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| Gretchen, Ahmet, Sean, Forrest and Kathy |
This was built by hand, on site by Ahmet and others. He said that the bricks were laid without any sort of supporting armatures or forms. I am dubious. As you can see, it is probably 30 feet high with maybe ten feet underground.
Sleeping on the Boat.
It was hot. There was a really nice on shore breeze at each anchorage. Then at about 10 PM the breeze stopped. I think that has to do with the differential in temperature between the water and the land.
The cabins were airless even with all the port holes open. So pretty much everyone slept on deck. There were rows of cushions spread out forward from the cabin and a nice banquette in the aft of the boat. And much cooler on top. I tried to sleep below the first night. Not a good idea. I was in the forward cabin that slept four or five. My cabin mates were Marcus, Nicolai and Cem. Marcus was concerned to know if I snored or not. So I told him that he would have to tell me since I did not stay away to listen to myself. [Not only did he confirm that I snored but also gave a rather good rendition of how I sounded. He seems to be a student of patterns of snoring sounds!]
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| Sean on the pulpit at sunset |
The food was excellent. We were a mixture of vegetarians and omnivores. The cook accom-modated that. At one meal Freddy Mercury grilled on an open fire attached to the gunwales of the boat. The cook noted that there was not much of a vegetable sort and grilled up some vegetables in addition to the lamb and beef. I never had grilled slices of potato before.
Breakfasts were typical Turkish with eggs, cheeses and olives, freshly cut tomatoes and cucumbers and breads. Lunches were usually lighter fare and the suppers were abundant with great variety. Corn on the cob, tomatoes, lusciously ripe fruits, watermelon, coffee, tea, sodas and, of course, Efes beer.
It doesn't sound like much, just motoring around to islands, swimming, hiking, eating. But it was restful, it was never boring and I never wished I was elsewhere doing something different. Lots of time to chat, time to read and in the evening board games and fun. One night at Kaan's request, we did an ABBA show trying to mimic the moves from ABBA standards. I hope that the video of that remains suppressed. Another night featured turkish music and dance with Veli giving lessons on the dances from his village.
He came to find out that Ahmet also was from that same rural region of Anatolia.
Capt. Ahmet chose our last anchorage so that we could enjoy this magnificent sunset. The next morning after our last swim we turned toward Fetiye so that we could get back Before Lunch. Roz met us on the dock and we swayed a bit on the land as we waved good-bye while the crew cleaned and prepped for the next group.
The Fetiye Fish Restaurant
was an experience I had enjoyed in 2012 with Atılgan and with Richard Boober. In the center of the small commercial part of Fetiye is the Fruit Market. Walking through the fruit market, you come to the Fish Market. Open air with cases maybe 20 feet long with each vendor selling what catch he has to offer.
He may make some suggestions or ask you what you want. You choose your fish and pay. You have already been approached by several restauranteurs who want you to eat at their place. So you go to your table, sit, order drinks while your fish is being grilled for you.
The restaurant cooks the food and brings you a tray of
meze (appetizers) for your selection.
And, or course, you have to finish the meal with glasses of rakı, the traditional Turkish distilled beverage.
Rakı is an unsweetened, anise-flavored alcoholic drink that is
popular in Turkey, and in the Balkan countries as an apéritif. It is
often served with seafood or meze. The website above gives lots of details about this twice distilled mixture of grape brandy and anise seed. Serious business this drinking of rakı and a fine way to end a glorious meal with my family. 
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