Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Kalkan Discussion => Holiday Reports and Reviews => Topic started by: antler on June 19, 2015, 05:42:04 AM
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So, there we have it. The time has come. No more waiting. No more dreaming. Just bring it on!
Picking up where we left off in 2013, when we ended our stay in Villa Kismet in the Old Town, singing ourselves out to Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines…(You Know You Want It – you’re gonna get it)…..8 Antlers on another jaunt.
Ahead: 18 days, 17 nights in Kalkan; now, life can’t get any better than that. Can it?
A winter dreaming of a stiff Woo Woo on the roof terrace of Yellow Villa, unshaven in shorts and a tee, looking out over the villa tops to Mouse and Snake and smelling the sea, can all be realised - from tonight. We are on our way.
All I want to do now, is to hear the “thud” of Jet2’s door closing on Leeds Bradford apron and the “ping” of the Fasten Seat Belt sign. And then, as Rachey says “…and Relax.”
Then, I will know, there is nothing I can do but to sit back and soak it all up - and hopefully, watch 7 other close family and friends have a really great holiday.
Keane will be on the iPhone and I will skip to Bend and Break, as we soar a tad closer to my music, up there on iCloud;
I'll meet you on the other side
I'll meet you in the light
If only I don't suffocate
I'll meet you in the morning when you wake
Yeah, that’s exactly what I want. Bent and broken from a really busy year, I just want Kalkan to fix me, like I know it can. That service with a smile….the Best Burger…….the Kushti Kofte…..the freshest, chopped salad with the juices running red……Table One at Adam’s, looking out towards Meis through watery eyes. Priceless moments at a silly price.
Yeah, that’s what I want. Come on, taxi!
I’ll meet you on the other side. I’ll meet you in the morning when you wake.
Antler
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And so begins antler's 2015 travelogue! Hooray! :laugh:
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So excited for you Antler & family, feel already that we are going on another holiday to our favourite place in the whole beautiful world. Have a wonderful time, sounds like you are in need of some R & R - peace is around that corner!
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Have a wonderful holiday. Looking forward to hearing about restaurants enjoyed (we had lunch on the last day, only yesterday!) at Adem's overlooking that wonderful view. Also looking forward to things you are cooking, not to mention what is cooked FOR you on Fathers Day.
Already looking forward to next visit to Kalkan in September and perhaps sampling some of the restaurants you enjoyed but we didn't get to this time.
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Have a fantastic holiday Antler, sounds like you're in need of a Kalkan fix as much as we are looking forward to your reports. Safe journey. :) 8) :)
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Yeah Antler's on his way! Can't wait to read your daily reports on what you are doing, where you are eating, what you are cooking and all the things you and the family get up to. Antlers have a great holiday in your special place!
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:D Happy days! Have a wonderful time. I'm so looking forward to your reports. We're there in 17 days time - yay!!!
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Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday. Can't wait to read your reports. I'm excited enough knowing that i will be there in a weeks time but reading your reports will be like having a 3 week holiday instead of my two! :) 8) :)
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We are waiting Antlers.....
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Just having a slurp in the Airport. Well, it would be rude not to. I'm like a five year old at Christmas!!!
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Not for long, K4E......Boarding Gate 6!
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As with the wishes, have a lovely time ....... i know you will because you're going to KALKAN!!!!!
Missing it already and I have only been home for 3 weeks. Already thinking about going back next year.
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Doors to manual, pushing back. I smell a Bread & More pizza.....very soon
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Well, I'm sitting at home in West Yorks slurping a mojito and nibbling Kenan's nuts. Oo-er Mrs.....
pw
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Careful with those nuts, pw!
On the road to Kalkan......Nice pilot put his wings down.
Soon to see THAT view. And Relax....
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I couldn’t sleep on the way from Dalaman Airport. I wanted to savour every moment. The sky was still quite angry and the air steamy and hot outside of our air conditioned van.
We chose not stop to use the services, wanting to get here even sooner.
The service was OK on Jet2, better than last time on what seemed like a newer 737/800. Captain said the tail wind was really strong, so despite a 30 minute delay in leaving the tarmac at Leeds Bradford, we would arrive 15 minutes ahead of schedule. And so we did. With us being the only plane at the luggage carousel, and our tall driver holding our name high above the others, we were out of there in next to no time.
I rang Bread & More on the way and asked what time they would stay open tonight, as their web site says 2am. Midnight. They would prepare us a nice table and wished us a safe journey. Perfect.
We all cheered as we rounded the corner and the driver shouted “Kalkan!" as a lump came to my throat.
Roger, the Villa Agent was waiting for us – and yes! – it was the same Roger that we knew from before. Not so many Roger’s in Kalkan, he explained.
I had (kind of) forgotten just how beautiful this villa was, since turning up unexpectedly in 2012, with a slice of home cooked Orange Torte in my hand for the Villa owner, meaning “Please Miss, can I have a look around?” It was then that I decided that someday, we would do what we are doing now…..
All of those plans of “We must go out more this year…we must do this….we must do that…oh, and we are going to do that” became less of a reality as Roger helped unfold (and I’m kind of lost for words here) the serenity of this place? Jo & Rick immediately fell in love with the lounge - a room I had probably written off. Oh no, this was such a special place to them.
But it’s where I am now, up on the roof, that blows my mind. With the sun now burning my left shoulder a little after 8am, a breathless morning unfolds with just the coo of the pigeons, the splashing of someone, down below, refreshing our terraces and plants – and a mill pond sea. No sign of yesterday’s angry sky.
Here I am. I got here and right now, I’m feeling choked. I cannot deserve this.
Maybe I do. And we couldn’t wait to get back here to get more of it after our dinner at Bread & More. We were so grateful for them – almost as many waiters as there were of us - staying open to feed us and I am not sure how it happened, but the waiter caught on to the Yorkshire “Eeeeh by gum” (is that Yorkshire?) and he played that to the full with an ear-to-ear grin. Pizzas, kebabs, casseroles and my stuffed aubergine hit the spot until the hands said almost two. And then we began to collapse. With a bill of TL300+ for the whole 8 of us, I left it to the others to check why the amount was so small.
I ended our arrival, here, on the roof terrace like I knew I would. Oli & I, father and son, listening to the crickets with a look on our face like cats enjoying the cream, planning our hours ahead in this space, in our own borrowed piece of paradise for the next 17 days.
We were going nowhere, not even to bed. We opened the fridge and poured another drink and looked out across the sea.
Antler.
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Oh antler....you're home!!!
I cannot wait to read your daily updates - which I know will keep me sane once we have departed for blighty.
Always poetry....there's no other word for it. You are the Browning to my Jackie Collins :-*
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So is this how it's going to be...me weeping into my coffee? What a wonderful start! 6 weeks today and i should be posting the first of my blogs....just trying to think of a natty title!
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Wow Antler! What an amazing first post. My first question was going to be "I hope the villa has lived up to it's expectations? but I think we all now know the answer to that. So excited for you. Let the holiday begin ! :) :)
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Good to hear you all arrived safely and that Bread and More stayed open for you. The weather looks as if it will be very good from now on so you should be able to relax without dodging the showers.
Have a good Father's Day tomorrow with your very own chef! I presume that some time today he comes round and discusses what you want cooked. Or are you leaving it to him to surprise you? Maybe on our next visit we will get round to booking him if he is free.
Enjoy your holiday, I will be reading your blog and thinking of our next visit to lovely Kalkan.
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and so it begins - the master of blogs is back! I was getting choked up too reading how you and Oli shared a moment on the roof terrace just looking at 'that view'. You manage to put so eloquently into words what makes Kalkan special and how it makes us feel. Can't wait to read the next instalment of The Antlers in Kalkan as I never know whether I will be howling with laughter or shedding a tear!
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So happy you're back and blogging! You capture it so well, that sense of what have I done to deserve this wonderful place. Magic. Reading your blogs transports me back there...101 days and counting...
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Thank you Antler, a fabulous post, having not been on EK for 6 days due to an exhausting but enjoyable school trip with 36 students in tow to France! Bob is playing Aklan's latest CD on the surround sound! never mind that it is only 1.40am!! well actually 2.40am for me! Keep up with your posts, we look forward to hearing all about your holiday. :D
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Oh dear, a little bit fragile this morning, are we, waiting for the sun to come up in my favourite spot, up here on the roof? So, thanks to Mrs A for not allowing me that final nightcap in the same place, not so many hours ago – despite my protests. We know she is always right (and how we managed before Google, as the joke goes!)
After Blog Time at sunrise yesterday, 4 of us went right out of Yellow Villa, dropping down into Yali for some more essentials to last a couple of days. Nice Man Speaking English in Yali responded to my question for the thickest natural yogurt, great for a huge bowl ot tzatziki so eagerly awaited by us all.
The Greengrocer was next, and TL 60 later, with more fruit and veg than we could really manage, we dropped in to see Yussuf and Co. in the Butchers. Their smiles said it all. I told him (with a big smile) that he looked fat, remembering the “complement” he paid me last time. He was amazed, he said, with my 12 kilo less gut. Well, that’s OK, then, Yussuf, with his black locks falling down over his face; surely man enough now to get married?! We left them with a smile.
Back at Yellow Villa, as the shredded cucumber drained, Kazim dropped in to say hello and confirm the menu for tomorrow. I loved him all the more for recognising, unprompted, the efforts of my carb-free winter. We sat over a coffee, all of us around the table on the shady back terrace, as Kazim explained the dishes on his menu.
With his help, we chose 5 starters and he kind of directed us, in the nicest of ways, to have slow roasted shoulder of lamb with vegetables and a chicken and vegetable casserole for mains. His dessert would be his own concoction which sounded like a roll of pistachio-based baklava - plus a chocolate nut-free dessert for Rick. That’s what we chose plus whatever he also includes himself. A sure banquet fit for Fathers Day!
I asked him how much it cost as I hadn’t enquired before when we had booked (why would you?) Including special guests tonight, dinner would be for ten people, 8pm. GBP 25 per person, 3-course dinner and usually, almost enough left over for lunch the following day. Incredible.
Kazim is such a lovely man. All nine of us chatted over coffee, using our phones to take pictures of his menu, too lazy to check it out on the web. He couldn’t get over the lushness of the banana trees to the left of the terrace. Not only the best he had seen in Kalkan, but anywhere in the world! Wow.
Enquiring how busy he is this year, he said he was fully booked until end September and so far, had turned away over 60 other enquiries for this season. Is that good, or what?!
Lunch was simple: a giant Spanish Tortilla made only with eggs and potatoes with some seasoning. Free range eggs and potatoes from Bezirgan, those flavours asking for nothing more. I appreciate the originality of poaching the potatoes with onions in olive oil, then draining, but I personally can’t be arsed let alone prefer it. After all, I am on holiday.
The other dish was a Pea, Ham & Ricotta Frittata, seasoned plus a sprinkling of mixed herbs. With a large salad of iceberg, jucy-ripe tomatoes and one radish, bigger than a Bramley, to pack some punch. With the softest bread dipped in taztziki, it was a simple, family affair, overlooking the olive grove, on Day1of 17. Boy,that felt good!
The bar had opened at 12:30pm, in time for a pre-lunch drink and we apologised to Roger as he dipped in to check we wanted for nothing, pointing out that we don’t normally start drinking this early. Honest.
So glad we have no real neighbours as The Young Ones enjoyed each other’s company, post-lunch, in an around the pool. We, too, enjoyed their Bluetooth streaming while we sat on the small terrace in the olive grove attempting to doze amongst the pots of fresh herbs. With a stem of mint in one hand and one of basil in the other, I drifted off to sleep.
Waking up to laughter on the roof, we could not leave them up there on their own and so glad we joined them, not to miss Tom’s hilarious pole dance with the parasol; especially as he is taller than the darned thing. Priceless!
I couldn’t resist an hour of My Time as the late afternoon sun slid down into the hill over Kalamar Bay, sitting alone on the edge of the back terrace at peace in my own world.
Thanks to my slumber, we were a tad late for our 8pm booking at Sofra, but I called them out of courtesy as we made our way. No problem.
Mrs A and I chose Turkish Mousakka, which we both prefer to its Greek equivalent, being much lighter to enjoy without potatoes and béchamel sauce. And big on tomatoes. The meal was perfect and I agree with K4E, that view at Sofra has to be one of, if not THE best in the whole of Kalkan. Our table was on the edge and the waiters remembered us from our last evening there in 2013. We had picked up where we had left off.
Tom was still on a roll and needed a pipe. So a gentle stroll down to Flamingo to share an apple one. What a great bar that is! The music was spot on (says he, not having a clue what it was now, but so enjoyed it at the time). The waiters refreshed the coals and the apple went round and round – just like my head.
I floated back to Yellow Villa (apparently) and enjoyed a few glasses of Sprite Light right here, on the roof.
Well, in a couple of minutes, the sun will appear over the hill towards Kas, already lighting up Mouse & Snake and most of Kalkan Bay. I know I’m going to really enjoy Father’s Day, Sunday 21st June, grateful that I can and mindful of those missing a special piece of their heart. My thoughts are with you, Tom xx
Antler
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I've no idea how we didn't see 8 Antlers scurrying into Sofra from our people watching vantage point in Moonlight. We were there from around 8 until 9pm before we headed up to Mussakka. That makes our observation skills less than perfect...although BH had his eye on the cricket :P
Another wonderful post....you make a salad, frittata and tortilla sound like fine dining.
Happy Father's Day!
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:). Thank you for another fab post. You certainly know how to evoke such great feelings of being on holiday in this wonderful place. I'd like to have your posts on my Kindle. Carry on posting and more importantly having a great time. Enjoy your Fathers Day celebrations.
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Happy Fathers Day Antler :)
Wonderful report as usual. I guess that as I'm writing this you will be looking forward to your feast
Kids have just treated us to a few drinks at our local but now hubby is lighting the BBQ. He's happy so I am too!
Have a fabulous evening. Will look forward to hearing all about it.
I think Mrs A is like my Mr S…. He knows when I have had enough, even if I don"t >:D >:D
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As usual much enjoying your blog Antler.
I must admit your meals put mine to shame. In Kalkan I think I have made a big effort buying a ready cooked chicken, slicing some tomatoes with a sprinkling of basil and olive oil, slicing some fresh bread and getting out the butter! Hoping meanwhile I have been poured a large g and t. to compensate for all that effort. The idea of making my own tzatziki makes me pale. Not to mention making Tortilla and Frittata. Wish I had been there for your lunch.
Also wish I was going to join all of you for Father's Day dinner this evening. I am sure it will be wonderful and look forward to reading your blog tomorrow morning and hearing all about it.
Really must try Sofra on next visit to Kalkan in September. I can't remember ever going there but keep hearing good things about it, plus the view of course. With so many good restaurants to try, and also enjoying relaxing with a very simple meal at home on some days, it is impossible to fit them all in.
Hope all of you Antlers, plus friends, have a great evening.
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Great to have you back, Antler! We will actually be in Kalkan when you are, for once :)
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Well, it's 8.45 in Kalkan and no blog.......I'm guessing the sun hasn't risen or Antler had a GOOD Father's Day!!!
pw
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You know me too well, pw!! Just give me 45 seconds and it will hit the ethernet. Now, where's the paracetemol.....
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I wish I could say I was a little less fragile this morning, but I can’t. Anyway, my punishment is, I have missed the sunrise as it’s already just gone 8. Not a practice I want to continue this holiday!
Although yesterday was My Day, actually the day belonged not to me, but to Kazim and his assistant – the stars of yesterday’s show. More of that in a bit.
We had decided that Day 2/17 would be spent totally around the villa. A simple lunch had been prepared. Whilst dozing in the sun the previous evening, I had poached two large packs of chicken breasts bought from Yussuf (TL11 per kilo, no less) in Lal rose and a splash of olive oil, then left them to cool in their juices before fridging overnight. Even though I say it myself, they did make an amazing Coronation Chicken yesterday morning, packed with mild curry, mango chutney and raisins. The only thing missing was a spoonful of white wine vinegar. (So impressed with my 1980’s recreation was I, I asked Kazim later in the day what he thought of it, and guess what he said: “Ooooh very nice, just missing a splash of vinegar to balance the sweetness”” Come on, that’s unreal?)
And the home made oven chips were not too bad either, with such good potatoes with the yellowy flesh, skins on and poached for 5 minutes before roasting, sprinkled with paprika – a true weight watchers favourite – and no sins, Beth!!
It was lovely to have Mr & Mrs K4E for lunch, to have a good catch up and share the experiences of the day. They liked my Coronation Chicken, too, thank heavens – so they can come again, lol!
Worried that we may run out of beer and wine during tonight’s banquet, I popped along to the Beer & Wine Shop at the first roundabout and made my selection. A lovely couple, always so friendly and helpful, and my standby taxi friends! Crates of Efes regular, Malt and some ciders, bottles of red, white, pink and fizz, all on the Buy Now Pay Never Card, delivered home within the hour. A relaxed Antler once more.
The Young Ones went out shopping and for a mooch around, retuning some hours later having emptied the kitty, plus replaced broken sunglasses, flip flops and shoes.
Chef and his assistant arrived just before 3 and we watched in awe as he prepared the lamb. Whole joints of the stuff, gently being rubbed with fresh lemon juice, turned and turned and rubbed some more. Trimmed of most fat, stuffed with the leaves of freshly picked rosemary, clear of their stems not to be tough, then seasoned with some salt. All in a Lakeland Roasting bag, gently pierced, ready for 3.5 hours in the oven.
The chicken casserole smelled delicious even from the roof terrace as the thigh meat was sauted in some hot oil.
As the sun set, we enjoyed a few drinks back up on the roof (I will never want to leave this place) hoping Mr & Mrs K4E would arrive soon. And they did and we enjoyed the sunset before Kazim called us down at 8.20pm. He talked us through the array of meze on the table and wished us a pleasant meal. Although hard to make a selection, one of the stars for me, was what he called his own concoction; like a cheese borek without the cheese. A delicately light roll stuffed with minced lamb, chicken and caramelised onion. I’m going to have to use that over-played word; it was awesome. So were the other dips and salads.
It’s hard to know what to say about the lamb. We knew before he walked in through the door that it would be out of this world; Kazim over-delivered once more.
I don’t do deserts, but his pistachio nut concoction just melted in my mouth, blending well with the vanilla in the ice cream. I had offered him our cointreau and brandy bottles, and he invited guests to take a shot glass of either from a tray, to enjoy with the deserts. And there was the slippery slope. Later, the same bottles came up onto the roof and we passed them round and round under a starry sky.
At the end of the evening, the kitchen was the cleanest it had been since we arrived as Kazim and his assistant left (I can’t forgive myself for not asking her name, she was such a sweet person). We asked them not to just leave, but come and say bye bye on the roof terrace. And so they did, to a huge round of applause and loud cheers.
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
What a day. WHAT A DAY.
Antler
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In case you wonder what last nights wines were, here goes:
• Fizz: Altun Kopuk Brut (with a splash of Chambord to make it a tad better!)
• Red: Okuzgozu Bogazkere 2013
• White: Seneler Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Happy Monday!
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Well by the sounds of it, this mornings hangover is a small price to pay for the amazing day/evening that you all had. You had me hanging on every word and literally drooling. :)
Day off today for me and I'm sat with my first coffee looking out at the grey sky and listening to the rain fall on the conservatory roof ,wishing I too was in Kalkan……but hey 4 more sleeps and I will :D :D
Enjoy day 3, but please get up earlier tomorrow or I won't get to read your blog before I go to work!
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Oh antler...you have summed the day up so perfectly. It really was a truly awesome (there..I've said it too) experience. Your food was delicious for lunch and those chips...? wow! Kazim and his lovely assistant did us proud, the dinner was a dining experience never to be forgotten. But the real stars of the show - the antlers, all 8 of them, perfect company and chief antler the most congenial and generous host. Oh and Yellow Villa aint too shabby either :)
I didn't want it to end.....
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It sounds as if you had an amazing day.......what's a little hangover when you have all that to look back on? :laugh:
And how lucky are you Mr and Mrs K4E to be honourary Antlers for the day!?
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Very kind words, K4E. Thank you! Having you both with us made our day complete.
I may skip the Bloody Mary this morning.
On second thoughts.......
>:D
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Sounds like a perfect day. Fab food and fab company, fab Father's Day and best of all it was in Kalkan. What more can an Antler ask for?
Nurse that hangover and enjoy a nice relaxing day today. 8) 8)
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:) What a perfect day, everything from start to finish sounded amazing. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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"... Buy Now Pay Never Card..."
How did you get a Greek Credit Card? ::)
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Yes what a perfect day you had, sounds fabulous, especially being Father's Day, glad you all had such a lovely time, and thank you for sharing it with us. :D
J
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I would have loved to have been there for that Father's Day meal cooked by Kazim. It sounded amazing and reading about it made me very hungry.
Thank you for letting us all know about the fizz. Must definitely try it in September. Sometimes some fizz just hits the spot, especially when it is hot - or any time really......
I am poised every morning at my computer waiting to hear the next installment of the Antlers in Kalkan.
Carry on enjoying your holiday - weather looks set to be good now.
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Bit of a treat today as I’m ringing the changes and writing this from the Master Bedroom Balcony, as the terraces get refreshed down below! I know some of you have to get off to work, so thought I had better get in early. (Actually, it was the dogs that woke me up, lol!)
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Just as I reflected upon how marvellous Sunday 21st June had been, along came Monday 22nd. A really perfect day for me, in Kalkan.
No Monday morning blues, no A1M/M62/M18/M180/M181 commute to the paradise of Scunthorpe. No “Welcome To North Lincolnshire” sign over the River Trent bridge.
No, on this Monday, just a hangover and some amazing memories started my day, up on The Roof terrace which has become my home, with a pot of tea and a packet of paracetemol, looking out over a mirror-like sea.
One by one my family joined me and after sending my blog, I boiled a pan of eggs downstairs, brought them to the roof and we tucked in to these delicious things with their dark orange yolks, with some fresh bread. And another pot of tea.
The vote was for a day around Yellow Villa – but Adem’s for lunch. Yeah, I could buy into that.
I called Adem and asked if he could collect us at 1pm – oh, and by the way, if it was OK, Mrs A and I would like Fish & Chips…..?
The rest of the morning was by the pool, with the signature theme for Yellow Villa on YouTube now downloaded onto my iPhone, playing out across the olive grove from my new, Father’s Day, Bluetooth toy. So pleased we have no neighbours, or else I would be in trouble. I even put it on “repeat” as Rick laughed out loud.
Missing their two gorgeous American Rag Dolls at home, Bex went to see the cats over in the garden of The Shack opposite. There they all were, all 4 of the tiny kittens and their mum and dad, in the dappled sunshine outside of their pile of rubbish home. She gave them some water and they lapped it up and contacted KAPSA to let them know they were there and what to do. Much more KAPSA correspondence throughout the day as tears of joy fell from Bex’s eyes.
Adem was early and it was great to see him again after almost 2 years. We chatted up on the The Roof whilst the others grabbed their clothes, catching up on the months gone by. He made me laugh when I explained how the only negative this holiday, was that we had all been slaughtered by mosquitos, even though we had done the usual things. Not only was Rick bitten on his forehead but Oli had been got where no man needs to be got – although, for me, being well past 50, a little extra swelling in that area could be a bonus these days, despite the discomfort! Adem laughed and said “Naughty Mozzie!”. I felt slightly ashamed, as after all, it is Ramadam, and I was having such impure thoughts. Naughty Antler.
Oh! The ride to Adem’s and we get to see that stunning view and the thoughts that we had so many days ahead of us to Enjoy Kalkan…..I was like a kid on a school outing. Bliss.
Mrs Adem came out to see us as we stepped from the mini bus and after lots of hugs, there was our table for 8, all set on the lower terrace, just as we had left it in 2013.
Being a creature of habit, I had to have the fried liver to start, tiny cubes of liver lifted with a hint of chilli with a parsley and very thin onion salad on the side. (Sorry to bore you with repeating the same things here!) Then followed the Fish & Chips and bowl of the freshest salad. A simple fillet of white fish, lightly floured and fried, homemade chips like mum makes - and salad. How can anything so simple be so good?
One photo after another followed and as the Majestic Rose emptied, Mrs A and I took our glasses up to Table One and reminisced in the fierce heat of the early afternoon. Down below, in the scratched out vegetable patch, Adem was bringing on runner beans, peppers, honey dew melon and loads of herbs; all young plants, nicely watered. I reflected back on our day out with Adem a few years ago to Gombe, when he marvelled at the lush crops; “Where there is water, there is money,” he said.
Lilly the goat was a real darling and only 4 weeks or so old. She skipped around the place after Adem and it was rather unfair of me to ask would she be enjoyed at Easter or Christmas? Told to behave, we finished our wine, loads more hugs and as we climbed back into the minivan, Adem picked us one handful after another from his over laden apricot tree, before running up into the back, returning with a handful of fresh lemons. Surely, there was no more to give.
Being a complete freak, I know, I asked Adem to drop me back at The Kitchen Shop next to Carrefour. Mrs A and Tom came with me to witness me in my element. What an amazing place it is; everything you could wish for on the culinary front and more. With 8 of us enjoying Beth’s favourite Weight Watchers “no sins” Oven Chips (how they reach that conclusion, I fail to understand!) I wanted a large non-stick tray so I could cook on two layers in the oven. And there it was, this gorgeous, non-stick, round, with a 1.5inch up-stand, just waiting to be bought. I even had a choice of 3 or 4 sizes, Lovely Kitchen Man explained. Mrs A looked at me in the familiar way, best summed up by “you’re really weird”.
Like a cat that had had the cream, I skipped along to Yussuf and we carried a few kilo packs of chicken and kofte back to our Yellow Villa home. Sorted for two or three days.
The holiday could not really begin until Oli and I had done one more thing. I rang Mehmet and he said one come now, one in half an hour. So, it was a swim for me as Oli dropped down the hill to have his hair cut, with me joining him as he got out of the chair half an hour later. “Everything, please, Mehmet!” and he laughed at my request.
Haircut, shave, and the knots in my neck kicked from side to side, it was the best TL35 you can spend on this earth. Even better than my oven tray.
Rick was the chef in charge of dinner. There, on the roof terrace, he lit the coals and an hour or so later, as the sun was set, it was bbq’d kofte, cagic, salad and fresh bread, looking out over the whole of Kalkan with a vodka coke and squeeze of fresh lemon - the lemon having been picked from a tree a few hours earlier, by one of the nicest people on this earth.
So ended another Perfect Day.
Antler
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Antler, another wonderful report. This is what blogging is all about for me....the days when you do nothing in particular, but it is filled with such joy. Kalkan and its people pull the magic out of the hat, and even make buying a baking tray, some chicken and having your hair cut worth sharing with friends....watch out....the word is coming....AWESOME!
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Lol, Haybo! You are forgiven for using that over-played word on this occasion! You are here now? Pop in for a coffee ?!) if you pass. I'm going nowhere today!
I've also found this really nice cider (that I never drink!) at TL6.99 in the Beer & Wine Shop. Sevilen Cider. 5%. Need a second opinion - why not yours?!
Cheers
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Wow pass me the suntan lotion I'm on Antlers terrace savouring every moment. Back at our guardian angels Adems loving sitting on his terrace and enjoying the food cooked by Mrs Adem. Remembering the times when his children were little and they sat giggling in the back of the car as Adem drove us home.
Really were sat on the front of our narrow boat GoodBoy 3 in Salhouse dock Liverpool. We're moored opposite the Titanic and the Yellow Submarine holiday lets in the harbour. Children in blue uniforms are queuing to go on the wheel squealing and laughing and enjoying their day out.
Me I'm dreaming of Kalkan. Have booked our holiday for next year three whole weeks in September can't wait.
This year GoodBoy is taking us round the delights of Lancashire some not so delightful but Liverpool has been renovated beautifully I so hope Kalkan will be just as beautifully looked after.
Thankyou for taking me back to Kalkan it was sheer bliss.
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Wow, the Antlers do seem to be enjoying themselves, despite the mozzies. I have seen the "mozzie men" earlier in June even lifting drain covers and attempting to kill them, but they are determined creeters.
Good to hear about Lily the goat. We saw her when she was only two weeks old, clearly thinking Adem was her mummy and following him for her bottle. I hope we have a good photo of her, must check the camera. We also always have to have the fried liver when we go to Adem's. Makes my mouth water just thinking of the food.
Must try that cider in September, I really enjoy it in England but never noticed it in Kalkan.
Looking forward to the next instalment. I think your title for this year's blog "Kalkan: I don't like it - no I love it!" was inspired. Sums up what so many of us think.
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Antler, please stop your wonderful early morning blogs! I've been late for work both days this week as feel compelled to check to see what you and the other antlers have been getting up to!
My efficiency levels are dropping daily.......however my wellbeing is improved as getting a daily Kalkan fix! :laugh: :laugh:
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No Antler, please DON'T stop. Babs, would you like us all to come up with reasons (excuses) why you are currently running late for work? e.g. "one of the tortoises peed on me so I had to change my skirt". Of course you will probably only get away with that one if you actually have a family of tortoises................... But we could come up with others..........
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Antler - for lovers of great food, and bon viveurs such as yourselves - I have a recommendation for you. Have you considered having a wonderful day or evening up in Uzumlu at Villa Cennet Bahcesi (Paradise Garden) - where fabulous hosts Debbie and her husband Ramazan will give you an experience to remember? A much loved haunt and regular dining treat for Kalkan ex-pats during the winter months, Debbie, a professional cook, will work with you to create and serve a wonderful three course meal on her huge poolside terrace up in the mountains, overlooking Patara beach. Food ranges from traditional Turkish to English comfort food. I understand they will also prepare BBQ feasts during the evening as you watch the stunning Patara sunset, and you also have full use of the pool facilities. Cost is very reasonable, and you can take your own tipples of choice which keeps the cost down even more. Debbie is also able to cater for dinners and parties at private houses. I have stayed overnight in her beautiful villa, helped in the kitchen, and accompanied her on food shopping trips in town - she is Bulent the butcher's best customer. Her food is simply the best I have ever eaten, and people always say 'it has been made with love'. If you find yourself in the Blue Turtle, many of the ex-pats there will happily endorse this recommendation. I understand that catering up in Uzumlu is only available up until the end of July, after which the villa is rented out to guests.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Villa-Cennet-Bahcesi/481456058572979
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Another wonderful report, antler. Love that shop, it really is a treasure trove of kitchen heaven....but you do need maybe a bit of professional help with that addiction of yours.
Please keep them coming - l know you will. Looking forward to the next instalment :)
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Sorry Antler, Sounds like you were up early to accommodate those of us going to work, but as I was already running 10 minutes late I had to postpone my Kalkan fix till now. Any later and trying to get parked in the work's car park is like getting into a supermarket car park at Christmas!
Sounds like you are having an amazing time and a well deserved break from the usual commute/work routine
Have never been to Adems, but maybe this year…..I'll put it on the list with the other "to do this year" list.
I too am a lover of the sin free chips, so whereas other people smuggle bacon in their cases I always had "Fry Light! Let me know if you need back up supplies. I could just about squeeze that in my case but don't think I could manage another baking tray or such like ;D :D
Hope you have had another great day?
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I wish i was Antler....37 sleeps to go.......!
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OH. wants to know where the beer and wine shop is....... Partial to a drop of cider!
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Yali wine/beer shop is on the main roundabout in between Bulent the butcher and Brave Tours/Oz Adana. Good range of beers and ciders.
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OH. wants to know where the beer and wine shop is....... Partial to a drop of cider!
I think Antlers using the shop next door to Bezirgans Bar...they also own a taxi
pw
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How were the chicks up at Adem's? They were tiny when we were there, the nasturtiums were just coming into flower & sweet peas we gave him last year were all growing nicely. The area must be a blaze of colour at this time of year. I did say you can use nasturtium leaves & flowers in salads but not sure he believed me.
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This sounds great, something we will def do.
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Day 4/17 was a delight purely because it was a day of nothingness. Or was it?
It’s always around this time on my holidays that I make the leap from a stressed out, angry Purchasing guy, into a normal human being once more. My switched off feeling gets switched on and I begin, finally to relax. And that is exactly what Day 4/17 was all about. I wanted for nothing and was going nowhere (although I wouldn’t have minded popping along to the kitchen shop, in case I might have missed something the day before).
Up on The Roof, after posting my blog on my own balcony a level below, the smell of onions and peppers wafted up the stairs. Like father, like son, Oli was there in the kitchen preparing his menenem; and it smelled absolutely lovely. Starving from a 7am run down to the harbour and back with Rick, he was going to have a feast; and he was going to share it with his Dad, before Rick finished it off.
Up there on My Roof, I dipped the freshest bread that is so hard to cut due to its softness, into the red juices of my morning feast. Paradise. And I hadn’t even lifted a finger.
The maid came to refresh the villa and she worked so hard, bless her, stripping all the beds. I tried to communicate with her but we struggled beyond “hello”, then managed to find a “Thank You” as I slipped some notes into her delicate hands.
Realising we had dipped too much bread into the menenem, I popped down to the little supermarket, just along from a shop called Simply Chic – which apparently sells handbags!! It’s a tiny little supermarket that is packed full of everything. It took me 5 minutes to explain I wanted some fuel to light a bbq. To get there, I passed through wanting a bbq, wanting charcoal, wanting matches, wanting wood until eventually Nice Tall Guy went outside somewhere and came back in a few minutes later with a bottle of what looked like Fairy Liquid with a picture of flames on the front. We got there and we enjoyed the moment. I felt exhausted.
Bread, milk and lighter fuel, I was a spent man and ambled back up the hill to Yellow Villa.
Bex was sat on the wall of The Shack, watching the mother clean her tiny kittens in dappled shade under the tree. Mom is to be neutered on 29th June and returned to her litter that same day. KAPSA were keeping Bex informed and I know it will break her heart when she leaves – and I won’t be that far behind.
But it’s a bit like arriving to throngs of begging Indians in Mumbai. It’s not our problem to solve; we can only treat it with respect as we are passing by. I can do the proper thing and give KAPSA some money. Enough said.
Back up on the roof, the sound of laughter ceased from the pool below as The Young Ones spruced themselves up for lunch at Fenner. Mrs A and I were invited, but how could anything compare with a few hours of total solitude up there on The Roof. We wished them a happy time, all the same.
Still not ready to sit out in the scorching sun, I enjoyed the breeze under the canopy and a couple of long ciders over a large handful of ice. It was perfect and I dozed with my feet up on the roof terrace wall.
Lunch for us both was a simple affair; a fresh loaf, a tub of the creamiest Ekici Krem Peynir, some cucumbers, ONE radish! And tiny vine tomatoes sweeter than a bowl of sugar. Oh, and a couple of glasses of chilled Sauvignon Blanc, left over from our Kazim Banquet the other day.
There must be so many people who would despair at the thought of such a boring lunch, being given the chance to go to Fenner or elsewhere. But eating out professionally a lot of the time at home like I do, you have to do that to know what it is like to really WANT just a cheese sandwich. Today was to be my cheese sandwich day, enjoyed in a gorgeous Turkish home.
But I was fascinated to hear how they had enjoyed their time when The Young Ones returned a few hours later. Jo and Rick confirmed their meze was on a par with Adem’s and Oli had what he always has, he said, Saffron Chicken, with the equivalent of what looked like two diced chicken breasts around a mound of rice, with mushrooms and onions in a creamy saffron sauce. Sounded like paradise for something like TL26. They said Fenner was quiet, maybe just 4 or 5 tables and how the devastation was such a shock to them on this, their first look down there.
Some of them came home via a spell on the town beach and some via a few drinks in Akin. Rick returned from the Pharmacy, with supplies for his severest mozzie bites, some now red raw and on fire.
My feet remained there, up on the wall.
Mr & Mrs Burnley Whatsapp’d on their day out to Sakikent, saying they would pop in later to say hello after dinner. A lovely couple we met in Dubai some years ago, realising we were like minded bloggers and the friendship has remained there ever since - and now sharing the Kalkan bug.
Still my feet remained there on the wall.
I dozed for even longer in the late afternoon sun, only managing a swim to wake myself up as the sun slid down behind the hill over Kalamar Bay.
Showered, spruced up, and banned from the kitchen, we enjoyed a cocktail on The Roof as the smell of spices wafted up from down below.
Jo & Rick were preparing what has become one of their favourite curries; Chicken Balti. Not any ordinary Chicken Balti, but one from one of those healthy cook books, high on peppers, coriander and fresh lime. Bursting with an array of spices it’s not heavy with oil and onions, but as light as a feather and leaves your taste buds wanting more. They apologised for their rice looking more like a rice pudding, but the home made raita made up for any perceived failings they felt they may have had.
It was a simple, gorgeous meal and the perfect end to my Cheese Sandwich Day.
Antler.
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Thank you for your comments - and suggestion, Christina, which sounds lovely.
The Beer & Wine shop I used is almost opposite the Taxi Rank, tucked away, squeezed in between some other shops. You kind of go down into it.
It's a gorgeous morning, has the feel of being a very hot day and there is little breeze right now.
But it's perfect up here on The Roof, of course!!!!!
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Hi Antler, your villa maintenance manager, Roger, also looks after our pool/terrace, and is a regular diner at Villa Cennet Bahcesi in Uzumlu out of season. Watch his eyes glaze over in ecstasy when you ask him about Debbie Kivrak's cooking ;)
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Aha, it's coming back to me, now!! This is the place he told us about in our first day!!
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Well, I'm on it today.........Antler's blog read and still in with a chance to get to work on time......no peeing tortoise excuses for me today! :laugh:
You sound as if you have the knack of chilling out down to a fine art Antler, we tend to be "right, we are up, what's the plan for today sort of people"! And I love that you all contribute to the cooking......our idea of self catering is boiling a kettle! Just shows there are lots of ways to enjoy Kalkan?
Now you seem like just the man to ask........what is actually in menemen.......I offered to cook it at the weekend in memory of our recent trip but realised that not being an egg eater that I had no idea! Egg, onions, peppers, tomatoes.......but what makes it spicy? Chillies??
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What a lovely relaxing day you had and how I enjoyed reading about it. I could just picture you with your feet up letting the world go by while you just took the time to wind down. Days like that are precious, especially when you have your family around you. Bliss!
http://www.petersommer.com/turkey-travel-country/turkish-food-cuisine/menemen-eggs-tomatoes-peppers/
For you Babs. :)
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Antler your daily blogs are magical you have the knack of transporting me to Kalkan each day! Your food sounds mouth watering, I think you should do some Kalkan recipe cards ;) then we can all have a go at in villa dining 8)
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Antler, yes Kalkan recipe cards sound a brilliant idea! loving your blogs, thank you.
Haybo - we have 36 more sleeps today to go!!! 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
J
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I would love Antler recipe cards too, especially in Kalkan. Knowing me I probably wouldn't actually COOK the food, just drool over the cards (photos please on the cards) whilst settling for something really simple as the Antler's had yesterday for lunch. So enjoyable just to relax over a simple meal, a glass or two of chilled wine.
Antler, please give my sympathies to Rick and his mozzie bites. Hope they heal soon. I still have a scar on my ankle from about three months ago - although that was something biting me in London! His bites sound really painful and I hope he is still managing to enjoy his holiday.
Look forward to tomorrow's installment. Will you have spent another relaxing day at home today or ventured further afield? Whichever it is I will be opening my computer when I get up in the morning to read all about it.
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Ŷou leave the day before us Jayne.....
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We leave the UK the day before you Hayley but actually don't arrive until breakfast time on the Friday, so will only be slightly ahead on our suntan! 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
J
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Actually instead of Antler recipe cards there should be an "Antler Kalkan food and recipe" section on here :-* ;) it would get many views!!
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Thursday 25th June, sat here on The Roof, listening to the chickens and the birds. The breeze is gentle, the sky cloudless as it changes from pink to blue from the direction of Kas. Mouse Island is already brightly illuminated by the brilliant sun and it was there that we had our lunch yesterday, moored up on Yildiz 3.
Yes, if Day 5/17 was to be remembered – as indeed it will – it will be for spending £17.40 per person on one of the best days entertainment you can have in Kalkan; no, probably, anywhere in the world.
Adem, his wife and son took great care of us throughout the day and we took no delay in getting to the harbour by 10am for a prompt departure. We must have had “Day Out on a Boat Trip” written all over us as all 8 of us snaked along Kalamar Road, down past Mussakka, turning right to go down by the lovely Flamingo Bar and eventually into the harbour.
It was such a treat to have all the family together on a private boat and still have room for special friends that happened to be here right now. Perfect Company, Perfect Crew, Perfect Day.
There was too much swell to sail out around to the left, to Kaputas - and the journey out across to Mouse was interesting enough as we sailed into and hit the swell.
We bobbed from side to side as we enjoyed our lunch, tucked close to the rocks. It was even greater fun after lunch, probably helped along by a few Vodka Coke aperitifs, as we made our way across to the mud baths. I had never seen a boat tucked in so close to the beach as Adem had mastered yesterday, much appreciated by those weakest swimmers aboard. With her noodle to assist, Mrs A reached the mud beach for the first time in the six years of coming here. Huge rounds of applause. Beth, still slightly green from her well known sea sickness, took the advice to get in the water and over to the land. The greenness was washed away with the sea and a twinkle returned to her eyes. Even greater rounds of applause.
Plastered with mud, baking in the sun, the scene took me back to my childhood and the vision created in my mind when the teacher read us through Lord of the Flies.
"'Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!'" (Chapter 9)
The mud and the memory washed away and after trays of the freshest fruit, apple tea and cake, we came back in to a hot, hot, harbour to the sound of Cahit Berkay’s “Alyazmalim”, music transporting Adem into another world as he gently squeezed Yildiz 3 to be tucked in besides his brother’s boat.
Yes, it definitely was K4E’s idea for cocktails at Botanic Garden and I am so, so pleased that we stopped at 2. It was also her (great) idea that we try the Baker, up the main street towards The Nur. Wow, the puffiest bread, a tray of freshly cooked Baklava for an amount too small to mention.
Yussuf looked tired in the Butchers and was quite relieved when I put my request in, starting, “Not for now, but for tomorrow……”
Oli & Beth went on ahead to go out to dinner alone, but for the rest of us, there was only one real end to a day out at sea; a nice hot shower and a home delivered Foto Pizza.
45 minutes or so later, a guy with a stack of brown boxes, stood smiling at Yellow Villa’s front door. My medium-sized “Foto Special Hot” hit the spot and I ate every single mouthful and then, I was done in.
Hopefully, Oli and Beth will appear soon, as I’m desperate to hear the details again regarding their evening at Coriander. But until they do, I can put my feet up on the roof terrace wall, and reminisce over the last 24 hours, while reading comments on FB against our group photo besides Yildiz 3; a first class photo (iPhone 6!) liked by friends already, in Brazil, Pakistan, Switzerland and Dubai.
Yeah, a world class day, already shared around the world.
Antler
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Lovely start to our day Antler thanks for taking the time- what a fantastic time you are having and such a treat to have all your family with you to enjoy some special time together.
I, on the other hand, am off to yet another boring NHS conference today and when yet another person talks about "Going on a Journey" - there is only one destination I have in mind!
Have another wonderful day!
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So where were you Antler when I logged on at 5.45 after having been woken by elderly dog barking?! :laugh: I thought I'd get an early read. :laugh:
But now your blog is safely here and it sounds as if you had an amazing day at sea. I've seen the lovely group shot, you all have that slightly windswept but self satisfied glow that you get from a day at sea!
Look forward to tomorrow's blog......hopefully won't be awake so early to read/look for it!
Irene......when you get really bored just dream of the journey you'd really like to be making!!
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Another lovely day enjoyed by the Antlers.
Kudos to Mrs A. for managing to get to the mud baths - tell her I am also a noodle wearer in any water. To be honest I have never got off a boat unless I can walk straight onto dry land. Kudos also to Beth for managing the boat trip despite sea sickness. I love the boats but wish the sea to be like a mill pond when I am on it. I take quantities of Stugeron but still hope for very calm water. I am glad she recovered to hopefully enjoy the remainder of the trip after the mud bath. Is everyone's skin now beautifully silky smooth? I haven't tried a mud bath yet.
I haven't yet visited Botanik Garden either. Sounds pretty, quite apart from the refreshing drinks.
Hope you are having a great day today. Look forward to tomorrow's blog.
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Oh antler, what can I say. amother wonderful day in the company of you and your lovely family.....you forgot to mention that we all now look 10 years younger after our Mud Spa ;)
What a way to spend a day in Kalkan....just perfect.
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Yes, Tortoise Lady, I am as smooth as a baby's bottom,as they say. Almost every piece of hard skin removed..
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I am enjoying the sunset on The Roof (I went on to say as wifi dipped) as The Young Ones get ready for their various evenings out. But, Darby and Joan may not manage to move away from here.
After all, it is OUR holiday....
Happy Thursday Evening!
Steve
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Award yourself I nice glass of chilled white wine Antler, one for Mrs A. too of course, and relax...... You are indeed on holiday
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Oh, we will! We are still sat on the roof. Shall we go out for a nice fillet, or just sit here and take in the view.......?
Mrs A will decide. I'm easy. I'm in Kalkan...
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Thank you Antler for taking the time to send your fantastic reports. I think some of my favourite days in Kalkan have been spent on boat trips and last year on Yildiz 3 we met a couple that have become very good friends.
I hope you continue to have a wonderful holiday with your family. I"m hoping to still get access to EK but it depends if I can persuade my daughter to let me take her iPad! I may have to resort to good old fashion bribery ;D . Its amazing what the offer of a new top can buy you these days!
One more sleep…….yipee :) :) :) :)
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Thursday 25th, Day 6/17 and Market day.
Yellow Villa seemed to come alive a bit earlier today, mainly due to Oli & Beth preparing for their trip up to The Market and in to town.
It was Mrs A’s and my intention to do the same (probably) once we had finished enjoying our very relaxed breakfast up here on The Roof. Breakfasts are now stretching out to become more like a 90m minute affair as we gradually get joined by The Young Ones in our daily routine. Eating a fruit yogurt with one hand, shaving with the other while dreading the 51 mile commute, is not for Kalkan. These breakfasts are special.
By midday it was obvious that, for the other 6 of us, The Market was not going to happen – and so what? Oli & Beth returned with some sexy looking bags containing some very smart leather goods from a shop in town. The market had done nothing for them, they had got extremely hassled and left. But retail therapy down in town was a whole different affair. Proudly showing off his leather wallet, passport holder and other bits and bobs, it would have been inappropriate for me to have mentioned the words “T K Maxx?”, if not darn’ right cruel.
Really yearning to create something wonderful in the kitchen (after all, the last major cooking session had been 3 or 4 days ago), I was feeling deprived. Outnumbered, I called for one big or two small taxis to take us to our unanimous choice of Café Vita for lunch.
At Vita, we virtually had the place to ourselves at 13:30 and after sometime, the missing person, famous Mustafa, appeared once the kids had posted on FB “we are here – where are you?!”
He had been tracking our family holiday (he must be the most photographed person on FB, globally?) and we apologised for not making it to see him sooner.
Some Long Island Iced Teas as we went through the normal debate regarding a starter, yes or no? For three of us, the menu was not required for the mains. It would be what we never stop talking about, Shrimp Casserole and large plates of Vita’s world class, homemade chips. Every time, no option.
It took less time for the food to be prepared than it did for the whole group to agree on what to have. My shrimp casserole seemed even better than I could ever remember and as I dunked these red hot chips, all perfectly golden brown, into the cheesy mushroom sauce, I thought, I really should not be eating this. Oh yes, I really should.
We didn’t linger too long, as the day was slipping by too quickly. I rang Nice Taxi Man Mahmut, his number now firmly plugged into my mobile and asked him to come and fetch us quickly, one cab to Yellow Villa, one to The Market.
We only needed to go as far as the market entrance, just to the watch stall on the right hand side as you go in. Hugs and handshakes and friendly banter while Mrs A explained the work she needed doing to repair the watch she had bought there previously. One of her firm favourites, it needed a new glass. Lovely Watch Lady said she would send it off and if the supplier had one, they could do it and could we come back next week? Of course we could!
While Mrs A was sorting that, I was sorting me. In less time than it takes to say “But you don’t need another watch!” I was the proud owner of another watch. Off the back row, a nice Rolex with titanium coloured case and leather strap with coordinating silver stitching. Then I got: “And what about the other 4 you have from here in your bedside drawer?” as if that had anything at all to do with it. See? You should have let me cook lunch. Rant over.
We popped into Yali to buy mozzie killers – the sonic type. Trying to explain to the Lovely Lady Assistant that I wanted electric, yes, but not liquid, I wanted “sonic”. How do you explain with your hands what sonic is? She watched my hands waving around and trying to read my lips s o n i c I eventually gave up, after opening virtually every box on the shelf. K4E, where did I go wrong?
Yussuf winked as we entered the butchers and quickly came out from the back with a whole fillet ordered the night before. 1.69 kilos of the beast – a vegan’s nightmare and Antler’s dream. Spot on. He asked how much of it I wanted trimmed and I pointed this out around this gorgeous slab of meat. With a large packet of chicken thrown into the bag, shopping over.
We popped across to Kaya to see The Lads regarding their excursion and enjoyed a complementary drink as The Magician explained the details. Sounded good, deposit paid. I hung on to my valuables, hoping I wouldn’t see my new watch (or 1.69 kilos of fillet) come out of The Magician’s pocket and so pleased to say, I did not. ( It had happened to Mrs A’s watch, after dinner at Kaya a few years ago, and I remember at the time feeling frightened and sick, as I hunted for my wallet).
I showed off my shiny, new purchase to Young Chef, sat relaxing at the bar before his evening shift and he politely said it was very nice and how much was it. “TL50”. The look on his face was more “you stupid idiot” than “oh wow, mate, what a bargain”. But a serious Purchasing guy knows the time when it’s OK to haggle over ten quid. And with Lovely Watch Lady, that was not one of them. I know.
Back on The Roof after a swim, one hour ran into another, still full from those dunked, gorgeous chips. The Young Ones all fresh and beautiful went out for their dates as Mrs A and I watched the lights come on, one by one, all around the bay. Streaming some chill out stuff on Spotify, I slumped lower and lower into the deep cushions of my Ottoman sofa. Why move. Why, indeed.
Later, feeling we ought to eat something, I quickly knocked up a Spanish Omelette to share, in the kitchen down below. Mrs A and I had just finished eating when, one by one, The Young Ones returned from their dates. Amazingly, they had all ended up in the same vicinity; Bex & Tom had a balcony in Sade, Jo & Rick had pre-booked a table at Baharat and Oli & Beth chose, on the spur, Paprika. They all enthused over their meals and I didn’t hear a bad word from any of them, as they night capped up here on The Roof. Oli was especially using Paprika and Coriander in the same sentence and we will sense check this morning if Paprika may have got the edge.
Wanting the next day to arrive so I could do something marvellous with Yussuf’s fillet, I called it a day and went to bed.
Antler
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Another lazy day, perfect! I was on the 07:20 birmingham international to london euston, full day of meetings in some basement offices til 5' then emergerd into 25 degrees heat to head for the tube! Got home around 8:30. Horrible sarnies for luch and left over spag bol for tea!
Anyhow, look forward to hearing about Kaya trip as we've booked it in August. Have a great day Antlers!
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Haybo! Sounds like the perfect day! ;D ;D
Mine was wonderful too.......spent in a steaming office where the policy says we can't have the air conditioning on until 50 people have passed out!!
Oh and yours sounded ok Antler! :laugh:
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Antler, sounds like another relaxing day, just a little activity but not too much. I have tried cafe vita's shrimp casserole and very good too. It was on your recommendation on a blog about two years or so ago so we made Cafe Vita's our first day lunch instead of Akin.
If you have four or five watches from the market in Kalkan I wonder how many that means you have altogether???
Was it today you will be cooking your fillet and chicken from the butchers? Look forward to hearing what you did with it.
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Another lovely day on holiday with the Antlers! What a fantastic time - love your reports from The Roof!
Babs, I did smile, the first speaker was only talking for around eleven minutes when the "going on a journey" phrase made an early entry! I was immediately transported on a magical Turkish Carpet to the beach in Kalkan!
Hope you wern't too hot today! x
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A sound similar to a cricket gone made, immediately outside my bedroom window, brought me out of my early morning slumber today. And maybe it did, too, for the dogs. They started. Like being on an island, surrounded by these 4 legged beasts, they all went mad with each other, raging and barking as more were added to the fray. One by one they came out of their homes, on chains or caged in behind their fences, protecting their properties with all their might. For a moment, I thought that these creatures, and I, had all gone mad.
And then they were all gone.
The remaining bats of the night flittered about the blue-grey sky as the dawn was handed over to the crickets and the birds. The clock moved from 5 to 6am.
Yesterday, Day 7/17 had started off badly, too, with the realisation of another half a dozen or so mozzie bites, all down my left hand side. No matter what I do this holiday, they get through whatever barrier I throw up. What do I do, lock myself away in an air-conned, darkened room? Or, spend a day at sea.
Over breakfast yesterday, we heard all of the details about The Young Ones’ dinners at Paprika, Baharat and Sade; beef in clay pots, surfs and turfs, mojitos and magical moments as they all enthused over the “quality and service” of their evening before. All this talk of food!! We rang Papatya Café and booked our table for lunch, to check that it would be OK.
As the temperature shot up, here on The Roof, we planned Day 7. Morning at the villa, lunch at Papatya Café, LaVanta, shopping as we came back down into town, BBQ on the roof this evening with special guests, Mr & Mrs Burnley. All agree? Sold.
Here, under the shade of the roof canopy, I played with my new, luxury watch, thumping it on the table to see if I could get the Date to show properly. Oli showed me another way and my luxury watch was perfect once more.
Boy it was hot. Papatya Café would be the perfect slot on this hotter day, up there high above Kalkan. And to have such magnificent views would be an even greater treat. It would also allow us to see what is driving the position of being the No 1 on Trip Advisor for Restaurants in Kalkan; a quality and service lunch (or, dangerous place to be?)
I rang Mahmut and asked for his help, in 5 minutes. As if by clockwork, our taxis were there faster than I could say TL20.
I hadn’t realised quite how far up the hill LaVanta was, with Google Maps showing it somewhere up by the D400. The last part of the journey was quite alarming, with delivery vehicles coming down the steep, dusty track at speed, on the wrong side of the road. I had a change of shorts, so it was OK.
“New Kid on The Block” Papatya gets its rave reviews for its Burgers, its food generally, lovely hosts – and of course, spectacular views.
The air was cooler, almost refreshing, so noticeably more comfortable than down in town on this hot day.
A table of a dozen or so diners were studying the menu as we made our way to our prepared poolside table on the terrace. Wow, look at THAT view!
The menu was simple and the burgers of various types won it for the day. Rick’s “Burg-ometer” would have a field day. Erhan took our drinks orders and we challenged him on his Bloody Mary, saying that we had not found tabasco much in Kalkan, so much so, we had even brought our own up here today! “You try and you tell me!” Erhan replied. And so we did.
Half a dozen or so people were sunbathing around the long pool and if it were not for the lavender hedge, helping to distort the view of the villas being built one level below, the panorama would be just perfect; think Mediteran, without the electricity cable.
Erhan’s Bloody Mary hit each and every spot. Got it! Well done young man and we put away our tabasco. So good, we had to have another as Erhan explained he would take our food order once the other large table had been sorted. That seemed OK – after all, we were in Bloody Mary Heaven.
I wish I had stayed in Bloody Mary Heaven, ordered a third and then the taxi home, as we had been sat there, with this gorgeous view, for the best part of 2 hours before my Lamb Burger and Fries arrived. Lunch at 15.20 hours, to be precise. I needed food like I needed a hole in the a*se. Erhan was most apologetic as I explained our disappointment, and why.
Lady Chef came out and apologised, too, saying the large table of 12 or 13 had turned up unexpectedly before us, and they had been unable to cope. Hairs on my neck rising, “but we had booked” I said with a softened voice, wanting to take away her – and my – pain.
We also explained the Burgers were second to none, and the chips, oh boy! The 10% discount off the bill was politely refused, as we had visited them in support. Erhan shook my hand as we left, after we enjoyed half an hour in their pool, explaining he felt so bad and that he would get it right, which kind of added to my pain.
I guess, given longer and not so many things on the To Do list, we would give them another try; but for us, for now, they can remain No 1 on Trip Advisor for Restaurants in Kalkan. It’s my Quality & Service choice: Burger, Fries and some drinks, or, a day out at sea.
Mahmut got us back into town much faster than his speedy trip up, dropping us at the Greengrocer for fresh vegetables to go with tonight’s BBQ.
By the time we got to Yellow Villa we were laden with bags of provisions – and melting. The realisation at Bread & More that we had forgotten Cranberry Juice for our Woo Woos on The Roof, I dipped in and bought a carton from them. Oh dear, we have been here a week and not been back in to see them, our friendly restaurant neighbours.
Rick took charge of cooking the meat. Tandori Chicken, Fillet Steak Skewers, Oli’s home made burgers with a melt-in-the-middle cheese stuffing (he’s doing well, this lad, on the culinary front) and what’s becoming, now, our signature dish – Beth & Oli’s No Sin Chips.
Sadly the wind changed and rather than like out first BBQ a few evenings ago, when the smoke gently wafted up into the night air, the wind was fierce and blowing the wind down the chimney and the sparks and ash out into Rick’s face. He stuck with it to the end, a greater man than me.
When the chips came out of the oven, I had put in a “chuck-it-all-in-and-beat-it” Chocolate Fudge Cake, into my favourite silicone Loaf Tray, brought over from the UK (mad fool).
Even if this non-cake eater says it himself, the smell of hot chocolate fudge cake and some Carte Dor Classic Kaymakli Dondurma ice cream, looking out to sea from our Roof Terrace, was a pretty good end to an indifferent day.
Antler
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Really loving these reports, antler. Just catching up after a few days of non-compliance. Shame about Lavanta....and the weather today :(
Hope it picks up for your BBQ trip.
We have a confession about the sonic mosquito plug-ins....ours aren't sonic at all :P Something got lost in translation so apologies for the wild goose chase. Remember, if Yali doesn't sell it...it doesn't exist.
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Remember, if Yali doesn't sell it...it doesn't exist.
Milk. I'm pretty sure milk exists.......
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Really loving these reports, antler. Just catching up after a few days of non-compliance. Shame about Lavanta....and the weather today :(
Hope it picks up for your BBQ trip.
We have a confession about the sonic mosquito plug-ins....ours aren't sonic at all :P Something got lost in translation so apologies for the wild goose chase. Remember, if Yali doesn't sell it...it doesn't exist.
Sonic mosquito repellants do exist but like just about every other repellant, apart from DEET, they don't work.
If any one is tempted to buy one, have a read of:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20669080
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Great blog. the fudge cake sounds yummy, any chance you could share the recipe? Thankyou in advance .
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Day 8/17 – Kaya BBQ Trip and dinner at Coriander
By the time we got to Kaya for the 10am pick up for our (£20) trip up into the hills, it was fairly obvious we were in for a grey morning. It was not so obvious it was going to be pouring down with rain and therefore blummin’ cold.
I think it caught Kadir out, too, as he had not experienced this weather on this once or twice a week, new excursion. Life is Life he said. Not even his brilliant magic could turn pouring rain into sun.
Feeling colder and colder, itching with new mozzie bites, frightened the mini bus would lose its backside on the greasy-from-new-rain roads, we made our way up to Bezirgan. Despite having 9 days left in Kalkan, the thought of being on a Jet2 flight to Leeds Bradford appealed. Why hadn’t I stuck to the “Dubai” in my Trip username, AntlerDubai? I struggled with that thought as the bus journeyed on.
Thoughts like “why did they bother?” and “well, you would have thought they would have cancelled?” must have run through people’s minds; or, was it just the defeatist in me?
At the first stop in Bezirgan, Bex’s face was like thunder as she really had not wanted to go, preferring to enjoy one of her sunny days in Yellow Villa’s pool and up on The Roof (which she would not have enjoyed weather wise, anyway).
“Is this it?!” she retorted, “where’s the pool?!”
No, this was not it Rebecca, me slipping back into Parent:Child mode. These were grain stores as Kadir was kindly explaining (but I was fighting back tears of laughter at such an impromptu and stupid comment, which became one of our catch phrases for the Antlers’ entire day).
Kadir had to whisk us back on to the bus as the rain came down and he finished his tales of times gone by, farmers storing grain in these little huts, safely away from the flood plain. He had taken photos of heavy rain, then floods, this last winter and mounted them on a board for us all to see. Global Warming, we all agreed.
Mrs A’s knuckles were white with tension as the bus driver mastered the 350 degree turns until soon we were there.
“There” was a family property of a few homes, built into the sloping forests of quite a stunningly beautiful landscape. There was (of course) a bar, an open, outside kitchen, a covered terrace and Ottoman seating area. Oh, and a new pool and deck with sun loungers, that we had watched being completed on FB this very last winter.
As the kettle was got on, shivering and getting wet from the rain dripping through the broken canopy, the realisation that today the beach towel would be my coat struck home.
Bex got Tom back, playing him his “You wanted it!” as he looked glum and bewildered in this rustic scene, his head not far from the holes in the roof. That was enough to start us all off, playing with the innuendo for the next hour - or, even day. Price less, family fun. I was cold, damp and unbelievably happy my Jet 2 was not taking off right now.
Life is Life said Kadir and as if by magic, Can from Kaya filled wheelbarrows with chopped, dry wood. With a squirt of lighter fuel, he soon had raging portable fires to wheel around wherever he wanted. Stood just one foot away, the roaring flames burned the mozzie bites on my back as my tee shirt steamed. A large glass of vodka coke and I was no longer broken.
We watched Chef from Kaya and his helpers prepare a dozen or so dishes for our mezze starter and Kadir decorated the table with fresh walnut tree leaves. It was a spectacular visual display with an even more spectacular taste.
The rain stopped, the vodka didn’t and the sun did its best to try to shine.
Many of The Young Ones – and some of The Older ones, too – were in the pool , playing water volley ball or something amid roars and cheers as they had their fun. Tom’s cheers could be heard as Bex commented “He’s gonna love this!”.
I had another vodka as the sun warmed my head.
With no room for the BBQ’d main, I did have room for the fresh fruit an hour or more later. Chef from Kaya had carved honey dew melon baskets that each had a swan carved out of an apple as its centrepiece, with the melon full of summer fruits. I can’t wait to load up some pictures for you.
I felt all Turkish as the music played and asked Kadir would he mind putting on some of my Most Played tunes. “Of course!” as he plugged in my iPhone and pressed Play.
As Cahit Berkay’s “Alyazmalim” filled the air, one by one, Chef from Kaya and his helpers looked at Kadir in a very puzzled way, shaking their heads from side to side, as if to say, “No Way!”
Kadir threw their stares over to me with his head and I could not believe the depth of feeling in their stares. They could not thank me enough.
Sleeping on the bus for the next 45 minutes or so back to Kalkan, arriving to a very pleasant and sunny evening, we could not get back along the Kalamar Road fast enough, rushing up to The Roof for a warming hour of R&R.
Tom was soaking up the rays, relaxed with an Efes and I asked him “Marks out of Ten for today?” expecting a two or a three. “Eight!” He replied, very happy with his world. He had, after all, wanted it. The very rustic, terra firma version of a Kalkan Day at Sea.
Moonlight Bar was really busy and we were only a little late for our 8:30pm cocktails. A Long Island Iced Tea & a Woo Woo with Mr & Mrs K4E, before they depart; but hopefully a parting that won’t be for too long. Mr & Mrs Burnley had made it too, so it could have developed into quite a session had we not had our respective tables reserved.
Coriander was our choice and we chatted with Can and Dionne about the success of their new venture. Mrs A had Garlic Prawns, then Lamb Shank, that melted in her mouth. Mine was Liver then Can’s suggestion if I was having fish, Sea Bass Fillets stuffed with King Prawns. It was fascinating watching the bread being made on a hot stone, next to our table, dipping it into the juices, deep down in the large bowls of complementary salad throughout our meal.
With several drinks, £18 per head and probably worth much, much more.
Easy to see why they are so popular; it was a lovely meal and I loved the vibe.
Our wet day ended warm and dry, up on The Roof, 8 Antlers’ laughing their socks off and planning their next day.
Antler
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The weather didn't seems to dampen your day too much! Our friends, The Stockers, were on the trip yesterday. Not heard from them yet but if there was Efes fuelled fun and high jinks being had in the pool I'm pretty sur the 3 male ones would have been involved. We loved the trip when we went in June and will be going again in sept with aforementioned Stocker parent ant others.
pw
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Only you can make a soggy BBQ sound like the best day ever....what a way you have with words, antler.
I know how it must have dampened your spirits a little, but by the time you returned to Yellow Villa last night it sounds like your faith in Kalkan was restored.
Lovely to see you last night for cocktails and looking forward to reading about the rest of your stay....which after today we are no longer sharing *sad face*.
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Such a shame about the weather but it sounded like you stoically made the most of it :)
It always looks and sounds like a fab day out up at the kaya mountain (I always think of "the Walton's" when I see it written down) trip. We have yet to do this and just like your Bex, our girls pull their faces when we mention it. I'm sure they would have a fab time but I'm not prepared to risk it. Automan and I, on the other hand can't wait to go. :)
Hope the weather improves for you and all the other forum members in Kalkan now. 8)
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Well, as Kalkan4eva said you certainly made a wet soggy day sound fun. I think, though, I would have had white knuckles like Mrs A. going round those twisting roads in wet weather.
I believe there is a pool up there - I for one would not have been going in it on such a cool day, I would have been keeping very close to the fires. The food sounds really good though. That I could certainly have enjoyed.
I hope you soon all dried out and that today has been a better sunnier day as we hope for in Kalkan in June.
Look forward to hearing todays exploits in tomorrow mornings blog.
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Day 9/17 started on The Roof. It’s amazing how one day without the sun on holiday gets you up more promptly the day after. One by one, The Young Ones joined me on The Roof, even before I hadn’t finished my blog, arriving before 8am.
It was the perfect Kalkan morning. Crystal clear blue skies, a gentle breeze and an Accu weather forecast of 25C.
Beautiful.
The maid arrived quite early, so we abandoned our chill out hour up here, in favour of the downstairs back terrace, so she had the free run of the house, without us being in her way.
I popped over to Yali and got some bags of fresh bread and most of us enjoyed it with a huge pan of boiled eggs on the kitchen terrace, Oli & Beth choosing to have Menenem at Bread & More.
We were still laughing at the Kaya BBQ from the day before, The Young Ones reminding me of my blog omissions. How could I ever forget “The Turn” that Kadir did late in the afternoon? Stood there, with his little scrap of paper to remind him what joke was next, it was a Turk telling jokes in English, explaining every punch line. He had me in fits of laughter, even though I had heard them all before. “It’s the way you tell ‘em”. It certainly is. And when we got to the one about the Convent, I cracked up. The head one in a convent is a boss nun, right? We had to all agree. Politically incorrect, suitable for those over 18 only - Kadir’s Turn was priceless.
I had also left out the fierce .22 rifle competition, Mrs A scoring 3 direct hits having never put her hand on a rifle before, and Bex, on a roll getting 9 hits in a row. Across the track from where we enjoyed our lunch, was a pile of plastic, blue water bottles and a few other types. Jokingly, over lunch, I had suggested it was a Turkish Recycling Centre, having no idea it was there for a major activity in the afternoon. There we go, kids, blog error now corrected!
The day got even better as The Young Ones agreed a Thai Chicken Red Curry at La Casa Mia would be great for lunch. (Believing I could get this one over the line, I had found the tins of Coconut Milk in Yali earlier and also, hunted out fresh coriander in the bottom greengrocer, so I was prepared).
Mr & Mrs K4E had suggested we pop over and collect some provisions as they packed their cases midday. I am sure they wanted to see us like they needed a hole in the head, with those precious hours remaining on their final day. True to form, they offered us a drink and even truer to form, we accepted. I am not sure Mr K4E’s shot of Russian Standard could be measured in fingers up a glass – at least, not with the fingers on one hand. (It was SO good!)
We enjoyed hearing all about their final meal the evening before and took advice on some “must doos” for our following week, as one by one, items from their fridge got thrown into bags for us to enjoy. Really sad to see them go. Life is Life.
Realising we were going to be late back to make lunch, we shot back up the hill laden with two heavy bags, me with one on each arm, the pain of the weight anaesthetised by my Vodka Coke.
The good thing about Thai Curry is the short time it takes and the flavour it packs. For speed, the red paste was from Morrison’s, so handy in sachets and not to be an issue with the weight. Also from the same store, coconut cream in small cartons. But, I needn’t have worried, Yali had that in easy open tins, too. The only compromise was the Fish Sauce, but as Mr K4E pointed out, I could have made my own? Smart, Mr K4E, I like it!
As the chicken thighs sautéed in the red paste in a wide pan, Rick was operating under instruction with all the liquids using my special purchase from the UK. Yes, mouths drop open when they realise that for £13.75 from Amazon, I had brought with me, a Swan Vitreous Enamel, 36cm oval roaster. In black. It’s gorgeous and so versatile. Mrs A would have thought I was completely off my trolley, had she of known it was in the case, full of boxer shorts and hidden by Tees.
But I thought, just in case this so well equipped villa did not have something exactly the same size, better to play it safe. I could always leave it there…..
Coconut Milk? “Yes, Chef!” Coconut Cream? “ Yes, Chef! Juice of two limes …and so it went on with the rest of the ingredients Rick mixed together. The chicken was then added to my lovely black pan and in the oven for the time it took to cook the rice.
20 minutes later, I was in a Chef McDang Heaven, dipping some fresh bread into a bowl of the sauce, not really needing any chicken to meet my need.
Another pool / roof / pool, sleep and dribble afternoon followed, once again making us almost late for dinner. The Young Ones had gone on ahead to have cocktails in the new bar above Coriander, with us joining them already seated in Mussakka, well after 9pm.
It was then we had another “Kadir Moment, with Rick asking for a shot of Cointreau in his Long Island Iced Tea. “Yes, sir, whatever you like!” the waiter replied.
When Rick’s drink arrived, there it was, this gorgeous, colourful cocktail, wrapped in kitchen towel. Remember that translation: Cointreau = Kitchen Towel. I don’t think my sides will ever stop hurting.
The steaks in Mussakka are always right off the scale and so I ordered their signature dish – Aubergine Mussakka. Why? Only because I knew I would have room for a large slice of Mrs A’s Roquefort Fillet. And of course, she delivered. Mrs A reckoned it was the best steak she had ever had in her life (and probably something we have said more than a few times before in Mussakka). Mehmet had advised her to ask for it rare if she wanted it pink in the middle; it came perfectly pink, all the way through this 2inch thick slab of meat. It was good; very, very good.
Pleased Mehmet’s Team have been able to get their act together in a new venue after the terrible fire. They have a good formula and it works; no need to try so hard, slow down on those steps!
Not eating so much, but drinking the same, my evening began to slide. And the Mud Slide at The Fountain at 11:30pm was the final blow. Packed with Baileys and other stuff, hidden by the ice cream base, it knocked me out as we said our goodbyes to Mr & Mrs Burnley. We remembered this place as Rendezvous some years ago, when we had one of the worst meals we had ever had in Kalkan, the restaurant being closed when we went back the following year.
Now a trendy bar with great music, up on the roof opposite Café Del Mar, my TL26 Mud Slide cocktail slid me nicely over my edge.
The perfect treatment for a day of Goodbyes.
Antler
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We are enjoying your posts Antler, you need to definitely continue now K4E is back home! No word from Suzyq1 yet, maybe she hasn't taken her ipad with her after all! I am looking forward to sampling the steak in Moussaka this year, as well as the chicken livers! Hope the sun is shining today for you today 8) 8) 8)
J
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What Jayne said!
Except the bit about chicken livers and steak! :D
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That red Thai curry sounds delicious and you make it sound easy to make. Share your recipe??
I have never tried a Mud Slide (nor heard of one) so I tried Google. Eventually I got the picture of a rich end of evening cocktail but not before two or three sites asked my complete date of birth before they were prepared to divulge the recipe. Not just "are you over 21" or "over 18" but day, month and year. I decided I was not going to give out that kind of personal information to a random site on Google. Thinking about it, we have several cocktail recipe books so may just look there. In Kalkan one of my favourite ways to round up an evening is sitting on a balcony overlooking the lights of the bay with a simple bowl of icecream and a large tot (actually more than a tot) of some liquer, especially an almond based one.
Hope today is being a good one for the Antlers and look forward to tomorrow's blog.
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Fantastic posts! Your posts from previous years whetted our appetite for Kalkan and gave us invaluable advice for our visits over the subsequent 3 years. We're taking a break this year (sadly) as we had a big trip to NZ and Australia at the beginning of this year and are going to try sailing in Croatia instead for our summer holiday!!!! All booked for 2015 though for my *0th birthday so Happy Days:)
Enjoy the rest of your break and keep on posting!
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Day 10/17 started, of course up on The Roof.
Un-interrupted by early risers, my blog flowed and was posted just as the sun was gaining some warmth. Mrs A and I sat in the Ottoman sofas, sharing a pot of tea and enjoying That View. We had not yet planned the day so had no idea how marvellous it would be (I almost had to use the dreaded “awesome”, there)
For those of you averse to any form of emotional stuff, you may prefer to switch off now; although, come to think of it, if you were that way inclined, you wouldn’t be reading this tat anyway. And I apologise for its length.
The day was marvellous because of its simplicity. It summed up everything I like about this world and everything I love about Kalkan. Our Day hit each and every spot and I was so overwhelmed, so happy, I couldn’t eat my supper. So here it comes:
It was an absolutely gorgeous morning weather-wise and I dragged myself away from the roof to tick “The Feeder” box in me, putting on a huge pan of dark brown eggs for our breakfast on the kitchen terrace.
While the eggs were boiling, I whizzed a chopped up, pip-less orange that had been boiled the evening before, in the Mini Chopper and added it to the oil, milk and sugar and beat it. The whisk was a bargain – strong and black, from the clearance shelf at TK Maxx, a safety net just in case! I folded in the flour, baking powder and strong Cocoa Powder and beat some more before pouring it into my greaseproof lined, silicone loaf tin that I had brought from the UK, full of socks. Well, it weighed nothing.
Chocolate and Orange Fudge Cake for later, on The Roof.
One by one the family appeared and we enjoyed our family breakfast, which tends to be a mixture of boiled eggs, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, cream cheese, avocados, bananas for Tom, plus, on this occasion, Ezme from Mr & Mrs K4E. Oh, and loads of fresh bread.
Joe and Rick went off to the harbour in search of the perfect Kekova trip for later in the week, not only because it is so beautiful, but the forecast is for this week to get hotter by the day and we should head for the sea (or the mountain).
Roger and Didem called in and we chatted, sat on the back terrace. The Dishwasher Repair Man was about to pop in to fiddle with the new machine as something was not quite right, Didem confirmed – it was not letting in water.
We asked Roger could he arrange our lunch and he confirmed it would all be set up for 13:30 today and they went on their way.
A couple of hours of R&R on the roof, with some music from my new father’s day “Bluetooth” boombox and I was nicely chilled.
I hopped out of the shower, slipped on some clean shorts, thanked Dishwasher Repair Man for sorting out the water inlet vale setting, just as Musa arrived in his rickety car; plus another shiny, new yellow taxi to transport us all.
Musa was from Islamlar and he ran Yayla Restaurant with his wife and family. Roger had called ahead and booked our table.
As I got into the car, Musa removed a hammer from my front seat and I asked if I was going to be safe! “No, no, no, it’s OK!” Musa replied, seriously thinking I was concerned, putting the hammer in the glove compartment.
This old, dusty, rickety car, that must have been over 20 years old if it was a day, sped up the hill. Across the D400, up through Akbel and through the valley and up into Islamlar. The temperature dropped, more cloud appeared and the sound of running water. Lots and lots of running water.
Musa’s family came to greet us and showed us to the one set table for 8 on the edge of the terrace looking right down the valley and just seeing Mouse Island in the haze. Somehow, I knew this was going to be good. It was going to be excellent.
On the way up, Musa had explained that it was his restaurant; he cooked, he waited – and he drove a taxi, he laughed! And everything was completely fresh – and I mean FRESH. He started preparing when were sat down and enjoying our drink.
We marvelled at the view, the dramatic hills topped with a Turkish flag, the sounds of the birds and the water as we enjoyed Villa Doluca White and Rose wines, perfectly chilled.
Different types of bread and some olives came first and then some cagic and stuffed vine leaves. Then some hot sliced aubergines covered in tomatoes, some salad leaves shredded and covered with finely chopped garlic along with some bowls of finely diced, mixed salad with the juices running red.
As Musa made it, it was brought out by his family members, such gorgeous kids with the biggest of smiles.
Garlic prawns……then, garlic mushrooms hot and sizzling in their cast iron bowls. As one empty dish left, another new one came. And then we rested. But only for a while.
I heard Rick say to Jo, “Oh my god, this is the best meal I have ever had!” being both lovers of the Turkish Meze (they have had one at almost every meal so are becoming quite expert, now).
I sipped my wine, so grateful to be enjoying this experience, as Musa’s team brought out plates of Kofte, Mini Chicken Fillets and Trout, their skins crispy and a little salty.
Flicking the flesh from the trout’s bones, the action needing no effort at all, I enjoyed these fillets with piping hot chips, cut thin and in rounds. It was more sea bass than trout, the freshest fish I have ever had – literally, I am sure.
There was no room in me for kofte and chicken, leaving that to the non-fish eating folk.
Almost everything was gone and I warned the family that there would be dessert, I was reliably informed. With groans around the table, I reassured them to relax and shortly after, these small round dishes arrived along with Musa. “Turkish aphrodisiac!” he explained. “For me, this, then go upstairs with my wife 5 minutes, he said”. We all laughed and tasted the warm Helva with tiny spoons. Sesame seeds, walnuts, milk and chocolate from Emali. Poor Rick, unable to sample this Turkish delight.
After our meal, Musa showed us photos of Kalkan on the wall. Taken in the 1960’s you could see the bones of what Kalkan is right now, the current Hotel Pirat being just a rock. Next to the old photo was a gun. A long rifle, maybe 200 years old, Musa explained.
“Ready?” Musa asked, and it was a wrench to have to say yes, bidding farewell to the family and getting back into his car and the waiting taxi form before.
It was all downhill and along to Patara, agreeing to meet two taxis, right here, at 8:30pm after the sun had set. We couldn’t thank Musa enough for all that he had done as we parted, wishing we would be there again, at Yayla Restaurant, very soon.
The Beach Boys found us some beds on the front line and I swam and then dozed. The water was warm, not rough at all. After 15 metres you could stand on a sand bank, with the water hardly coming up to your ankles before getting deeper again.
Sleeping for a short while, then waking again as the sun began to sink, we enjoyed a drink in the warm breeze. Mrs A on the Laurent Perrier, a gift from a very generous couple, me on the draft, ready- made Woo Woos, made earlier in the day. All served from that ponsy cool box sent from Amazon via Berlin!
The sun was slipping closer to the sea, the breeze was lessening and Jessie Ware’s version of That’s All I Want From You was playing into my ears:
“A little love that slowly Grows and grows
Not one that comes and goes
That's all I want from you
A sunny day with hopes up to the skies
Not one that comes and dies
That's all I want from you”
I walked along the beach, kicking the sand with my toes as the sun slipped closer and closer to the sea. Ahead of me, Patara beach was empty, just one young couple in the distance, stood right at the water’s edge, arms wrapped around each other, their kissing a sillouette against the pink evening sky.
It was beautiful, oh so beautiful and buckets of tears just fell off my chin.
“Don't let me down, oh show me that you care
Remember when you give, you also get your share
Don't let me down, I have no time to wait
Tomorrow might not come, when dreamers dream too late”
I pressed Repeat and did it all again, gaining composure just in time to finish my Woo Woo with the others, pack up and go back to my temporary, Turkish home.
It took us ages to agree, up on The Roof at Yellow Villa, whether we should have Hunkar or Foto deliver. At one stage it was both, then running out of time, Foto won the day.
It was enjoyable, tasty fare, but I was really wanting for nothing else. The day had been so full of such great things, I couldn’t manage much more. Priceless things that had nothing to do with money, not really.
Things that you just had to open your eyes and ears for, to see, to hear and to feel.
And I was feeling it all.
Antler
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Wow! :laugh:
There's nothing else to say really.....that lunch sounds amazing......is it right for me to be drooling while having my incredibly healthy breakfast of hot water and lemon, nutribullet smoothie and green tea? ;D ;D
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Another fab blog! And we still have days to go ;D
Antler, I would love to know what you packed in your suitcase to take to Kalkan other than clothes and the "usual" holiday stuff?! ;)
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Holidaylover28, I bet you would, lol!
Not sure if I have mentioned my cocktail shaker? It's really smart, lightweight and another TK Maxx clearance item down from 24 to £7.
I am sure more will be revealed in the next days as I find the stuff!
Cheers
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Hehe ;D looking forward to the revelations! But do you pack all your spices etc that you have been using?
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What a joy it is to read your posts now we are home....but wishing we were still there and missing the great company you and your fellow antlers are!
I'm so glad you have ticked another couple of things off your list - it does sound like another truly wonderful day. I bet the BBQ in the rain is now forgotten when you have these wonderful new memories to add to the store.
I'm just looking forward to the next edition of this wonderful blog...brought tears to my eyes but they were sorry for myself tears, to be fair. I'll be ok...especially if you keep delivering posts like that.
:-*
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What BBQ? What forum?! Are you crazy, K4E?!
The sun has just slipped down behind the hill and as the others take a shower, I am rigid in my Ottoman chair, on the roof, with a glass in hand. The Young Ones will cocktail it again at Coriander, then decide......
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That sounds a truly magical day Antler.
I have been to Yayla on a few occasions and found it a very good experience so am glad to hear you ventured up there. Such good food, simply served, and so much of it!
Sunset at Patara with champagne!! I have never done that and cannot help but feel it is something I should add to my list. Probably wouldn't do more than paddle though, I believe it can get a little choppy at Patara.
Hope you are having another good day. Glass in hand before going out sounds the right thing to do,
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Day 11/17 started, of course, up here on The Roof.
Rick was the first to join me before 8am and he seemed to be as shocked as I was by That View. “Oh God, just look at that….!” It was picture post card perfect, even more so than any other day. The sea had huge areas of mirror-like surface and somewhere far away, the ocean and the sky became one. It looked as though the world went on forever.
And all you could hear were the crickets, the birds and the coo of a pigeon somewhere high up the hill.
Who would need breakfast if you could feed off of this?
But we did have a very simple breakfast of a couple of boiled eggs as we planned our day. It was Bex & Tom’s last sleeping day of their 12 day break and so today was to be for them. Looking a little jaded, a little glum, they ate their breakfast and when asked, confirmed they were feeling pretty sad. I reminded them that they would see their gorgeous American Rag Doll cats again, who will have grown even more whilst they were away, hoping it would lift their mood. Of course they knew that and their sad faces cracked a little, but feeling sad was the order of the day.
Happy to go with the flow, we would all eat at The Old Trading House this evening and Mrs A and I would go for a walk into town and book a table, before it got too hot. And so we did.
It’s a gentle stroll down the road to Bread & More, crossing over the Kalamar Road, then continuing on down to the end. No sound was coming from The Meldi Hotel on our left and we remembered one of our first lunches there a couple of years ago. A quaint little hotel, with a really friendly bunch running it.
Turning left at Lykia Residences, we made our way along the road hugging the coast. Empty properties, it seemed, one after another all looking the same. Deserted, locked up – and beautiful. To our right, some had infinity pools and peering through the fence, you could see they had nothing but an olive grove in front of them and even that fell away into the sea. It was Kalkan’s version of Linton Road, Wetherby (more millionaires than you can poke a stick at) and Ling Lane, Scarcroft, Leeds.
We pointed out “our room” in the Mediterranean Apartments, with someone sat on the pretty balcony with brightly coloured umbrellas protecting them from the sun.
Kalkan Suites came into view and we plucked up courage to go in. Maybe 4 or 5 years ago, one October Half Term, we had stayed here for a week when it was called the Samira Garden Hotel. It had been a very different week, that holiday, living in our jeans and a light jacket and never getting into a pool. We remembered a thunderstorm whilst we ate at the oldest Mussakka, now Sade, and how the rain lashed against the plastic curtain wall.
The lady in Kalkan Suites looked at us and smiled, then looked deeper again (something that has happened many times this holiday). Yes, it was Nazan – “The Cake Lady!” I said as all the memories came flooding back. We had watched the development of the property and were really keen to see how 20 or so fairly nice sized bedrooms had become 10 brightly coloured suites. With a colour scheme of white, more white then a dramatic splash of shocking pink, this was a development created by someone who knew what they were doing. A very bold statement of modern living in every way. Huge king sized beds, walk-in showers and wide screen TVs.
It was changeover day. Nazan showed us Room 101, 102, 103 and then the pool. Rooms 201 and 202 were busy but highest of them all, Room 301 was not (Room 302 being bigger again, converted from the previous breakfast room, and what was our room, those years ago). Most with stunning Kalkan Bay views. Built into the roof, these rooms were not for the Tom’s of this world, but, Nazan explained, when one tall guy stayed there, he had hit his head on the door frame lintel, as he made his way to the balcony – blood everywhere, she said! And still he insisted he stayed there again the next year, just so he could enjoy That View.
We declined the offer of tea and coffee and went on our way with the Kalkan Suites brochure in our hands.
Crossing the school playground, we came out at the taxi rank and walked on past The Street Market and into Town.
We had a Date Night coming up and for that we wanted to try Paprika, so we dipped in to see Orlando, who pencilled us in his Reservations book, remembering my name. We looked forward to that.
The tailor was on his mobile but still waved at us frantically, “Come inside, come inside!” I mouthed back “Later!” and he stuck his thumb up as he continued his call.
Two staff were chilling inside The Old Trading House and we asked was it possible for a table for tonight for 8. Studying the list of reservations on tonight’s page, the waiter murmured “At 8….”
“No”, I said, “sorry, for 8, at 9. That was a different affair but he wrote it in and invited us up to the top for us to consider our table options. Choosing a corner table, right on the edge, we thanked him and wound our way back down through the terraces and outside.
We meandered through the tiny streets, recognising places and faces as the temperature rose. Getting too hot to go all the way down to the harbour, we called into Rhapsody, me to soak up the air con, Mrs A for potentially more. The strong smell of leather, nicely leather filled the air and I asked the guy if he had a machine pumping out the aroma. Pointing to the Valentino cream and black, studded bag that he was turning inside out, I asked him how much and he was reluctant to say. Pointing out they were only fakes, I suggested, surely, they could not be that much? But, Nice Hand Bag Man told me, only the name was fake, with the leather very good quality from Istanbul. Hearing the number 200, then a correction to my suggestion that it was lira instead of sterling was enough to drive me back out into the heat.
The Mussakka greeters tried to get us in to have lunch, politely declining and moving on. Erol was in Kaya and I asked him had he had any more rain today?! He laughed, coming over and shaking my hand. English lady had gone in and mentioned to him my blog regarding the Kaya BBQ. “Thank You, very much” Erol replied.
Yussuf was on form in The Butchers, wanting to squeeze a roll of fat around my Kalkan Belly. We bought our chicken and moved on.
It was a relief to get back to Yellow Villa, cool down, drink plenty of water and relax. But it had been a really rewarding morning and we felt as though we had had our fix.
Tiny, baby new potatoes boiled for lunch, the smell of mint coming out of the kitchen and wafting across the back terrace as we took a drink. Mrs A a Lal Rose with some ice, with me not wanting to waste the draft Woo Woo left over from Patara the night before, in a tall high ball, packed with ice and mint.
Generous as always with my measures, even with a stack of ice to the top of the glass, this Woo Woo still packed a punch. In fact, it packed plenty of punches and it was those punches that altered my concentration and changed the nature of our meal.
The other family members carried out their chef-supporting tasks around the terrace table as we pulled the dish together. As the chicken roasted quickly, I drained tiny tins of anchovies (Tesco, Scunthorpe, Holidaylover28, hidden in my hat!) but forgot the bags of sea salt and black pepper croutons (same store).
My woo woo infused lunchtime helped bring together what can only be described as Chicken Ceasar Nicoise, twice. A large dish and a small dish, one with anchovies and one without. Except the anchovies were left out meaning both were the same. As we finished our plates, all feeling totally stuffed, we asked ourselves, “What was that?!”. If only I had remembered those well-travelled croutons up in the cupboard next to the hob. With a “whatever” I finished up the woo woo and headed for The Roof.
Dozing in the shade was followed by two gorgeous hours in the sun from 5.30pm, my favourite time of day after now. Repeating the music form Patara the night before, the magnitude of the emotional kick, on this occasion, only bringing a lump to my throat.
We were nicely late for dinner at The Old Trading House, which the waiter had explained earlier, would help them no end. Mrs A and I arrived first, the others joining us from Cocktails at Coriander, a short while later.
Mrs A had whitebait to start, tiny opened up fish, not fried in batter, but packing a whacking punch of fish. I had a Fainted Priest, sizzling in its cast iron dish. Lambs liver and Chinese Prawns followed for us two, with Rick oozing over his Mixed Grill and Beth giving her Chicken Pie a score of about 200 out of ten. Oli could not believe his Fillet could be cooked to such perfection, pink on the outside and just a tad red raw, in the middle.
We quickly drank our Turkish coffee and complementary “anti freeze” (Trip Advisor feedback, from a “most rude waiter“ poster), settled the bill and headed next door to The Fountain.
As the Mud Slide slid down we started to move to the tunes and laughter prevailed once more. Bex and Tom had two of the biggest smiles as we did our best to send off two of our Antler’s in style. We all agreed we liked it in here at The Fountain. Oh yes, we liked it in here a lot.
Antler
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Another couple of perfect days by the sounds of things. Loving your reports Antler and they are definitely getting me into the Kalkan holiday spirit. From today at last, I can say we will be going on holiday next month! :)
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Lizilu20, that's the best bit, the looking forward to, the anticipation. Enjoy those moments!
Cheers from The Roof.
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Only 15 days for us now!!!!
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Yes you're right Antler, the lead up is the best bit. :) RosiB - lucky lady. You're going a bit a bit earlier this year? Does this mean we won't see you as we don't get there until 14th August? :(
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Hi Liz!
We're out 17 July - 17 August; might just squeeze in a meet up!
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What's this....Mr and Mrs Antler going for a walk...? Surely not :P What is the world coming to..?
Love those villas in front of Lykia Estate...although up until the Asifya Seaview and Lykia Pavillions were built on the olive groves a couple of years ago, they had a really amazing vew. An old one has been for sale for a while and has been renovated beautifully this year and a new block has sprung up seemingly overnight right next to it - not sure if its a villa or apartments. Yes this is a lovely part of Kalkan...and no mistake!
You've invented a new dish...chicken caesar nicoise! It will be in a restaurant near you very soon :laugh: It actually sounds delicious.
Safe trip back to blighty, Bex and Tom. I bet they are so glad they made that last minute decision to join you - as are all of you...and us.
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Another terrific post Antler. I can almost see you writing a novel based on your Kalkan adventures.
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The moon is full, but fading now, just to the left of the masts high above Kalamar Bay.
It was not only the dogs that kept me awake during the night, but the normal concern of any parent wanting to know his kids are safe and well. At 5.25am, the iPhone was on silent but the screen went bright as the WhatsApp came in.
“Home, unpacked Adem’s Baklava and going to bed! Speak to you in the morning, nite nite xx”.
Bex & Tom, back in their flat in Leeds. Their journey had been quite tiresome with a bumpy flight, thunderstorms over Leeds causing them to divert to Manchester. But the storms cleared, the plane refuelled and they were soon airborne again for the short hop across the Pennines.
Bex & Tom went to sleep, and finally, so did the dogs.
Day 12/17 had started in the usual way, up on The Roof, trying to remember what we had decided we would do today, the evening before. There were two things set in tablets of stone; Bex & Toms pick up would be at 17.20hrs and lunch was to be at Adem’s for all 8 of us at 1pm.
With Bex & Tom leaving us today, it kind of felt like the end of our holiday, too, despite our having the best part of 5 days left. Our family had only ever arrived at different times - never departed in this way. I didn’t like it, but 12 days was so good compared to not having them at all, which is how we had started 2015.
Over cups of tea, the rest of us tried to work out what we could still fit in and when. It wasn’t working out at all. Things had to go. Serious things that had been absolute “must doos” over the winter months. The decisions were too hard to make so we didn’t bother.
Oil & Beth would go out tonight, the remaining 4 of us would return from Adem’s, have some R&R and then have dinner in. As it will most likely be our last La Casa Mia meal, it had to be the dish that Rick described in Villa Kismet in 2013 as the best meal of his life, Harissa Lamb with Minted Orzo, the recipe first appearing in the June 2013 edition of Olive Magazine.
I googled for the Turkish translation of chickpeas and orzo and strolled across to Yali.
It always amazes me how short this walk is, from Yellow Villa, up and down the hill, coming out at the back of Yali. I found what I wanted on the shelves before walking down to Yussuf. I had told him I would be in for this lamb next so he was half prepared. He weighed the joint of lamb, explaining the ratio of lean meat to the bone-in joint. A bone-in joint of 1.49 kilos should do the trick.
I watched in awe as his incredibly sharp knife took the meat away from the bone and sinew. “Fat?” he asked. I replied, only a little, and demonstrated the size of the cubes. With a large pack of chicken breasts for the cats over the road at The Shack, job done for TL55.
Just one more call at The Greengrocer to get the fresh herbs, lemons and limes, then calling into “Goolies” (I think it’s actually Gule) on the Kalamar Road to buy fresh bread for breakfast, so beautifully soft to enjoy thickly spread, today, with Krem Peynir.
At the Bread & More turning, the waiter saw me and shouted out what he does every time “Eeee by gum!” and asked when we would visit his restaurant, having not been in since our first meal upon arrival, now 12 days ago. Feeling hugely guilty, I muttered some sort of sad excuse and then I was home.
Bex was sat on the wall across the road at The Shack, watching the kittens come out from under their pile of wood home. Mum cat came walking up the road from the Olive Grove as Bex threw some cooked chicken onto the rotting door, acting as their table. I knew Bex was going to miss these moments and as she looked into her iPhone photos, we marvelled at how much they had grown in such a short time. They would be fine, they were on the KAPSA radar, mum has been neutered and the kittens would be the same at the appropriate time. Well away from the villa premises, they had got used to their feeding place in their home and often were all waiting on the low wall as we came by.
I enjoyed the rest of my morning of R&R before a shower and a freshen up, as Adem arrived promptly at 1pm. It was good to know he had another booking, already eating lunch at his restaurant; 16 Russians, plus their guides on a tour out of Fethiye.
You could imagine the description in the Russian brochure:
“After a morning of looking around the quaint seaside town of Kas, you will be taken to the azure blue seas and white shingle beach of Kaputas for swimming, before lunching under the shade of a local locanta, high up on the hill and looking out towards the Greek Island of Meis”. A paradise trip (but why were they looking so glum?)
Once or twice a week this tour happens and I reassured Adem that this was good business for him. “Yes” he replied, with an incredibly deep sparkle in his eyes.
Fish and Chips for Tom, Rick and I, Moussaka for Mrs A, Lamb Shank for Bex, Chicken Saute for Oli and Jo and finally, homemade tomato soup with cheese for Beth. Oh, and plates of homemade chips.
Adem dropped us back into town, stopping at Carrefour for some soft drinks and just one more litre of Smirnoff Red (TL99.5). Where had it all gone? Had someone been stealing it??!
All cleaned up and fresh at 5pm, well in good time for their mini bus arrival 15 minutes later, I handed Bex a large plate of chopped up Morrison’s Carvery Ham. “Come on” I said “just one more time!”
“Aaah, thanks Dad”, was the reply as we made our way across the road and sat on the wall, under the tree. Just as we had gone to Adem’s, the cats had eaten all their chicken breakfast and were led on the rotten door, mum trying to sleep with a full belly, as the 4 kittens enjoyed their mother’s milk.
“Aren’t they cute! I am so gonna miss them” she said, with me thinking, yeah but not half as much as I am going to miss you…..
It was 7pm when I woke, up on The Roof, perfect timing to slam in the lamb.
The Harissa powder came in a tin from Tesco Scunthorpe (just to make sure I had it!). I blended it with the olive oil made from the olives harvested from the grove attached to the villa as the lamb sautéed. In my lovely black Swan Roaster (sad git!), I tipped in the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas, fried chopped onion, big handfuls of chopped fresh parsley and coriander, a pint of lamb stock with some lemon juice and seasoned well. In the oven for two hours. Relax.
At 09.30pm, just as Bex & Tom were leaving the tarmac in Dalaman, I cooked the orzo before straining, then stirring in very finely chopped mint and spring onions, the latter having been soaked in lemon juice for the time it took the orzo to cook. Drizzled with more local olive oil.
The others set the table up on The Roof, poured the Patara Red and set the right tune on the boom box, volume down low. Dinner was served.
Moroccan Lamb Stew, or, Harissa Lamb with Minted Orzo. A priceless meal, in a priceless location, so simple, so fresh and yes, Yussuf, you were right, his lamb was incredibly soft.
I rang mum, 84, in Bristol, to make sure she was coping with the extreme heat. She was shocked and chocked at hearing my voice as she explained she had to have all the doors and windows open of her terraced house, originally Mrs A’s and my marital home.
It was easy for me to visualise her little back yard, facing south, in the heat and we remembered how we used to sit “out the back” as conversations from the houses on both sides of ours could be heard.
I told the true story of our sitting on the bench having coffee one hot Sunday morning. The newlywed couple, David & Nicola (who talked rather posh), had just moved in next door and David was having a bath on this hot morning with the bathroom window wide open.
“Nicola!” David called out. “I’ve just found one of your hairs in my willy!”
A funny moment Mrs A and I have never forgotten and we all cracked up to the story, again, as the moon came up from the direction of Kas and the bats took control of the air, wanting this moment and relaxed feeling in Kalkan to remain with us forever.
Antler
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6am in the UK, and just reading your post Antler, brilliant! sounds like a perfect day you had despite 2 of the Antlers departing back home, glad they arrived home safe and sound. Your harissa lamb sounded yummy, am just sat here looking at the grey sky this morning (thunderstorms today are forecast) thinking of Adem's Place and his lovely hospitality, and food (especially the Shrimp Casserole and Lamb shanks) always our favourites when we go. Enjoy your day, am imagining the view you are looking out on right now is a lot better than mine!
J
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"Life is life"...I believe the saying is....or is it "sorry, Anne!" ?? :)
Feels as though I'm still there, enjoying the trips to Yali - yes I do! BH reckons we went to Yali every single day of our holiday...I disagree but think he might have a point :-[ Five more days of antler blogs to savour, I want every second to be a leap second for you..effectively doubling the time you have left. Purely for selfish reasons.
Already looking forward to tomorrow's edition.
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Brilliant Antler... especially the "stray pube" tale :)
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Day 13/17, one of five days, at the end of our holiday, without Bex & Tom.
Early in the day, I picked up through WhatsApp, greater details of their eventful journey home.
Leaving Dalaman only 10 minutes behind schedule, the bumpy Jet2 flight to Leeds caused the lady next to her to fill her paper sick bag. The thunderstorms over Leeds caused the plane to divert to Manchester, where the “wrong type of nozzle” on the jet fuel dispenser caused the plane to be towed halfway around Manchester Airport and then refuelled in an alternative way.
Eventually, over at Leeds Bradford, the bus broke down taking the passengers from the plane to the terminal, causing them to spend an extra half an hour on it around 2am. Older male passengers lost the plot as Bex laughed; it was, after all, the only thing that she could do. All of this while I enjoyed my Harissa Lamb Stew in Kalkan.
If anyone deserved a day like we had ahead of us, they did, poor things.
Mrs A asked “Why don’t you sit down and relax?” Heeding her advice, I found my corner of The Roof, put up the wide parasol and led down. As “relaxing” for me is doing something rather than nothing, I fiddled with my Father’s Day present; a retro looking VEHO 360 sound box. I love this bit of kit which looks and sounds great.
I found the iTunes voucher given to me at the same time as the speaker, and, being new to iTunes only immediately before Kalkan 2015, decided to understand how this voucher system worked.
No sooner had I peeled the label to display the code and turn on my iPhone camera, there was a message on the phone “Voucher Accepted”. A nano second and I had the funds to go shopping. Well, I have been well and truly “Appled”.
Wanting to show The Young Ones how cool I could be, I bought “Now That’s What I Call A Summer Party” and pressed play. Wow, Now! This was cool. Song’s like “Faded” by Zhu, the sort of music that transports you to another place without actually going anywhere. Think “in the groove”, think The Fountain Bar, Kalkan. Think Mud Slides.
All of the boats went out to sea, most chugging around towards to Kaputas; it must have been be a reasonably calm day. It was a great few hours of R&R, listening to music, dozing in the warm morning breeze with my gorgeous roof more or less to myself.
I dreamed about Monty in the kennels, how he was coping with the heat and the thunder; bless him. I chose to think of other things. I thought, very briefly, about The Lads at the office, coping with the heat and a staff café only able to dish out cold food because of the extreme heat. I thought of the frayed temperaments as we Brits struggled with the warmth and moaned. I thought of Peter Kay and played his video on my iPhone:
“Oh it’s too warm for me. Oh, oh, it’s warm. I like it warm but I don’t like it this warm. It’s too warm. You know, there’s warm and there’s warm.
Oh, I’m sweating cobs, I’m ringing, I’m wet through, look at me. Oh, it’s sticky weather, it’s sticky, clammy, I can’t get me breath”.
(Response)
“GOOD! It’s called summer, have a Solero and shut the ***k up, will you”
My sides hurt and the tears of laughter fell of my chin as Oli came onto The Roof for a drink, laughing at his Dad’s antics.
We called Nice Taxi Man Mahmut and all six of us hopped into one cab for the short hop along to Yelkin Bistro, further along the Kalamar Road than Café Vita and on the other side.
We had communicated with them on FB the night before, indicating our intention, so they were kind of waiting for us. In the heat of the early afternoon, we chose to eat inside. Aydn slapped Oli’s back, a friendship going back some years, since we first met Aydn up at The Mediteran, him driving us back into town in the boss’s leather clad Range Rover, after a fantastic Mushroom Risotto lunch by their pool.
Why does everything revert to food?
Sipping my Long Island Iced Tea (perfectly balanced with its shot of Cointreau) I began to see quickly why Yelkin Bistro was reviewing incredibly well. Lunch for most of us would be around the Burgers. Six or eight to choose from, served on a board with spicy, curly fries and salad garnish, the most outstanding of which appeared to be the “Threesome”, Aydn giving away an alternative meaning with his eyes, enquiring if any of us fancied one of those. Pick you own burgers to have in three smaller buns.
Opting for 2 starters, as we had a gourmet meal ahead of us this evening as well, I chose a borek, like a Catherine wheel, the lightest filo pastry stuffed full of minced lamb. The second, which I ate with the others mains, was “Earth & Sea” – sautéed mushrooms and prawns and a small slice of toasted bread. I was perfectly full, wanting just a tiny bit more, that I knew I would get later; I was exactly where I wanted to be.
Absolutely loved the food, I loved the service, I loved the décor. In fact, I loved everything about this place in a very short time. There was a plug in the décor for me to charge my iPhone, the tables were modern, trendy slices through a tree, stained and highly polished, quality and feeling expensive.
We all finished our meals. Wow. Then called Chef over who was waiting over at the bar.
I asked him if he had any idea what we had thought of his food, which was a bit mean of me, really. He kind of half smiled, half wanted to die, so I interrupted any negative thoughts he may have been having. “That”, I said, “was absolutely amazing, it was brilliant – thank you and well done!” The others all joined in, singing similar praises. And we genuinely meant every single word.
If I was staying even longer I would be sorely tempted to give up cooking at Yellow Villa if that was to be the standard of the fare I could enjoy. Well done guys, a fantastic new venture, good luck!
A meal that could not be surpassed. Or could it?
I lingered on The Roof until well after 8pm, enjoying a Vodka Coke in the cooling evening breeze, then showered and donned my latest NEXT shirt. I must mention to Lovely Villa Lady that there is something wrong with her wardrobe, causing all of my shirts to shrink.
It was a very warm evening as we strolled into Town. Orlando was waiting for us at Paprika and as he caught sight, held out his arms and called our names with the warmest of welcomes.
Beth and Oli had suggested we try Paprika, with K4E on here saying the same. K4E even advised us which table to get and we heeded all of that advice.
I am now in 2 minds: Say nothing, and let you try it for yourselves or, try to explain what happened and what it was like. The easy bit was the food, not wanting to dismiss such excellent fare. And K4E had already explained this, very recently, so I don’t need to repeat. Hot puffy bread and dips on the house, we then shared a plate of Calamari, piping hot, smelling and tasting of the sea. Our main was a Chateaubriand, arriving not quite cooked medium rare, sizzling on a skillet before being set light to with brandy, then carved, perfectly cooked. It melted. I melted.
The waiters read our minds, they knew we had “let them in”.
The evening that followed, the magic from Tariq, the anticipation and surprise, felt almost like being involved with part of the nicest, hilariously funny, London Show. It was pure theatre and something I had never, ever, experienced over dinner before. OK, I’m going to have to use it:
It was awesome.
I am also, now, a magician.
We enjoyed the complementary fruit platter, the almond liquer and baileys; we didn’t want to leave.
As our table was on the street, when Mrs A washed her hands, I popped up to their roof to take in their view. The waiters were all there, finishing serenading a birthday celebration. They all ran over, grabbed me and lifted me high above their heads like you see happening to a captain at the FA Cup.
TL200. Paprika, thank you. I’ve thrown away my oven gloves.
Antler
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Another fab report! I do notknow how you manage to eat 2 Kalkan meals in a day! My waistband is tightening just reading about it! Where is yelkin bistro? 4 weeks today and we are on our way.
Thing "holiday central" may be set up in spare room this weekend!
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Lovely report, antler. So glad you enjoyed the Paprika experience and all for the princely sum of £50 - where in the world would you get "entertainment" and food like that for such low cost??
Yelkin also sounds very nice albeit, at the other end of the trendy barometer. You have to say there's something for everyone in Kalkan :)
I'm trying not to look at how many days you have left - what will we do without such fanatastic posts? :'( :'( Also, you are running out of time to get a bag for Mrs A...step to it! Is it Yildiz 2 today...?
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where is Paprika?
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Mmm Paprika's definitely on our list now after such glowing reports and I can't wait to try the food at Yelken too. :)
Your report did make me laugh yesterday Antler ;D ;D and today's has made me ravenous!
Poor Bex aand Tom had a rotten journey home but glad all turned out well in the end.
Enjoy your day today and looking forward to reading all about it tomorrow. :) 8) :)
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Its the old Ozalp, samson.
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thanks !
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Another fab report Antler, it all sounds fabulous, we will definitely be trying Yelkin Bistro for burgers when we go! Paprika too with the entertainment :D there are so many new places this year to try, can't wait! Hope you have all enjoyed your day, and if it was a Yildez boat trip, will be looking forward to reading all about it tomorrow :D
J
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Poor Bex and Tom. What a difficult journey home. Good to know they eventually arrived home safely although they must have been exhausted.
The remaining Antlers seem to have had a good day. But Antler, I think you will find it isn't your particular wardrobe producing the problem of the shrinking shirts. Most wardrobes in Kalkan seem to produce that result. I now have to rely on elasticated waist bands and large loose tops. Essential not to weigh oneself before or after visiting Kalkan. That is if you intend to take full advantage of all the lovely food. And who wouldn't want to?
I must try the meat Borek at Yelkin Bistro in September, it sounds delicious. Reminder to self - buy larger size tops before next visit.
You seem to enjoy vodka coke. I can't remember trying that. Yet another thing for the list of "to do's" in September.
Hope today was another good day.
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Had two fantastic meals at Yelkin Bistro and one at Paprika. Both very different from the other but we will definitely return to both.
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It's even better with Pepsi Max, Tortoise Lady - and I have found that in Carrefour in cans (not yet found it in bottles).
Yildiz 2 today was, of course, as good as ever. A huge turtle swam away from the beach as we attempted to moor up.
We are cramming a lot in to our remaining 54 hours so apologise if I do not respond to any points raised by posters generally.
It has to be THREE meals a day for the rest of our duration here....
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They sell pepsi max in bottles in Kippa ! :)
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Day 14/17 started up here on The Roof.
As Rick & Jo joined us, I excitedly told them about our evening out at Paprika, of our Entertainment Experience. I think I was still in very pleasant shock.
They had had a fabulous meal too, at Rosemary, right down there on the harbour side, directly in front of Marina Restaurant and adjacent to The Pirat.
They had booked and had a front edge (Best) table. As they looked over the waiter’s shoulder upon arrival, scanning down the list of reservations, 6 or 7 of them had “Best Table” adjacent to their names.
When booking, the guy had warned them that the portions were huge and that they may not need a starter. The point was stressed again as they sat down and they wondered if there was an alternative solution to needing such warnings.
The warnings played out and they did have a very enjoyable meal as the table groaned under the weight of the fare. I remember Rick saying he had a fillet steak, which had been wrapped in mini chicken fillets and the platter of vegetables to share with 3 types of carbs; if only they had not enjoyed that hot, puffy bread……
Oli & Beth had gone to Paparazzi and although they had had an enjoyable meal, the venue was not added to their repeat list. Each to his own and it’s a personal thing.
But our Repeat List was growing with only 51 hours left.
I took some tuna over to the kittens under the tree of The Shack and watched them play, jumping on each other, with full bellies. By the time we passed by on our way to a day at sea with Yildiz 2, they had eaten most of the tuna and were crashed out on the rotten door, feeding off of a sleeping mum. Bex would be pleased and I had kept my promise.
There is something really wonderful about stepping onto a Yildiz boat and it felt just the same today. We had the latest, upstairs deck and I stated my space, creamed up and relaxed. Asking Osman if we could head for Kaputas today (only because we couldn’t last week, with his brother on Yildiz 3). He thought so, with an element of doubt in his voice.
Zeynap laughed when I did my usual and asked just one question; “Cauliflower?” She had got so used to me oozing over this simple but so tasty chilli-oil laden cauliflower and yogurt dish. I so could become a vegetarian- but not quite yet.
Osman and I chatted away, picking up the pieces since our last trip, nearly 2 years ago. How was business, things seemed quiet I said, explaining that as we had walked into Town last evening on our way to Paprika, Bread & More was empty, Chillies was nearly empty, Kaptans pretty full, Asian Gate was empty with a guy sat alone on the steps with his head in his hands. Business must be down maybe 20% or more. “No, probably more” Captain replied, “maybe even 40%”. Life is Life and I felt for them all. Only the best can survive.
We didn’t make it to Kaputas, due to the swell, but we did do all of the other lovely things. Even seeing a very large turtle, close by and getting the hell away from our beach. On the boat, I also embarrassed Mrs A by, apparently, singing along to Oli Murs “UP”, featuring Demi Lovato, with my headphones on and playing from a recent iPhones purchase. I don’t remember doing that, but Mrs A remembers it well, wanting to hit me on the head with a large, lead ball, as the whole boat rocked with laughter at my tuneless noise.
On the way back into Kalkan Harbour, I sat in that pointy thing right at the front of the boat, the breeze warm-to-hot, taking photos of the sun high above Kalamar Bay hills - in fact, taking photos of everything.
We docked, settled our drinks bill with Osman (gosh, had we really drank that much - never?!!) and walked along the quay to the taxi rank at The Pirat. There was no way I was going to do THAT hill in this heat. “I like it warm, but I don’t like it this warm. Oh, it was warm. It’s too warm. There’s warm and there’s warm…” I chanted and Rick joined in to the delight of the others.
Lovely Taxi Queue Lady said we could share her taxi to The Regency, so we sped up the hill, loving that last right turn as the Postman Pat-type van clawed at the altitude. Two minutes later, we were outside of Moonlight Terrace for a drink but mainly, to take in THAT view. “Probably the best view in Kalkan” the sign said.
The terrace was spotlessly clean as the waiter prepared for his 20+ bookings this evening. I asked if we could come in for just a drink and to see the view, as it was the best view in Kalkan? “Probably!” the young waiter replied, not wanting to be challenged on such a claim.
We were now on a roll, partly home to Yellow Villa, but needing to tick another box on the list. Agreement was reached as we enjoyed our drinks in the hot sun. I would pop along to the greengrocer and get some fresh ginger, garlic and coriander and then we would all meet up in Kaptan’s for a cocktail, shortly afterwards. Sorted.
We almost arrived at Kaptans at the same time and the Long Island Iced Teas flowed. Really wanting to enjoy the nice cool vibe here some more, we asked the waiter to talk us through the menu, pointing out most popular dishes. We started to melt as he pointed out the Beef Ribs and we thought “Oh no, we can’t add to that list; or could we?”
Back at Yellow Villa, we hit the tasks with speed. The mini chopper whizzed onion to a puree, while I smashed some cardamom pods. The smell of all the other spices wafted up through this very Turkish-style home, while Rick went in search of the Bay Tree to pinch a couple of leaves, using his iPhone as a torch.
My shower was so refreshing, even more so with Ollie Murs “Up” playing again - volume up and on repeat. I was feeling so, so good and danced my shower away in this almost 5 meter, ottoman-style space.
I calmed down, Jo cooked the Turkish Rice and we enjoyed Lamb Rogan Josh, courtesy of the latest recipe in Olive Magazine, high up on the roof, as coloured lights flashed away without noise, in the harbour down below.
I picked up the ‘phone and rang Paprika. “Orlando, thank you for such a lovely evening yesterday. We need to come again, only this time, not for 2, but for 6”
A warm glow spread over my body, as one of the hardest decisions of our holiday was made.
Oh it was warm, really warm and I was loving it this warm…
Antler
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What can I say Antler?..............another great post that has got us itching for our return to Kalkan in 7 weeks time. You have definitely given us food for thought (little pun) over some new restaurants to try out..........as always how are we going to fit them all in?????
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Likewise Keith. Antler has given us all food and restaurant ideas and certainly has me looking forward to my next visit but too early to start counting days!
Mention was made in Antler's post of Kaputas Bay where it is often too choppy for the boats to go and a very long walk down - and up (to be honest never tried it). Rather put off by lack of facilities as well as the steps. I have just seen a recent video of Kaputas and it looks as if there is now a building. Anyone been recently and can report? It look idylic without any type of building and very quiet but some facilities are always welcome to me..............
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Yes another fab post today Antler, thank you, so much so haven't stopped thinking about all the lovely restaurants we can go to in just under 4 weeks time. We love the whole atmosphere, amazing view and certainly the beautiful home cooked food at Moonlight Terrace, and I have just gone on line and booked a table on their roof terrace for our very first night in Kalkan in 26 days! Your boat trip sounded wonderful, and oh that cauliflower dish......... :D :D :D
Enjoy the rest of your holiday, and if you can spare the time, will look forward to maybe a couple more posts. Going to be hard to follow, but am sure, hopefully, someone will take up the baton when you return home.
J
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Thank you all for your feedbacl. Just back from "the Kekova trip" - sailing out of Kas on the Grand Safari boat. It was fabulous. More in the morning....I have Pepsi Max to go and buy, Samson, at Kippa Express - Thanks!!!!
Two pigeons are mating on The Roof terrace rightin front of us, now; naughtie pigeons!
Happy Saturday Night!!
Antler
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Day 15/17: Kekova & Yelkin Bistro
Hardly any time to enjoy on The Roof, I fed the cats in The Shack over the road and made our way down to Bread & More for Adda’s 9am Pick Up. Eee By Gum, we still had not been back in there and now it had been over two weeks.
The waiters were always so polite, waving and shouting Yorkshire phrases as we passed by. Sorry.
Ten minutes later, some guys went by on a scooter, stopping to say, “Don’t worry, bus is coming, Turkish people late!”
We had left the research & organisation of today to Jo & Rick who were really keen to do the Kekova trip. One morning, earlier in the week, they had popped into Town & spoke to a few different companies and had decided on Adda’s tour with the boats out of Kas. £25 each.
Eventually, the fairly rickety old bus picked us up, plus one more family in Town and made our way along the scenic road to Kas.
It was kind of chaos on the harbour side as the Turkish boat guys shouted and waved their arms, trying to balance the boats with passengers. Eventually, we were on Grand Safari – a large boat, fairly full it seemed, with 50+ people. “Aquarium” seemed to be a sister boat, smaller, but came with us on this trip too.
Eventually, we found our spot and settled down, taking in the view of the rugged, Turkish coastline.
The staff were polite, helpful – in fact, very responsive – and we enjoyed the power of the boat and the cruise.
The format is similar to the day trip boats out of Kalkan, but obviously not as intimate. I liked the larger power. I also liked the fact that on this occasion, the Brits were outnumbered, feeling just a little more like I was abroad.
We spoke to Nice New Villa Owners, talking of our experiences in Kalkan and I shared my username on here, in case they wanted a peep.
One of the crew cooked Chicken Skewers on a large BBQ grill at the front of the boat, a solid metal plate, so no juices dripping through and burning; just the sweet smell of grilling chicken wafting back through the boat.
The water was more than crystal clear, with a small turtle swimming with us at one stage.
We had our lunch, served to us by the crew, plentiful and very fresh. More meze if you needed it. We cruised around and over The Sunken City, the Captain explaining what we were looking at in Turkish and in English.
Across the bay to Simena and then the big question: to the top, to the Castle, or not? Too right we would, we didn’t do it last time. And so Rick and I proved we were real men, hiking to the top, up a mixture of stone and wooden steps. Paying our TL10 entrance fee we made it to the summit, slightly (?!) out of breath.
We stood underneath the Turkish flag, in a warm breeze looking down on the ruins, the Town and out across the bay. What a stunningly beautiful view. I am so glad we did this. Tens of photos followed.
As we walked down the steep steps, little kids, really small kids, offered up their works of art – tiny colourful bracelets for one lira, made of plastic beads.
“No thank you” I said, as the little girl’s eyes seemed to well up. Very, very slowly the little girl said “ I made them myself”. I was torn between guilt and giving in. Her mother sat a little further along and as I passed her, she added: “She did, she no lie”, with a look that maybe could have killed me. I walked on, but do not know if I did the right thing.
We took home made orange ice cream back onto the boat for the girls, as they sunbathed and chatted away. Then we were off in the direction again of Kas.
It was nice chatting with a lovely Turkish family, on holiday for a few days in Kas, living in Antalya but meeting up with their son and daughter from Istanbul for this trip. Identical people to us, only separated by the difference of a tongue.
I asked crew member “15” for a couple of glasses of wine to enjoy sailing back into the setting sun. He loved his new nickname. When we got on the boat and I bought some coffees, I offered him a drink, but he said, as it was Ramadan, he could not, but every day outside of Ramadan “I drink 15 beers!”, laughing his head off. And so he was named “15” – and he loved it.
The long cruise back to Kas was relaxing and I dozed on the cushions, stopping only for a brief swim to cool me down, ready for the arrival back on hot land.
We thanked 15 for his hospitality and he rushed away and grabbed some paper, quickly writing his mobile number and email address. He wanted us to come now, to his family coffee shop that opened up onto a square with shops dotted all around. We promised we would, one day; we would be in touch. He touched both cheeks with Mrs A and I and waved us off the boat, all of us wanting to reap what we had sowed.
Adda’s bus was waiting and in less than 45 minutes, we were back on The Roof of Yellow Villa, in time to catch a few more rays as the sun went down behind the hills high above Kalamar Bay.
A very enjoyable trip; highly recommended – just do it!
We logged on and checked FB; Aydn had responded and, of course, our table would be ready for us at Yelkin Bistro, at 9pm. I rang Mahmut and there he was 5 minutes later, and so was our table.
Yelkin Bistro, not quite 3 months old, was virtually full. The inside tables blended into the outside ones on an evening, nicely spaced out with music softly playing, noticeable if you did not want to talk. Oli & Beth were with us, Jo & Rick in Kaptans for Pide, then on into Town.
The Prawn Borek had received a huge tick here the other lunch time, so there were 2 orders for those. The round, minced lamb-stuffed borek-type dish that I had enjoyed as well, also demanded a re-take, with me opting for some fishcakes with sweet chilli sauce.
We struggled over the choice of the mains, moving away from the Burger lunch in favour of a more serious, evening meal. Seabass Fillets with King Prawns for Mrs A, Steak Noodles for Oli & Beth and Seafood Medley for myself. The timing was right, the ambience was right, the attention was right; and having met the chef and listened to him, I knew he was right, too.
Oli was determined to tick as many things left remaining on his “To Do” list, and found space to finish his meal with a “Melt Down”, a play on the “Mud Slide” cocktail theme, thicker and needing a spoon and a straw, he was on melt down too. A fabulous meal, a restaurant that gets huge ticks from us all for lunch and now, dinner, as well. We then did what every man does in this situation in 2015; we liked them on Facebook and you can see my brief comment there.
Mahmut was there for us just as quickly as he had brought us, whisking us along to Kaptans, just in time to totally melt down over a final Long Island Iced Tea. And then bed.
Now, here on the roof, on our last full day in Kalkan 2015, the sun is just kissing the edge of Mouse Island and the hill above Kalamar Bay. The dogs are kicking off in Town, drowning out the sweet sound of the crickets and the birds. But they will soon be no more, having had their say.
For me, it’s Jasmine for my 10am work over, where Mehmet can do what he likes and what he is good at, to my 5+ days of growth on my face, my sundried hair and the remaining knots in my neck, preparing me for my 51 mile, daily commute once more.
But, for now, a pot of tea on My Roof. Just me, the crickets and the birds.
Antler
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So glad to hear you enjoyed Kekova. We plan to do it this year. We extended to 3 weeks this year so we could try more restaurants......what are the chances of stretching to 4 weeks do you think!
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Hi Antler,
I think I must be the 'nice new villa owner' you mention, haha. Great to spend the day on the Sunken City boat trip with you and your family. We all thoroughly enjoyed it too.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday.
Joanna. :)
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Hi Joanna!
Thanks for tracking me down and welcome to EK!
Yes, it was an amazing trip and we are all so pleased we tried it - and met you.
Jo was oozing over pictures of your hot tub earlier today,
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Excellent. She obv found my owners direct site. Now the refurb is finished I need to get some proper photos done.
My lot did the quad bike safari near Patara beach this morning and absolutely loved it! They were picked up from the villa at 9:30 and big home until 12:30. Great value and great fun!
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Another good day out Antler. Glad you made it up to the castle on the Kekova trip. A lot of people don't try for it and miss a fabulous view and a real piece of history. It is also much easier to get to the top now you have to pay an entrance fee and steps have been built a lot of the way, making it less perilous. Still a climb and pauses for breath needed by those of us not known for our fitness! I claim I am only pausing "to look at the view". I do a lot of that pausing "to look at the view" even in Kalkan itself.
Yelkin Bistro seems to have ticked the right boxes again.
Hope you have had a wonderful day today and a safe comfortable journey back to UK tomorrow.
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Day 16/17: Preparing to leave…
It had to be a couple of eggs for breakfast, here on The Roof, with fresh bread lightly covered with Krem Peynir. It would be back on the grapefruit diet tomorrow – the thought of which, kind of appealed.
I cooked the remaining chicken breasts and fed them chopped up and still warm, to the waiting kittens and mum up on the wall of The Shack. Their Wall had become like My Roof and they already had grown to get used to me whistling out to them and would jump up excitedly, yet wanting to jump away from me at the same time. They liked me but they didn’t trust me. Boy, how they have grown over these 2 weeks. At least they have had a little better start to life and I could not have wished more than to have been a tiny part of that.
Us blokes had a chore to do this morning – but it was hardly a chore. One by one we filed across to Jasmine to be given The Works. I went first at 10am. Mehmet was waiting for me and we sat and chatted over an apple tea, first. Where had these last two weeks gone, we debated? What I love about dealing with the Turks – and I mean this most, I suppose, from the business viewpoint – is their sense of directness. None of this British “going around the houses”, just say what you mean. Yusuf last time telling me I was too fat, Mehmet telling me 2 weeks ago that every time he cuts my hair it is a little more grey. I love it. Say what you really mean.
Oli went second, then Rick, for his first Turkish shave and treatment. Later, back at Yellow Villa he was still reliving the incredible sensations as he had got his face “sorted”. Mehmet knows too well how to sort your face – in fact, he sorts your head.
I popped along to Kaya to warn them there would a high demand for Calamari at our 1:30pm lunch time booking. Erol was grateful for that and the Young Chefs asked me, with the widest of grins, if my expensive watch from the market was still working. They laughed as the translation was relayed through Erol, that if I whack it hard enough, on at least 3 occasions during the day, it will be telling the right time. I enjoyed the joke, I loved their company more.
Final stop at the Wine & Beer shop to arrange collection of the crates to return the deposit and then, back home for some R&R by The Pool.
We were only a tad late for lunch at Kaya and quickly ordered what Kadir had suggested we had – plates of Calamri and Duck Spring Rolls to share. Rick also tried the Chicken and Sweetcorn soup, another great addition to the lunchtime menu here.
Kadir did a few tricks, just amazing professionalism, with Jo’s ring ending up attached to a key ring in Karid’s trouser back pocket. Almost too scary to believe, but setting us up for our final afternoon in the villa pool and on The Roof.
Realising we had over egged how much brandy we would use, I decanted one bottle into another to make a full litre and bobbed it over to Mehmet at Jasmine. He could not thank me enough and also for the gift we had dropped in for his daughter. With a thump on my back and a touch of both cheeks, he sent me on my way. That was hard.
Up on My Roof, there was then to be the last sunset and it was always going to be this way. My mind was gradually changing from, “What shall we do today?” to, “what the hell have I got to do today and how quickly?” back at the office. It’s amazing how the mind governs you in this way.
With my iPhone on private speakers, feet up on the roof terrace wall, I flipped down the Playlists of my new, iTunes toy. What would be appropriate for this final sun going down? Ollie Murs “Up?” Nah, that was best on full volume as I danced around the huge ottoman bathroom, having my shower. Robin Thicke “Blurred Lines”? Nah, that was the theme tune for our 2013 holiday at Villa Kismet, when I made The Kids laugh coming onto the terrace when cooking, wearing an apron and very little else. Naughty Daddy.
Nope, this one would be the best to wrap me up with the right sentiment for the going down of my sun, today; The Prayer, duet with Josh Groban and Celine Dione.
“I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise in times when we don't know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe”
Yeah, that was it, that was bringing the sun down into the hills high above Kalamar Bay, perfectly…
Oh, go on you two, deliver me your final blow:
“…and watch us from above
everyone finds love
We hope each soul will find
around and inside
another soul to love
Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer, just like every child”
And the sun had gone.
To get this stuff out of the way all at the same time, I went over to the wall at The Shack and fed the kittens supper; a real treat, being half a giant tin of tuna. Mum looked at me, closed her eyes as if to say thanks and opened them again, waiting to jump away from the chunks of tuna if I moved too quickly.
I took a photo and WhatsApped it to Bex in the UK. “Aaah Dad, look at them, how they have grown?! Thank You!”
Then, I left them for good, to enjoy their meal and hopefully, a nice life ahead in their world.
Town has changed this weekend and the streets are noticeably busier. So was Yali when I bought the large tin of tuna earlier. Lots of people, white people with loaded trollies: “Darling shall we get some proscuito? Or, how about Smoked Salmon?”
I jumped in saying “I’d stick to the tuna!”, holding up my one kilogramme tin, New Tourists looking at me as though I was weird. And they were probably right.
We weren’t that late for our final dinner at Paprika, Orlando calling out my name the moment he spotted us approaching. “Give us ten minutes, please?” I requested as we dipped into the gift shop opposite to get some cookery books and “silk” purses to give as gifts back home.
Paprika was packed and service had to be maintained. The pressure was on and you could feel just that. High up here on the roof terrace, packed restaurants were all around you, the smoke form the kitchens filling the night air. I Facebooked some photos as we waited for our meal.
Mrs A and I did a complete repeat of our first meal in Paprika the other day. Shared Calamari (the best Calamari I have had in Kalkan this year), followed by a perfectly cooked Chateaubriand, but with no side of peppercorn sauce this time. We shared to allow others to feel the melt in their mouths, too. God, I’m gonna miss this; I’m gonna miss it all.
Apple tea saw us on our way, declining the complementary licquers, in favour of a quick purchase of some lanterns in the gift shop under Kosk. And then to bed.
So here I am, just gone 7am and the dawn of a new day. A new holiday for some, another day of work for some others. It’s time to leave the place I have grown to really love, where I could never live, but always leaves me wanting more. A place where positive feelings and energy lifts me to a level I want to always be, yet fall down from so many times.
Yeah, that’s why I love Kalkan, because it lifts me from my mire. How powerful is that, to have that effect on people, on life.
When you see those guys in Paprika, treating us they did again last night, crazy photos, crazy acts, funny lines, if you observe, as they are almost out of your sight, they go in to a huddle and congratulate themselves, chanting, stamping their feet, ready to do it all again. They celebrate their success and this is no accident. They know the real importance of lifting you from your mire.
Goodbye Kalkan and thank you. I arrived 16 days ago, all bent and broken and I’m leaving now in a much better place.
I’m leaving with an even greater love of Kalkan and wanting to be back.
And that is exactly where I had hoped I would be.
See you again.
Inshallah.
Antler
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"You get a strange feeling when you are about to leave a place. You will not only miss the people you love, but the person you are now, at this time and this place, because you will never be this way again. But you are excited at the person you are swimming towards and look forward to the new you that awaits in the distance." (Azar Nafisi)
Have a safe journey Antler & family and thank you for your lovely reports!
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My pleasure and thank YOU for the lovely quotation.
Best Wishes from Monarch Check In...
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Thank you for taking time out of your family holiday to share such entertaining, colourful, amusing and at times moving reports.
Safe journey home Antler and family. :)
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Oh no it can't be that time already! :'( I have so enjoyed my mornings with a cuppa and reading your wonderful daily blog. Thanks so much for taking precious time to allow us a window into your fab holiday ;)
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Thank you so much for taking precious holiday time to do your daily blogs. Safe journey back and sorry I can't help but say eeh bah gum Antler you have been awesome!
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Apologies - it was Paprika last evening, rather than Coriander. But I rate them both highly and my top greatest finds this holiday. (Had to rush he blog today to get here, The Sunset Bar in Departures, where I have remortgaged the house for a Vodka Coke. So what, we are, after all, on holiday)
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Thank you so much for taking time out of your precious holiday to write your wonderful blogs for us. I have looked forward to reading them over my lunch at work each day, keeping the holiday spirit going just a little bit from my holiday in May. With those of us who love Kalkan so much we can picture exactly where you are when you describe so well the places you have been. :) :) :)
Jo
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Well as they say in my home city...."I'm devo'd" which loosely translates as "I am very upset"
How quickly has that time gone...?
I have loved LOVED...LOVED...your wonderful blog and honoured to have been a teeny part of it - and of course your holiday :) I've said it before and I make no apologies for saying it again....you should write a book - you have such a talent for painting a 4D picture with words. Truly special :-*
Safe, uneventful flight back to UK - you are probably home now - let me know how you found Monarch (still teetering on the edge of booking next year's flights with them...)
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and what you have been up to over the past 17 days.
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Thank you Antler for your fab reports, you will be missed, hope that you all had a safe journey home, and will look forward to more blogs when you next return to Kalkan! :D
J
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Oh wow where has that gone? I have so looked forward to your wonderful reports. We're still sailing on the wonderful Bridgewater Canal currently moored at Lymm in Cheshire. It's pouring with rain but I've so loved your reports that the litter patter on the boat roof doesn't seem to matter. Thank you.
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At Leeds Bradford Internstional Airport, safely back in the UK and feeling absolutely....sh1te!
I need a Vodka Coke!
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Antler.......it has been a real pleasure reading your daily blogs. Thank you.
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Welcome home Antler and family. It has all been said already in the above posts but can I also say thank you so much for taking your precious holiday time to share with us your Kalkan journey of fun, laughter, good food and drink and of course the people who make Kalkan what it is. As readers we all love the place as much as you do but I have always struggled to put into words what is so special. You have managed to do this.
Tomorrow morning is going to be a sad one for more than just you. I will miss my daily fix so much and hope somebody else picks up the baton although it will be difficult shoes to fill.
Until 2016.
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Hope you're home safe Antler & crew...our turn at Monarch check in tomorrow will carry your words & our memories of a lovely place, that is Kalkan!
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Yes Kuzu, safe, slice and well at home, with fabulous memories.
Monarch were great. Hope you enjoy evey moment.
Best Wishes
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Thanks Antler, enjoyed reading all your posts. I look forward to being lifted from my mire in September.
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Early mornings won't be the same.......I'll have to find a new excuse for being
late to work!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful holiday with us :angel:
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I also enjoyed reading your blog. Hope to meet you again next year.
Joanna.
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Like so many others I will be missing your blogs Antler, giving us all a taste of Kalkan each morning. Glad you had a safe journey home - and will be back with your dog, always good to return to beloved pets.
Hope your first commutes are not to horrendous and that you enjoy the remainder of the summer, certainly still quite warm here in London although not as hot as it will be in Kalkan!
We now await other bloggers to keep us in touch with Kalkan. Anyone going out soon who is poised to take up the baton? I have to wait until September for my next Kalkan fix.
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Day 17/17:
Hardly time for breakfast up on The Roof, so it was last tuna for the kittens over at The Shack and then away. There was a lot of tomato juice in The Roof fridge, so the plan was to have a Virgin Bloody Mary. Then, common sense kicked-in and I kicked out the virgin version.
Full of tabasco, Worcester Sauce and more than a hint of Smirnoff Red, it made the parting easier and was the anaesthetic for a sleep most of the way to Dalaman.
I’ve never been through Dalaman Airport quite so quickly and soon we were boarding our Monarch A320 flight back to Leeds, with Captain Smith and his crew promising to peddle as quickly as possible to get us ahead of schedule. I like Monarch; always have done and I hope their re-financing package keeps them around for a while. Sadly, my reason for liking them was probably the general feeling of space due to less seats, which, no doubt, will have helped trigger their downfall.
Dinner was a mixture of Indian & Chinese takeaway, with Monty home from the kennels and still a physical wreck from the recent thunder storms, poor thing.
So, THE holiday question was raised over our dinner, “marks out of ten for that one?”
And the response was somewhere between 10/10 and 200/10. A result!
So, if we were in Departures right now, heading for Kalkan, based on our experiences this holiday, what would be on our essential “To Do” list?
Here goes, in no particular order:
• We would be at sea on a day trip out of Kalkan on 3, if not 4 times during our 17 day holiday. The respite from the heat and mozzies, let alone the extreme value for money makes this a Kalkan must.
• Also, we would like to do a 2-day trip out of Kalkan, to Kekova, possibly with Osman and talked this through with him briefly while we were there
• A trip up to Ishlamlar at Musar’s restaurant, followed by the rest of the afternoon and sunset at Patara would be a must (with or without the draft Woo Woo!)
• We like the idea of a one night stop-over in KAS, just to decide for ourselves, and meet up with “15” and his family for a laugh or 6.
• Of course, we would enjoy a few lunches at Adem’s and take in the solitude, their hospitality and that marvellous view.
• Closer to home, lunch would also be at Yelkin Bistro & Café Vita, with dinner at Paprika, Coriander & Yelkin Bistro
• Cocktails in Flamingo and probably even more so, in The Fountain
• And I haven’t given up my love of buying some organic lamb or steak from Yussuf and preparing something very simple, yet so fresh and tasty, back at my Turkish home.
• Or ask Kazim, our Chef at Home to do it for us.
• A shave or 3 from Mehmet at Jasmine goes without saying
• Home delivered Foto Special Hot Pizza when I can’t be bothered to do anything at all, would be the final bit of icing on my Kalkan Cake.
Final reflection:
It had been an ambition of mine since 2012 to stay in a lovingly restored, Turkish home, and our stay in Yellow Villa more than ticked that box. I could have spent my whole holiday up on that roof terrace with it’s relaxing facilities. It was beautiful.
It didn’t feel to me that Kalkan was changing – I felt I enjoyed it even more than before. Yes, it was very quiet and the mozzies annoyed me to hell at times. But the sun shone, the people smiled and welcomed us with extreme friendliness as always and we found new venues with new ideas to keep us fresh and feeling (if not looking) younger.
It was a fabulous holiday and hearing my family say what they thought in such a positive manner – and seeing their photo album on Facebook today – makes it all worthwhile. Mrs A and I are very lucky and proud parents.
Whatever you decide to do on YOUR “To Do” list, I hope you have a fabulous time and really Enjoy Kalkan!
Antler
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What a lovely treat.......a "bonus" post! :laugh:
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Indeed! I just had to do it, Babs! It's the OCD in me - 17/17!
Do you think the Kalkan Blues will go by the weekend???
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I hate to say this but, no! :(
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aaaahhh, what a lovely treat - just like a free after dinner liqueur to warm the cockles of your heart.
Perfect final post and all good advice for travellers old and new to our wonderful find. Sadly Kalkan blues does not go for me...not for a while anyway *sigh*
Hadn't appreciated Monarch are in a spot of bother, financially....might hold off on the flights for the time being. Unless the Kalkan blues overwhelms me..
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K4E, Monarch have re-packaged themselves and refocused on their best routes. Atol protected and all that. Their plane was full. Personally, I would book again with them without hesitation, much preferable to Jet2, and again, a very personal opinion, but I would not travel with TC. But then, I am weird!
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Can't you sleep Antler? Great to hear from you at such an early hour. Thanks for your wonderful posts. Some new ideas for us all.
I may be alone in this, cos I too am a bit weird, but I'm at that stage where we are 3 weeks away from going, and i suddenly decide I don't want to go......
The anticipation is so great for the holiday that i worry about weather, illness, horrible neighbours ( thats sorted though, i know who else is in Emir!,,) and worse if all, if I don't go, I miss out on the dreaded last day, the hideous moment the taxi arrives and the indignity of paying a fortune for a Subway at dalaman!
Told you.....bit weird!
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Yes what a lovely treat, reading your post Antler, and we totally agree, the boat trips are the best thing for us, we just love them, and the more the merrier, I think the most we packed in was 7 one year when we were in Kalkan for 6 weeks, and of course along with a little overnight trip somewhere, we have done, Dalyan, Fethiye, Antalya, and Fethiye is being repeated again this year :D.
Totally agree also about Monarch, we have flown with them a few times now and they are really great, Turkish Airlines for us this year via Istanbul, so will wait and see what that is like, although only a short stopover there, shame! :(
Your not weird Haybo, but I bet this time in 3 weeks you will be so so excited, as we will be, can't wait to meet up.
Trying to rain here in Dorset, oh how I long for the sunshine 8) 8) 8) 8)
Sorry off topic!
J
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Monarch were owned by the Mantegazza family (Swiss) from 1967, and the £45m injection was by the family in 2009.
In October 2014 it was sold to Greybull Capital, who have decided to change the focus to leisure scheduled operations and dropped charter and long-haul.
They are planning on changing all the fleet to Boeing 737MAX aircraft from Spring 2018.
We always preferred Monarch, as it flew from Luton, was better (by far) than QueasyJet and that Irish outfit, but this year the flights are few and at lousy times, so Gatwick and BA it is. This may well have something to do with the issues if others felt the same!
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Antler, some fabulous posts here and I feel for you, being back in the UK - as, indeed Fiona I will be this time tomorrow, sadly.
Thanks for all your time and effort... I just wish I had your stamina to keep up the daily blogs. I am a dismal failure in comparison.
The line about "lifting us out of the mire" was inspired, and very perceptive. That's exactly what this place, and its people, do so well.
Cheers, and hope you get over the Kalkan blues soon. Not sure I will...
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Still not over the Kalkan Blues and it has been 6½ weeks.
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As a tribute to Antler, here is a little nugget of information for his disciples....
I was just in Pound World buying some flea and tick treatments to donate to Kapsa next week, when a wry smile came across my face as I noticed they were selling the cute lightweight plastic cocktail shakers - famously used by Antler - for half price, ie 50p! Although I already have a proper stainless steel one in my apartment, I felt compelled to buy one for when I am holidaying elsewhere.
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I have loaded up some photos. Please bear with me, trying to rotate the first one, after I have loaded it.....
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Hurray, more pictures for the gallery. Lots of different ones too. A real flavour of Kalkan.
Every now and then I appeal for more photos - can't manage the technology to put them on myself but love browsing through them. So thank you Antler and hope others will try as well.
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My pleasure! I am still in denial. It's raining on the conservatory roof and this time last week, we were fresh back from Kekova, and about to enjoy dinner at Yelkin Bistro. OMG.
One thing I forgot to mention, on our last evening, before dinner at Paprika, was the gifts we got from the little shop directly opposite the Paprika entrance. Loads of bits and bobs.
There is a great cook book, too, written by the guy in the shop (he said) called "Turkish Home Cooking" (from our mothers kitchen). It's more like a reflection back on your holiday. A great souvenir if you are a foodie geek, like me. About GBP6. Written by Cemal Tor. It's a real gem and I hope you enjoy it; it brings back so many memories of a fabulous holiday in Kalkan.
I rest my case!
Antler
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My pleasure! I am still in denial. It's raining on the conservatory roof and this time last week, we were fresh back from Kekova, and about to enjoy dinner at Yelkin Bistro. OMG.
One thing I forgot to mention, on our last evening, before dinner at Paprika, was the gifts we got from the little shop directly opposite the Paprika entrance. Loads of bits and bobs.
There is a great cook book, too, written by the guy in the shop (he said) called "Turkish Home Cooking" (from our mothers kitchen). It's more like a reflection back on your holiday. A great souvenir if you are a foodie geek, like me. About GBP6. Written by Cemal Tor. It's a real gem and I hope you enjoy it; it brings back so many memories of a fabulous holiday in Kalkan.
I rest my case!
Antler
Hi Antler,
Not sure if you've seen my pm. They don't always go through......
Cheers,
pw
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pw, I have now seen your PM and have responded. Sorry for the delay.
Cheers
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Cemal Tor is the owner of the shop you are talking about Antler and he has written several books. I have bought a few from him. One in particular is about the history of Kalkan written from his family memories and including some fantastic photos. He signed it for me too!
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We are also huge Cemal fans ...plus I have about a million mini Turkish eyes on teeny-tiny safety pins from him too :)
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Yo Steve. Long time no chat. Hope you're kept my villa tidy for September. Did you hide a bottle of red somewhere for me.
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Good to see you back on the forum Cleworthallray. We have missed you.
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Thank you. Mrs tortoise. You know me, always busy with something but kalkan is our next holiday so it's on the agenda. Barahat booked for first night. Just need the weather to come good here first.
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I am surea bottle could be arranged, in return for a good blog, Ray?! Look after that Villa - it's precious!!
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We always look after it. Roger the dodger looks after us. Fourth year now. Hasn't that time flown. Don't know about a blog. Look what happened to the sun elite after we'd both been there. She sold it. This is our relaxing holiday. We just pan out and read swim eat and drink. Not like you playing captain pugwash. I'll cook some lunches and eat out every night. Still never got to adems for lunch but will try this year. Interesting what you said about mozzies never had a problem. Did you try one of those Turkish speciality walking crusty pies in the garden. Only kidding Mrs T. Was supposed to be coming up your way on Wednesday to the Yorkshire show but had to take a sick horse to hospital. See why I need to relax. I'll keep my eye on EK now my holiday is getting close. Shame you've had yours. Ha! ...Regards
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We normally frequent Barahat on at least two nights. It has been very consistent in terms of quality of food, service and ambience. It doesn't enjoy the best views but that's not always a necessity as you get that as standard throughout the day.
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I'm with you keith. We love loads of them but we find Baharat to be the most consistent and look after us very well.
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I am sat beside the locks at Audlem in B
Cheshire it's raining. But hey who cares my holiday is booked for next year September three wonderful weeks. Did flights on boat with a little difficulty because of internet but Kalkan here we come. Oh alright just over a year but worth waiting for.
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Just over a year of fabulous anticipation and knowing that it is going to be worth the wait ☺
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Noticed your reference to the crusty Turkish pies Cleworthallray!! Just as well I believe you are an animal lover. Hope the sick horse made a good recovery.
Also hope you will enjoy your holiday in your villa (your own special bit of Kalkan) even if, like me, you don't do blogs. Maybe I would do a blog if I had something approaching a proper keyboard, but there again I think I would keep putting it off and would be on my way back to England before remembering it. A well chilled glass, or three, and time drifts by in Kalkan.
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LOL Mrs T...thought you would pick up on the walking pies. Horse is fine....laser treatment to a small cancer on its eye. New Doberman puppy comes in 3 weeks. Cant wait to see what the others are like when they see it. Will send you a pic. Just found the owners of a stray Persian blue cat after living at the farm for 3 weeks. Was beginning to think it might fit in my suitcase for kalkan. Plenty of company there..... That's how your holiday blog should start. How well your words go together. "a well chilled glass and Kalkan" Can you hear Antler sighing..............Ha!
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cleworthallray, if that's how your holiday blog is going tostart, then I am so looking forward to it! I cannot wait - bring it on!
With 5 days of rain likley to hit us in time for the weekend, then I'm kind of wishing I was back in Kalkan, even if I would struggle with the heat and humidity of late August.
I would just have to spend every day at sea 2with a nice glass of chilled wine" (or 4 inches of Smirnoff Red).
Oh, to be on The Roof now, doing just that.