Festive in Fethiye - Çalış Christmas Fair

We've been struggling to get into the festive spirit this year for some reason. Maybe it's the very mild Fethiye weather - not sure - but ten out of ten to us for trying. We've posted a snowy mountain scene from when we went to Nif a couple of years back and we spotted a Christmas tree in Meis on Friday. (Even that didn't look right as we walked around in T-shirts.) Today was supposed to cement into our psyche, that December festive Christmas feeling... 



...Today was the Çalış Christmas Fair. Unfortunately, it was also the first day of torrential downpours we've had in a good long time. Typical. However, today is Sunday; the day many Turkish people choose to spend with their families and do fun things, whatever the weather. I have to confess to this being the first time we've ventured to the Christmas Fair and we were very surprised at how many people made the effort to go there with the rain being as heavy as it was. 

A very wet Çalış Christmas Fair

Being Brits, we're quite familiar with the 'a bit of rain never did anybody any harm' philosophy. We have no choice! But it was also interesting to see how many Turkish families were there - running stalls, strolling around, queueing to see Father Christmas (or Santa Claus or Noel Baba - well, he was born in Turkey!) with their children. The rain really didn't keep many people away. A few of the stalls had to up and leave because of the weather so there were empty tables when we arrived - but fortunately for us, the rest remained stoical and refused to be defeated. 



I made the video of the arrival of the Fethiye Father Christmas/Santa Claus/Noel Baba (what do you call him? We're 'Father Christmas' people) above so - just in case there are any more of you out there struggling to get into the festive spirit - give it a watch. We're getting there - slowly. 

Exploring Fethiye - Koca Çalış

If you're familiar with the Fethiye region, you'll no doubt have heard of Fethiye, Çalış Beach, Ovacık, Hisarönü and Ölü Deniz. However, there is one area that we have (until now) neglected to mention. That's because, for some reason or other, we haven't walked down to that area in a long time.



After yesterday's cloudy downpours, the air was crisp and fresh today. The mountain scenery was clearly visible, fresh snow had settled on the higher mountain tops overnight and the sun was shining. Perfect weather for a gentle stroll through Çalış, along the beach and into the area known as Koca Çalış. 

 Looking over to Çalış and Fethiye from Birlik in Koca Çalış

In (quite recent) days gone by, Koca Çalış was a wild area of beach, marsh and reeds and was reached from Çalış Beach via a pebble road (beach extension) and sandy track. Some days, it would be impassable because rain would create a lake. There was a small housing complex and a wooden shack on the beach that passed as a bar/restaurant. It was called Birlik. We would go down to there in the winter months with friends and feel like we were sitting in a secret, hidden place, watching over the rest of civilisation. (You can see Çalış Beach and Fethiye from Koca Çalış.)

Mendos glows red as the sun sets over Koca Çalış

The Fethiye region is a fast-growing area and there are now lots more villas in Koca Çalış. You can also reach it from Çalış Beach via a tarmacked road no less and there are a couple more restaurants. Birlik has 'progressed' from a wooden shack to a concrete structure but what a great place to sit and ponder life.

A winter Koca Çalış sunset

The sunset from Koca Çalış is just as beautiful as the famous Çalış Beach sunset and today, as you can see, the sea was peaceful and calm - just the occasional crash of the odd wave.

Reeds grow along the roadside in Koca Çalış

It was an afternoon stroll that we embarked upon but the sun is setting earlier and earlier and the light was fading as we headed back towards home.

Deserted winter Koca Çalış

And, as you can see from the photos, despite the growth of the area that is Koca Çalış, it is still possible to have that feeling of being in a secret area, where no one else goes, overlooking the rest of civilisation.

Fethiye Weather - Baltic Temperatures

So far this winter, we've been enjoying warm Fethiye sunshine, unseasonably high temperatures and mild evenings. However, rumours were rife from the beginning of November that Fethiye was in for a cold winter (by Fethiye's standards) and last week, weather presenters broke the news that Baltic temperatures were being pushed towards Turkey.



Yesterday and through the previous night, thunder rolled and cracked right above us, lightening shot across the sky constantly and the rain pelted. This morning, we woke up and opened the curtains and it was that tell tale clarity to the mountain scenery, the sea was grey, the sky was filled with erupting white cloud. It was cold! We could see a couple of tankers sheltering in the bay and after a storm, there's only one thing to do; take a walk along the beach and watch the sea.

Rolling waves hit Çalış Beach

We were wrapped up in hat and scarf today and it was still cold. The waves along Çalış Beach were rolling in and crashing along the shore and as you can see, the sky has remained angry for most of the day. 

Angry skies over Fethiye

In fact, the sky and sea have been amazing to watch today - no doubt helped along by the Baltic storms and temperatures. Whether this is just a cold snap or if this is it for the rest of winter, we don't know. For now, it's all fantastic, powerful scenery and we'll make the most of it while it lasts.

Fethiye Storms - The Aftermath

I know there are horrendous storms that affect certain parts of the world on a regular basis and last night's storm in Fethiye would probably look like a mere gust of wind in comparison to those, but for this area of the Southwest Turkish coast, the storm was pretty significant. Thunder, lightening, high winds and pelting rain battered the house all night (amazingly, we only lost one roof tile) so that when we woke up this morning, we opened the curtains, not just to let the daylight in but to peer through the window to assess the aftermath.

Waves crashing against Red Island in Fethiye Bay

Being a large natural harbour protected by surrounding mountains, Fethiye doesn't feel the full brunt of the extremes of weather. Tell tale signs of last night's storm in Fethiye were a swollen sea the colour of clay and these waves crashing against the rocks of Red Island - these waves come from the direction of the open sea. A bit of online communication with a friend in Çalış and we had to go over there to see for ourselves.

A bedraggled Çalış water taxi jetty

We could hear the waves crashing onto the beach as we walked down the street in Çalış but the first effects we noticed of last night's storm were at the Çalış water taxi jetty. 

Çalış Beach Promenade

There's going to be a big clean-up operation going on over the next few days. Some of the bars and restaurants in Çalış have been damaged as the sea was crashing right over the promenade, bringing the beach with it. 

Crashing waves on Çalış Beach

As you can see in the photos, the sea at Çalış was still very swollen today. We've never seen Çalış look quite like this in all the time we've been here. Waves were still reaching the wall between the beach and the hotels and bars but we could see that they were even bigger down towards the dolmuş station - so we continued further along the beach.

Çalış rolling waves

The beach and the sea looked absolutely amazing. No pebbles on the beach; just pure, smooth sand. The waves were huge and I did a great video...but I've tried twice to upload it and it won't work, so photos it is. You'll just have to use your imagination.

The biggest, most beautiful waves were in front of Güven's

These were the waves at Güven's Restaurant. If you know this place, you can get a good idea of the strength of storm when I say the waves were coming right up, over their seating area, through the garden and hitting the windows. There's only the steel frame of their covered area left. The rest was blown away.



And as I write, the rain is again pouring from the sky in Fethiye. So far, only the odd grumble of thunder and no high winds. Here's hoping...





Update 18/12/10 - We managed to upload the video to our Facebook page. Watch it now!