AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 27 – Asiklar Tepesi

Posted on August 27, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

Asiklar Tepesi, roughly translated to ‘hill of lovers’ offers beautiful panoramic views of Fethiye. Accessible by a really, really steep hill by car, or via 163 steps (I counted!) from a backstreet below, the view at the top is definitely worth it. There are little seating areas overlapping the edge of the hillside, built into little wooden decks – I’m always a little afraid of falling through! You can see the boatyard to the left, and the main bay, harbour and town in the centre, with Calis in the distance, and various mountain ranges even further in the distance, creating a sort of gradient in the skyline. You can sit here for ages, watching the boats sail in and out – the views are just stunning. We had some wedding photos taken from this spot too. You’ll find piles and piles of opened sunflower seed shells on the floor, since it’s a popular place for locals to come and sit with a packet of them, a beer and their friends or ‘lover’! It’s particularly popular at night too, with the whole of Fethiye lit up.
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AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 25 – AKSAZLAR KOYU

Posted on August 25, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

Aksazlar bay, just past the boat yard in Fethiye, has been a favourite little place of ours for years. Berkay used to go there with his friends and he introduced me to it back in 2011 when he took me there for our first ‘Turkish BBQ’! It’s a very popular spot with locals, especially at weekends when they have a day off and go to the bay for a family BBQ. We’ve been there countless times over the years, but only ever used the picnic table area under the trees, not the restaurant or beach. I know that the beach/restaurant has recently changed ownership and had a lot of improvements, but I’m a little worried about the change! I feel like this was our little secluded, relaxing place and from what I’ve seen it now has loud music, foam parties and all sorts of other stuff going on! I know that the entry fee for the picnic area has gone up too, so I hope the new changes don’t put locals off going as I really loved the relaxing, quiet side of the area before. Its also a brilliant place to sit and listen to the call to prayer as it echoes around the bay, really atmospheric! They seem to have a few resident ducks too, always seen swimming around the bay!
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AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 23 – FETHIYE’S UMBRELLA STREET

Posted on August 23, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

In 2014, these multi-coloured umbrellas appeared in Fethiye and quickly became a tourist attraction! Tourists and locals love to find what has become lovingly known as ‘umbrella street’ and pose for photos underneath them. I’ve seen photos of similar umbrella streets in other cities in Turkey and saw some in Denizli when we were there, Dalaman airport has them too! It seems they are spreading like wild fire, places in the UK have them now too! I don’t know where the trend started originally but I love it, a simple idea but so effective – bright, colourful and beautiful ❤

AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 22 – EARLY MORNING CALIS

Posted on August 22, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

Most of my photos of Calis are taken from the beach, looking out to sea, or down the promenade, so today’s photo is a different view of Calis, taken from a boat sailing past. It was a January day and we were on a morning boat trip for breakfast. Obviously it was a bit cold and the boats don’t usually go out, but a few of the boats had the brilliant idea of offering a 2 hour trip, sailing from Fethiye, past Sovalye Island, along Calis beach and then back again, with a buffet breakfast served in between! The sea at Calis can get quite choppy during the day, especially in the afternoon, but for some reason the mornings are usually really calm – as you can see in the photo!
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AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 18 – Babadağ and Mendos

Posted on August 18, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

Right at the far end of Calis Beach, behind Şat restaurant, sits a bit of a hidden gem! I took the photo in 2014, but I assume you can still access the area now, I know there have been a few changes to that end of the beach. We walked around to the furthest point of the beach, where it was impossible to go any further without getting wet! It’s where the canal meets the sea, where the water taxis travel on the route to/from Fethiye/Calis. I believe the area is a kind of nature reserve, with wildlife such as crabs, fish, birds and ducks swimming around, as well as lots of reeds, plants and pretty flowers growing. The views from here are spectacular, offering a slightly different view point of mountains Babadağ and Mendos.
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AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 13 – Gümbet

Posted on August 13, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

A few years ago we went for a mini-break to Gümbet in Bodrum. Bodrum I really liked, but Gümbet honestly I found awful. It just seemed dirty, the beach was tiny and cramped full of sunbeds, bar street was full of booming music with men dancing on bars and bars only letting women in… it was just weird and definitely not our thing at all, but it must appeal to someone! However, Gümbet does look really pretty with its whitewashed buildings, something that is seen everywhere in Bodrum, reflecting its Greek influence. The photo above was taken from the hotel we stayed in – palm trees, beautiful blue sea, boats, green hills and white washed buildings. Despite not liking the area ourselves, we did still find it beautiful by day.. it’s just at nighttime it became a little too wild for us. That’s part of the beauty of Turkey – something for everyone’s taste!
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AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 12 – TÜRK YILDIZLARI

Posted on August 12, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

In October 2014 Turkey’s version of the red arrows – the Türk Yıldızları – came to Calis to perform over the beach during the air games – we gathered along the promenade to watch with thousands of other people on what was the busiest day I’ve ever seen in Calis! The display was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever witnessed – the noise of the jets was just incredible, and the pilots had amazing skills. I took both of these photos on that day, love the red and white trails and the Turkish flag displayed on the planes! I filmed a video of the display and it’s my most shared, most viewed video ever on my blog Facebook page – click the link if you want to watch it – https://www.facebook.com/livingtheturkishdream/videos/756223634439508/
watch it with your volume to turn up to get the full experience!
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AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 7 – MOONLIT FETHIYE

Posted on August 7, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

As I sit typing this I can see the moon shining through my window – it’s a full moon tonight so I figured this would be an appropriate photo of the day! Taken just after sunset whilst driving along the Fethiye peninsular after a BBQ at Aksazlar, I love how it captures all the lights and their reflections. With the mountains in the background, boats, tree in the foreground and the moon shining down on the water, it’s quite a busy photo! I think it captures the beauty of Fethiye at night.
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AUGUST PHOTO SERIES – DAY 4 – Kaputas Beach

Posted on August 4, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

In between Kalkan and Kas, along the main coastal road, sits the beautiful hidden gem, Kaputas beach. The sea here is so turquoise and stunning, but does get deep quickly and is very wavy. The beach sits at the foot of a valley, and is only reached by walking down nearly 200 steps, or via boat. Walking down the steps is bearable, but walking back up is a real killer on a hot day! The beach is mostly untouched, aside from a couple of changing cubicles, and the natural beauty is just amazing. Entrance is free, but sunbeds and umbrellas can be rented for a fee. Parking can be difficult, as it gets busy and cars just pull up all along the main road. I climbed over one of the crash barriers along the road to take this photo – even if you can’t face the steps, it’s worth pulling over for a few moments to admire the view from above. The whole coastal road along this route is really beautiful.
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August Photo Series – Day 1 – Sunset at Fethiye

Posted on August 1, 2017 by livingtheturkishdream

Those who follow me on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/livingtheturkishdream) will have seen my post earlier today. Since I’ve been neglecting my blog for a long time, I’ve decided to commit to posting everyday throughout August!
I’ve been going through the thousands of photos I’ve taken over the past 7 years and picked out my favourite 31. Every day I’ll post a photo showcasing something beautiful, or unique in Turkey and writing a little bit about it (: I hope you’ll enjoy looking at them, it took me days to pick out my favourites!

So, today’s photo: Everyone knows how much I love a Calis Beach sunset, but I rarely mention how lovely it is to watch the sun go down from Fethiye town centre too. You can’t usually see it on the horizon from there, but the orange glow reflecting off the sea behind the boats in the harbour is pretty impressive. The boats make a great focal point, and end up almost silhouette-like against the red sky. The hour before sundown is my favourite time of day, and you can combine both boats and sunsets by taking the water taxi across from Fethiye to Calis, if you time it just right. There’s something so romantic about it. Beautiful ❤