And October is over. Another month’s flyer, so let’s take stock and take a look at some news from life in beautiful Fethiye.
As usual, we will start with the usual topic of conversation – the weather in Fethiye.
Sunbeds and umbrellas were still open until yesterday, all along the beach, as people enjoyed the warm rays of the sun.
It has been an unusually warm and sunny month with no rain.
And while it was great for the people who came here for late summer holidays – and for us, who enjoyed beach walks and the like – the watersheds of Muğla province, of which Fethiye is part, have a desperately in need of refueling.
Come on, November, bring us some rain, please!
On the bright side, the pleasant autumn afternoons along Çalış Beach and the few hours of daylight mean that the spectacular sunsets, which Çalış Beach is so famous for, come thick and fast!
Just one of the reasons we love this time of year.
And friends who are on vacation right now absolutely love it!
October events
If you are familiar with Turkish history, you will know that October is the month in which one of the country’s most important national holidays is celebrated.
And it’s also the month when the Fethiye area ends the summer season with an annual event that gets bigger and better every year – weather permitting, of course.
Republic Day – Republic Day
October 29 is Republic Day, the anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic by its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
In Fethiye we had low-flying paramotors from the Turkish Aviation Association; a flotilla of around 50 boats waving flags in the bay and along Çalış Beach; a huge convoy of vehicles waving flags and honking their horns; an evening procession along the harbor and it all culminated in a live concert.
Not to mention all the separate school rallies and processions in surrounding villages like Kayaköy.
Ölüdeniz International Air Games
And every October the annual Ölüdeniz Air Games are also held which, these days, also involve the center of Fethiye and Çalış beach.
We were away most of the time, but we saw the paramotor team gliding up and down Fethiye Harbour.
This same team was supposed to do a sunset light show along Çalış Beach.
Unfortunately – for us – he was traded for Ölüdeniz at very short notice.
Great for those on Belcekiz beach who got to witness it. Truly a spectacle.
A day for everything
And not particularly related to Fethiye but, well, we all know that there is a national or international day to celebrate pretty much anything, on this day.
A little indulgence on October 14, when we celebrated National Desserts Day with our list of the best Turkish desserts.
In the kitchen
The days are still warm and sunny but the air is decidedly cooler and this means that the kitchen is now, once again, a happy place to be.
This means we added to our collection of Turkish recipes in October.
Homemade Labneh (Turkish Labneh)
No cooking involved for this amazingly simple recipe. More than a process, in fact.
For years we bought labne from Turkish supermarkets in plastic tubs, but now we no longer need them because we make them ourselves.
Follow our recipe for making labneh balls and they will also be a great party food, so we have also added them to our list of recipes for Christmas and New Year parties.
They really look the part!
Soup season
Warm and sunny or not, October heralds the start of soup season.
Obviously we have to prepare the spicy red lentil soup.
But autumn-winter 2024-25 could very well be the season for Turkish tomato soup with vermicelli.
This recipe has been on the blog since the early days. But in October we revamped it with new photos because we redid it.
And then we did it again.
So quick and easy to make, absolutely delicious – definitely back on our radar in a big way!
Around
Another new addition to our list of places to eat and drink around Fethiye this month.
EY
Since we spent a few hours during the summer months enjoying the food, drinks and atmosphere here, we decided it was time to write a review of EY’s Bistro Bar along Çalış Beach.
Yummy Pita Kordon
And creatures of habit; it’s rare that a month goes by without us eating a pide at Nefis Pide in the city.
We took part in that activity in October!
Fethiye street foods
And in our September news roundup, we told you we’d been sampling Fethiye’s new(ish) street food trucks.
If you are a fan of Turkish street food, this area is a must.
Anyway, on our first visit, the köfte truck we wanted to visit was busy and there was nowhere to sit.
So we continued further along the queue and opted for some very tasty, not so Turkish bao buns.
In October, en route to Fethiye Tuesday Market, we arrived at the köfte and burger van.
And we are happy to report that the ekmek arası köfte (half bread köfte) is a classic of the genre!
Delightful!
Fethiyespor
After 10 games played, Fethiyespor resists.
Sometimes it seems that the team is at the bottom of the table, but this is not the case.
Here is the current standings, past results and upcoming matches.
If you’re in town on the day of the home game and want to go, you can simply show up at the stadium before the game and buy your ticket there.
Kas weekend
One of the reasons we weren’t around Fethiye much – and the reason we missed a lot of the Ölüdeniz Air Games – was because we were away for the weekend in Kaş.
A lot of the country’s running events take place between now and late spring, cooler weather and all.
Last weekend we attended Kaş Peninsula where Barry did the 12km run around the peninsula and I, along with another friend, did the 6km Marina run.
A lovely end to the summer and a perfect excuse for a weekend in a big city with beautiful scenery.
We also organized the Fethiye Half Marathon and 10K on the same weekend Fethiye Sports Festival AND THE Gökova Half Marathon in Akyaka.
In an ideal world, it would be nice to have them spread out on different dates so that people don’t have to choose one over the others.
Maybe next year…
And in other news
Short and sweet this month.
A good BBC article on the north-eastern city of Kars.
Besides the disturbing ruins of Ani, nowadays Kars is also very famous because it is the terminus of the Doğu Ekspresi train.
Well, at least in Türkiye, Kars is also famous for cheese production.
This article from the BBC explains how the city is exploiting it; both for tourism and to encourage younger generations to stay in the city to work on small family-run dairies, rather than moving to larger cities like Istanbul to find work.
Until November
Already a few days into the month. We’re hoping for a bit of exploration – perfect temperatures for that – and also some nice steady rain sooner rather than later.
Fingers crossed!
Let’s see what the month brings…
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