Swim, eat, sleep!

[Babs]

Lovely day on Moby Dick yesterday as always, maybe not the smartest boat in the harbour but the ever delightful Denis and Kemal more than make up for that. Great company too. Just five of us on the boat, a lady who lives here a few months of the year and Mavis and Bill. Mavis and Bill are not their real names, they are the names we gave them after meeting them everywhere we go. We do know their real names now, by the way! We are totally in awe on M and B, they have reached that lovely age when they tell people how old they are so.....in their case over the next few months, 80 and 84! We have decided they are the perfect role models. They have been coming here for twenty years, as well as travelling to places like South Africa and Canada in the last year! They are incredible, Bill cycles a lot and belongs to a club and does their enormous garden and Mavis does all the finance for her local Macmillan branch, belongs to a book club and goes to aqua aerobics, and I suspect a lot more.......when I grow up I want to be Mavis! To top it all we met them after dinner last night and does Mavis scrub up well?! 
Anyway, I digress! Lovely sunset drink at Kleo and then off to shower and change. We ate at the Olive Garden last night, basically we peer up at restaurants and go where we see other people. It was quite busy although looking around at other roof tops some aren't so lucky. Another lovely meal and well finished off with free desserts.......obviously having stuffed ourselves silly on the boat we didn't eat any.......yeah, as if! 
Have woken up to a much fresher morning, maybe after all the wind, it has been quite humid at times up to now. Still forecast at 26 will do me fine!
Kankles under control after a cooler night but as for the saddlebag hip, well.........
Despite being more well padded than I would like to be in most places, I was at the back of the queue when they were handing out hips! You get the picture, I'm roughly the shape of a small robin! Anyway this means that when I descended non too elegantly from my perch in Fener that I didn't have much to soften my blow, hence the reason I now am sporting a lovely saddlebag swelling on one side.....but bizarrely no bruising......is this a good thing? Lizilu?
Anyway enough of my ramblings, I have an early morning walk to get on with!
And so another day begins.........

[Lizilu20]

Oh Babs hope your hip gets better soon. You may have some deep bruising which can take a few days to come to the surface, hence the swelling. Hope it's not too painful.  shame you can't get a bag of frozen peas on it.

I want to be Mavis too when I grow up although I suspect she's in better shape at her age than I am now!

Hope you're having a good day today despite your injury. X

[kalkan4eva]

Loving your reports, Babs.
Mavis and Bill sound like a lot of older couples we meet in Kalkan and may well be the couple we call Joe and Mary....! Either way, we envy their lifestyles and fitness levels and I hope someone says I scrub up well when I'm 80.
Your fall sounded pure comedy and I did laugh when reading your description but then felt bad when I realised you were in pain. Hope it gets better soon and at least it hasn't stopped your daily walks...a girl after my own heart.
Look forward to hearing more about your stay.

[Babs]

Time to review progress on the activities in the post title........
Swim, well plenty of dips in the sea and have reached the pontoon at Indigo twice!
Eat, to excess! 
Sleep, now here's the problem. OH and I are notoriously bad sleepers, as in we wake very early. Unfortunately this seems to have continued throughout this holiday. Still it's lovely hearing the early morning call to prayer! 
The upshot of this is that we are struggling to get past 10.30 in the evenings, on the plus side it's cutting alcohol consumption!
And as for the walking, well! Because we like to go to the beach etc we are walking in, in the morning, then back, then back in and back in the evenings, whilst this is doing wonders for clocking up the steps we reckon before you factor in any other moving from place to place and our early morning stroll, we are walking for 80 minutes a day......and we aren't strollers. So, new plan, at night, walk on taxi back......there I've admitted it!
Another lovely day at Indigo yesterday, dead turtle permitting!! And I do mean day, we were the first to arrive, early birds and stayed till sunset! So, dead turtle I hear you say. Sadly a very dead turtle was washed up late afternoon which certainly took some fishing out of the sea as it was enormous! Very sad 
Pre dinner drinks in Botanik, few people in there I'm pleased to say and then we wandered along to Salonika. It was really busy and we got the last table, which unfortunately was the end table near the kitchen so we felt a bit out of it, but it was lovely to see that little road buzzing. Good food though and a bit of a party atmosphere further along the restaurant with music and some impromptu dancing.
Had a little late night (10.30!!) wander round the harbour and then trudged our way home.....definitely a taxi tonight!
The sun has just come up over the mountains and a perfectly calm bay, it may be a bit of a trek but it is certainly beautiful here.
Quick check.......kankles, under control, saddlebag hip, slightly less "full", calves no longer screaming but now bites, bizarrely acquired during the day yesterday........
And so another day begins.........

[Bob & Jayne]

Wow first to arrrive at Indigo and stayed til sunset, well that certainly sounds like a fab day Babs, your sleep pattern sounds a bit like ours, up at the crack of dawn but at least you are making the most of the sunshine! We didn't get to Salonika this year, and it was on our list, but hopefully next time! Glad your kankles and hip are under control, but sorry to hear about the bites, I feel your pain! I am still sporting the scars from mine this year! Sad about the turtle too, poor thing. 

Enjoy another day in Paradise, and thanks again for your wonderful posts.

Jx

[pw]

What were the cocktails at Botanik like, Babs? We thought they were very poor in July compare s to last year. As a result we didn't go in Sept.

pw

[keith]

Loving your posts Babs.....your holiday sounds almost identical to the ones that we enjoy in Kalkan every time that we visit. We've also been lucky enough to meet an older couple that have been visiting for years.........who knows it may have been Mavis & Bill? I hope that your hip is recovering and that the bites aren't too irritating.

[Babs]

pw, the cocktails were nice and refreshing but I'm not sure how much alcohol they saw!

[Babs]

Another early start waiting to the sun to pop up over the mountains and bay.......so no progress on the sleeping in later, mind you we were in bed by 11!
A quick check tells me that last nights foot/kankles are under control, bites still itching like mad, but only in the mornings (?) and saddlebag diminishing but becoming more bruised! So if you see anyone looking like they've been kicked by a horse that is probably me!
Yesterday we wandered up to the taxis and then went off to Patara for the day when we arrived there were only a few other people there, beautiful. But it got busier as the day went on. The weather was perfect, a lovely breeze all day but no so much that you had to hang on to your towel, clothes, hair etc. The day went so quickly and before we knew it we were heading back to Kalkan York taxi.
Following a quick drink in Cafe del Mar we had dinner at Mussakka last night, which, unlike when we'd booked the previous night, was quite quiet, in fact the only tables used were all the tables along the edge. Had a lovely meal as ever, I really could eat sea bass every night, oh wait, I have, practically!! 
The lovely warm sun has just popped it's face over the mountain so it must be time for our early morning stroll (route march) and then get ready for another day at Indigo, it's tough but someone has to do it!
And so another day begins............

[Babs]

Short post this morning as its OH's big birthday and we've been present and card opening!
Lovely day at Indigo yesterday, stayed till sunset again......the time just flies by??
Then back for a shower and drink on the terrace before setting off to Small House for dinner. amazing yet again, their food is absolutely delicious and such lovely people. Managed to stay awake long enough, although it was touch and go, to manage a drink at Trio. I remember when you could sit there and watch the world go by.....now just the odd person every now and then.
So today OH is calling the shots, when you are as old as he is you have to be indulged!  so we have booked to spend the day on Moby Dick then dinner at Sade this evening.
Sadly today is our last full day, but we will eek out as much time on the beach tomorrow as possible before our late flight.
May not do a post tomorrow as will probably pack! 

[Bob & Jayne]

OH Babs, what a wonderful way to spend your birthday.  Happy birthday to OH, sounds like he really is going to have a wonderful time.  Thank you for taking the time to share your holiday with us all.   

[Babs]

Quick final post while I'm having my cup of tea waiting for the sun to pop up over the mountain.
So another lovely day on Moby Dick, good company and great weather, very calm yesterday.
Then cocktails, and very good they were too, at Fountains followed by a birthday dinner for OH at Sade.....delicious! He had the whole firework treatment 
So our last few hours in our favourite place are going to be spent at Indigo soaking up some last rays and then lunch at the Korsan.
Seemed to be more families around last night so maybe some areas have an early half term? I think people coming over the next couple of weeks may be disappointed to see some firm favourites closed......we were surprised last night to see Gironda and Nar closed, but sadly I suppose owners are having to make decisions based on income.
We've had another great holiday in Kalkan, it just never fails.....definitely my happy place!
The best weather we've ever had at this time of year, just one slightly hazy, windy day out of 10.......the rest wall to wall sunshine, and the evenings have been so warm too.
We are already planning to come bck at the same time next year, can't waiting.......although we have a few more "big birthday" adventures before then.
Remember........when in doubt always think, "what would Mavis and Bill do?" 

[Lizilu20]

Oh I envy you Babs, even if it is your last day. Today it was pitch black as my alarm went off, for the first time this year.  And so the dark mornings are a cometh, hate hate hate them, so I'm now counting down until April. Your blogs have brought a little ray of sunshine to my days and I've enjoyed every word you've written. Thanks so much and have a fab last day in our lovely Kalkan. So glad you've had good weather overall and a lovely holiday, sounds like OH had a brilliant birthday too.

Safe journey home. 

[kalkan4eva]

Oh Babs (Babes) just catching up with your posts.
I think you may well be home now and all too soon it comes to an end Do what we do and start counting the days till your next visit - we booked our accommodation and flights for next June when we were still there (in June) this year. A bit disconcerting when the countdown app tells you there's 345 days to go...wwooooooohhhh!
Really loved your blog and your holiday sounds so much like ours it's easy to picture myself in your shoes - spilling out of them in my case - enjoying doing what you do in our happy place.
How lucky have been with the weather - its just what Kalkan needed. So sad that places had to close early this year - we'll have to wait and see who has survived the dreadful season but I fear we will have lost so many favourites and some long-standing venues come May 2017.
Lucky old OH having a birthday in Kalkan - I'm a November baby so have never celebrated my birthday abroad except on those milestone ages when it seems to be obligatory. BH is September and we have celebrated those quite a few times in Kalkan for any old age...I'm forever jealous!

Hope the washing isn't overwhelming you.....

[Babs]

Indeed we are home!  and overwhelmed with washing!
OH birthday was a very big milestone and as mine is next year, as I say we have other adventures planned......this is just the beginning! 
Plans are already in place to go back to Kalkan same time next year, we just need to establish if anyone else wants to go to, daughters, friends, and then we'll start looking at accommodation and booking flights once easyjet release October, I imagine in December?
Until then........

[joycie]

Can't wait till October next year after your lovely reports. We've booked our flights and accommodation so the countdown is on.

[Bob & Jayne]

Babs glad your home safe and sound, but so missing your daily posts! Your "other adventures" sound very exciting, as does Kalkan same time next year! We are waiting for the flights to be released for us too next year, nothing booked as yet! Joycie your one step ahead, well done you, you must really be on countdown