in the sun during the heat of the day. I also imagine it is much less busy during this time as most of the tour groups would go through during the daytime. We got there around 6:20 p.m. (after we finally found the entrance - it was a bit of a search hidden behind a café) and the ticket office was already closed for the day. However, you could still go and explore the town. We walked along the stone stairs, but didn’t quite make it up to the tower, but still got some spectacular views. Of course, this is when Connor decided he wanted to be independent and hike all by himself (I think he got a little too confident at Saklikent Gorge). However, with the old stones sticking up from the ground it was a little worrisome for mama; he went up great on his own, but to his displeasure got carried on the way down.
Although the town wasn’t busy, it was hard to find a spot to park. Upon arrival we found a café and parked in their parking lot. The man said we could park there as long as we stopped for a drink or something after we were finished. So we stopped for a quick drink and some cheese bread as a snack for the kids; it was really tasty! It was like a cheese pita, but the bread was tastier than a pita.
By the time we left (7:40 p.m.) it was almost dark, so it was a careful drive on the way back into town on the windy roads.
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