From Rhodes we took a 90 minute hydrofoil ride to Fethiye and spent the next eight days traveling eastward along Turkey’s remarkable Mediterranean coast, where the clear, blue, warm waters of the Mediterranean meet the mountains of the Tekke peninsula. We were really excited to set foot in Turkey: it was one of the inspirations for our trip and we had heard nothing but positive reviews from everyone we knew who had visited. So, though we had already been traveling for three months, arriving in Turkey made us feel like our adventure was really, finally, in full swing!
Fethiye is set in a nice harbor, above which lie the ruins of a 2nd century BC Roman theater, and is home to elaborate Lycian tombs dating back to the 4th century BC. We spent one day exploring the town and walking to the impressive temple facades of the tombs that are carved into the cliffs above town. Fethiye is also a popular place for boat cruises, and we spent our second day here on a trip around the bay and nearby islands swimming in the crystal clear, warm waters. It was a fabulously relaxing way to spend a day.
Our next stop was the ghost town of Kayakoy. The village was abandoned in 1923 as part of a population exchange between Turkey and Greece. Greek Orthodox Turks were deported to Greece, and Greek Muslims were deported to Turkey. Because there were more Greek Orthodox citizens in Turkey than Muslim citizens in Greece, many of the Turkish villages were never resettled and were either demolished or became ghost towns, like Kayakoy. We thought the town was beautiful, but also eerie and sad; its churches and homes still stand, though they have been severely damaged by the elements.
From Kayakoy we followed a segment of the 500-km Lycian Way trail, hiking in near solitude through pine forests with splendid Mediterranean views, to the very touristy town of Oludeniz. We stayed here long enough to watch a handful of paragliders land on the beach (the town is famous for its paragliding), and then quickly escaped the crowds by heading to the tiny village of Kabak and its secluded beach. Connected to the main road by only a steep, unpaved track, Kabak remains fairly quiet and laid-back. We spent two nights here, staying in a bungalow on the hill above the beach, swimming, hiking and relaxing, before moving on.
Our next destination was Patara Beach. Besides its pristine 18 km long sandy beach (the longest stretch in Turkey), Patara was the site of an important Lycian seaside settlement. The city was eventually abandoned as the inlet on which it sat silted in, and the ruins of the city’s triumphal arch, baths, basilica, theater and agora still stand in a beautiful seaside location. After Patara we headed to Olympos, another beach town with impressive ruins. Tucked away in an overgrown forest, the ruins here still feel somewhat undisturbed. After a swim at the beach, we spent our only evening here lounging at our “treehouse” hotel, celebrating Patrick’s birthday with beer, a delicious Turkish dinner, and a convenience-store chocolate cake. We would have loved to stay in this region of the country longer, but the weather was becoming increasingly fall-like and we had to get to Istanbul to meet up with Patrick’s friend Alan. So, after a final day in Antalya (which we mostly spent waiting around for someone to remove all the sand from our camera), we took an overnight bus to Istanbul, and said goodbye to the Mediterranean.
Click on the photo below for our Turkish coast photo album.
Fethiye is set in a nice harbor, above which lie the ruins of a 2nd century BC Roman theater, and is home to elaborate Lycian tombs dating back to the 4th century BC. We spent one day exploring the town and walking to the impressive temple facades of the tombs that are carved into the cliffs above town. Fethiye is also a popular place for boat cruises, and we spent our second day here on a trip around the bay and nearby islands swimming in the crystal clear, warm waters. It was a fabulously relaxing way to spend a day.
Our next stop was the ghost town of Kayakoy. The village was abandoned in 1923 as part of a population exchange between Turkey and Greece. Greek Orthodox Turks were deported to Greece, and Greek Muslims were deported to Turkey. Because there were more Greek Orthodox citizens in Turkey than Muslim citizens in Greece, many of the Turkish villages were never resettled and were either demolished or became ghost towns, like Kayakoy. We thought the town was beautiful, but also eerie and sad; its churches and homes still stand, though they have been severely damaged by the elements.
From Kayakoy we followed a segment of the 500-km Lycian Way trail, hiking in near solitude through pine forests with splendid Mediterranean views, to the very touristy town of Oludeniz. We stayed here long enough to watch a handful of paragliders land on the beach (the town is famous for its paragliding), and then quickly escaped the crowds by heading to the tiny village of Kabak and its secluded beach. Connected to the main road by only a steep, unpaved track, Kabak remains fairly quiet and laid-back. We spent two nights here, staying in a bungalow on the hill above the beach, swimming, hiking and relaxing, before moving on.
Our next destination was Patara Beach. Besides its pristine 18 km long sandy beach (the longest stretch in Turkey), Patara was the site of an important Lycian seaside settlement. The city was eventually abandoned as the inlet on which it sat silted in, and the ruins of the city’s triumphal arch, baths, basilica, theater and agora still stand in a beautiful seaside location. After Patara we headed to Olympos, another beach town with impressive ruins. Tucked away in an overgrown forest, the ruins here still feel somewhat undisturbed. After a swim at the beach, we spent our only evening here lounging at our “treehouse” hotel, celebrating Patrick’s birthday with beer, a delicious Turkish dinner, and a convenience-store chocolate cake. We would have loved to stay in this region of the country longer, but the weather was becoming increasingly fall-like and we had to get to Istanbul to meet up with Patrick’s friend Alan. So, after a final day in Antalya (which we mostly spent waiting around for someone to remove all the sand from our camera), we took an overnight bus to Istanbul, and said goodbye to the Mediterranean.
Click on the photo below for our Turkish coast photo album.
