Here we go again....

[sunlover loch lomond]

I see you are still on form and thoroughly enjoying your blog. It's nice to have something to brighten my day and I am so looking forward to the next edition! Sounds like you are having a great time - enjoy and thanks for taking the time out of your well earned holiday to write your blog.

[tannedjulie]

Love reading this, we havnt been since 2011 but then in july it was too hot to walk, we are going as a family 0f 8 in 3 rooms looking forward to walking about. bit worried because we go october and dont want it to be to quiet.

[ScouseFitz]

Glad you're enjoying the blog, folks. I was worried before we came away that I wouldn't have enough to write about, but Icmeler is the gift that just keeps giving when it comes to the blog! I'm working on a two day delay with it, as I've set myself a challenge to finish at least three books while we're here, and I'm also writing some articles for a magazine an website back home so lots to fit in.

Glad you like it, anyway. And if you see me around ( think Fat Mr Bean!), please do say hi.
Cheers
Paul

[ScouseFitz]

Thursday. Wheel's on fire. Burning down the road.

Those of you who are familiar with the nonsense I write when on holiday, will no doubt recall my enthusiasm and excitement from 2013's blog, when I discovered the joys of segway-ing. Well, they're still here, in fact, they've multiplied. They're everywhere. Even the locals have taken to them, buzzing around from hither to thither carrying huge bags of vegetables, roof tiles, members of their extended family, a couple of water bottles, chickens and the occasional goat. And that was just ONE I saw!

So, those clever inventor people, always on the lookout for a new method of making slightly overweight middle aged men (not me, obviously…….) look utterly ridiculous, have only gone and invented an electric three wheeled, two seater, moped. We noticed them a few days ago. I think I'll look like one of the mods on Margate pier in 1966, really cool. It's worth pointing out that nobody in my family agrees. They unanimously agree that I'd look like a slightly overweight middle aged man actually going out of his way to make himself look ridiculous.

Well, you know me. I like a challenge. So after another early start with Book number 2, and another fantastic breakfast on the balcony (by balcony, I mean the actual balcony – not my stomach!) , I manage to persuade daughter number 2 to join me as we burn some rubber round the back streets of the old village. Well, I say burn rubber. Sort of. Anyway in for a penny, in for 40 lira, and we head off in search of the wind in our hair. Cos like a true nature child, we were born, born to be wild! Or something………...

At the excursion place opposite Three Bells (that could come in handy in an hours time!), we find these devices on hire, and before heading out on the highway, we begin our extensive, in depth and thorough health and safety briefing, and highway code training. 27 seconds later, and we're off! It's great fun, even if I do look ridiculous. The youngest throws herself into this by singing One Direction songs at the top of her voice, and we tootle around for most of an hour. We call by the back of Sun Village, and beep the horn to gain the attention of Mrs SF, and the eldest. They glance over, but refuse to acknowledge us. I think they were just jealous. The youngest thinks they're ashamed. I think she may be right.

The trikes have three settings. Slow (5km/hr), Medium (10km/hr), and Slightly Overweight Middle Aged Man (20km/hr). The top setting is apparently capable of speed up to 60k!! No chance. At least, not while carrying me AND my balcony!! It's a good laugh tho, and we film a couple of funny videos on our phones while we speed around. Our hour of high speed (ish) shenanigans is nearly up, and the youngest is overheating, so I drop her off outside Sun Village, and before returning the trike/moped/ mobili-tandem, I nip round to Cafe Rose to book us in for the next night, and the Turkish Set Menu she does twice weekly, then, as I drop off the machine, I hear the distant, magical sound of a ringing bell. Three chimes. Well, that's a little like the call to prayer for me, so I transform into an Efes seeking zombie and obey the Bell. Beer. For whom the bell tolls.

I only stop for one and a quick chat with Nial. I promise him that if he comes to Liverpool on his next UK excursion, I'll look after him in my bar for a change.

Back to Sun Village, and all that razzing round town has made my beard grow super fast, so its a quick jaunt over the dry canal to Show Barbers for a shave. I love having a shave in this country. Or rather, I love not doing it myself. I get a shave, and a quick back and neck massage for 12 lira, and I'm propping up the bar at Sun Village in next to no time.

Then, its food time, and what to eat? After not much debate at al, we all agree that we should try Tipsi, as we've never been, and judging by what I've seen and read on all the various Icmeler facebook pages and forums, it looks well worth a try. Off we go, and stock up on some really good quality burgers. I go for the spicy one, with extra Jalapeno sauce, and chips……..all low fat, of course. Its busy in Tipsi, and to be honest, just watching the couple who own the place running (literally) from table to table serving, taking orders, hugging people as they leave, and welcoming new customers, makes me feel a bit Tipsi! Maybe that's how they got the name. It's really busy, and they don't stop. I worry for them. Its a tough enough business to work in when its NOT busy, but these two lovely people are in danger of burning themselves out, and I tell them so. They're super hard working though, and you know what, they're enjoying it. I can tell. They LOVE being busy, and hearing the many fantastic comments from their happy customers. And the food is spot on. As is their amazing selection of imported world beers, the best in Icmeler. A great place, this. A brilliant addition to what Icmeler has to offer, and as we leave, my eldest says, “we'll be back”. She's decided, then. Who am I to argue?? She's right, too. We'll be back alright.

Another great day in Icmeler. Lots of laughter and funny moments under Turkish skies. And we've still got more than a week to go. Fantastic.

Tomorrow, I turn into Lance Armstrong, but without the drugs...

[JT]

[JT]

[dodge]

Great read again Scouse sounds like fun keep enjoying look forward to your next blog thank you so much for taking time out to post your blog
Cheers dodge

[bobbysgirl]

Just catching up on my reading an once again thoroughly enjoying your blogs. You bring sunshine to a dull, drizzly day in the NE!. So glad you are back in Icmeler - hope you and your family have a fab holiday.

[ScouseFitz]

Friday. Oh we do like to be beside the seaside.

Another scorcher of a day, and after a hearty breakfast on the balcony, and a quick trip over the road to the supermarket to stock up on bottles of water, I head off to hire a bike, because today, I have two missions. The first is to scout out a venue for our eldest's 21st on Tuesday, and, of course, as we all know, overpriced men's underwear doesn't deliver itself, so I need to take a pack of Marks and Spencer's finest over to JT in Marmaris, where we'll do the handover like a scene from a 70s spy movie. He gets new undies, and I get a bottle of the legendary ginger beer!

Off down the beach path to Marmaris, and its a lovely bike ride. I give myself plenty of time, as its not just me on the bike, I've now got my balcony to factor in here! It's lovely, though some of the slight inclines are a little more like cycling up Everest to a man in my less than robust condition. I pass by the new hotel developments, as Russians (them again!) randomly step out in front of me. I have to dart all over the place. And quickly. It's like living in a game of Candy Crush! I politely chime away on my little cycle bell….ching, ching….ching, ching….but it's no good, so I try a little harder and just start yelling 'COMING THROUGH' like a madman. Most of them get the idea, tho there may have been some toes crushed in the writing of this story. Oops. Or as they say in Russia, oopski!

Anyway, I land at John's suggested venue, Yunus, on the beachfront in Marmaris. Nice place. I get myself a beer and wait for Agent Undies to turn up, but I'm early, so I employ the best method to kill a few moinutes I can think of. I order another beer! John arrives, and after a brief nose around we head off down the beach path for some lunch. The best Calamari in town, I'm reliably informed. We stop at a place called Deniz down in the marina, near where the big boys moor their yachts. To be honest, it's not very impressive. I saw one poor soul who could only afford one helicopter landing pad on his. Just one. The poor guy. I feel sorry for him.

We pull up a chair and order some Calamari, but there's a problem. It turns out that the woman who cooks it, the owner's sister, has had a fallout with her brother and what was one restaurant is now two. The brother has one, and the sister the other. But we're sat in the brother's place. A debate breaks out over whose Calamari is the best. So to end it, we order from both, and while both were nice, the sister's wins. Hands down. She's ecstatic. The brother isn't! Oopski!

Then, as it's so early and such a nice day, we buzz off around the marina on our bikes before heading round to visit Rami Off Work (I'm sure that's not his real surname, by the way). John walks into the house, and within seconds of walking in, he's woken the baby! Rami's wife is so thrilled to have her woken up, obviously! Oopski again. We lounge around in his pool for a while, drinking coffee and discussing the Turkish economy, and then we're off on the road again. JT heads off home, after giving me clear instructions on how to get back to the beachfront from deepest, darkest Downtown Marmaris. Instructions which I rapidly forget! I struggle to get my bearings, buy a couple of bottles of water, and struggle find someone who knows where the beach is in a town that's built on a beach!!! Harder than it would seem! Eventually, after cycling round in circles for what feels like hours, I come across a very helpful looking Welsh lady. “Turn left at the place where they sell chips” she shouts as she walks off. Genius. Of course. Why didn't I think of that? The place that sells chips. That narrows it down a bit, eh? I ride off, mumbling to myself something about hoping I never get lost in Wales (“turn left at the field with sheep in”), and gradually work out where the beach is myself. A couple of minutes later, I'm hurtling along, crushing Russian toes, and trying to maintain a good speed, in another bid to shrink the 'balcony'. I promise myself a beer at Cafe Del Mar, and that somehow magically adds to my speed.

After another half hour gazing at that beautiful view, I clamber tentatively on board. These bike seats are agony! I'm walking like John Wayne, and you could drive a bus between my aching knees at the moment. I weave gently through the back streets of Icmeler, lock the bike up, and throw myself head first into the pool, where I float, out of breath, for a good ten minutes or so, before heading upstairs to shower, and get changed ready for our booking at Cafe Rose. I met a couple last night who've been coming to Icmeler for 9 years, a total of 19 times, and they'd never heard of Cafe Rose!!! How is that even possible?? I did the hard sell, anyway, and they've booked for next week.

Tonight, Rose is doing the very special, and always gorgeous, Turkish set menu. Priced at just 35tl, it is a thing of beauty! You could live on just the starters for weeks, and that's before she brings out the Chicken casserole and the fruit plate! Its fantastic, a real treat, and an absolute MUST for anyone visiting Icmeler. Just try sitting under the grape vines, and orange tress of Rose's back garden, and not relaxing. It's impossible. I love the place, and its always nice to chill there for a cold beer in the shade from the summer Turkish sun in the afternoon.

We amble, sllllloooooowwwwwwllllllly back to SunVillage, stuffed full of Turkish goodness, and smiling from Rose's warm welcome. The youngest once again makes a fool out of me on the pool table, as well as beating Jamie, and I head up the stairs to meet my good friend Mr Jim Beam, and the final pages of Book number 2.

And tomorrow, there's more miles to put in on a bicycle made for one…..

[sunlover loch lomond]

Very much enjoying reading about your adventures. Sounds like fun and laced with your usual sense of fun - thanks.

[Ariston16]

Loving you're blog - it transports me right back to Icmeler! But I must ask you, did you get your bottle of ginger beer?

[ScouseFitz]

Well, I've had a few days off from my blog, as I was deeply engaged with the busy job of enjoying my holiday, and week two is when I'm at my most relaxed, so to be honest, it's been enough work just to stay awake most of the time! Anyway, let's pick up where we left off, shall we?

Saturday, midway through the Tour De Fran, sorry, Icmeler……

Wow, there's a definite change in the weather today, just sitting on the balcony eating breakfast, you can feel the upturn in the temperature. There seems to be less air around. Or maybe more people have arrived and we're all having to share the same amount? The place could certainly do with a few more people. That reminds me. You'll have no doubt noticed mention, on various forums, that its quieter here this year, and that's certainly true. The story from the restaurant and bar owners, the waiters and shopkeepers seems to be the same wherever you go. There's definitely less people here this year. I'm not sure what it is, but before we left we were asked if we'd be safe coming to Turkey. Eh? Why wouldn't we? I didn't get it. I know what happened in Tunisia was dreadful, and desperately sad, but people were asking about our safety before that happened. Here in Icmeler, we're just under 2000 miles from Syria, I reminded them. I also reminded them that, in the past 30 years, when tourism to Turkey has grown practically every year, Iraq, another country that Turkey shares a border with, has had three major wars. And in the same time, I grew up in Liverpool in the 70s and 80s, at the height of the IRAs bombing campaign. If anything, I feel safer here, and now, than I did at home then! So. Don't believe the lies and scaremongering in the UK press, get yourself on a plane and come over. You need a break, and so does Turkey.

Right…..I'll climb down off my soapbox, and clamber back onto my bike. Its a lovely Saturday morning, and I have to return the push bike at lunchtime, so I cram some food down me, and head off down the dry canal. Here's a question. When does a canal stop being a canal? Surely, the answer is when it stops having water in it?? So, why do we insist on calling it the dry canal? It's a ditch. Surely? A ditch.

Anyway, I follow the 'ditch' into town, and head down to see the boats along the harbour and take some photos. After a while, a few sail off on their day trips, and I spend a very pleasant hour bombing up and down the beach path, like a man possessed with an urgent need to lose a couple of balcony inches, (It'll be a basement flat at this rate!) I stop off at a couple of the watersports guys to price up the jetskis. Never done it before, and the youngest and I are keen for a go. After all, I've tried pretty much every other mode of transport while we've been here! 100 lira say the boys in the middle of the beach. 70 lira from the guys at the end of the beach, near Cafe Del Mar. I'm sure it'd get cheaper if I kept going, but I ran out of beach!

After a while, the sun beats at my back, and its time to stop off somewhere for a drink, and as I'm passing Cupid's, there's our old friend Mehmet sitting outside, and calling me in, so I head in and we sit and chat for the best part of an hour over a coffee, putting the world to rights, discussing the catering trade (explaining the idea of Maternity pay to him was amusing...or in his case, bemusing!!), and I agreed we'd call in for a meal at some point. Time's cracking on, and the bike needs to back at the hire place, just up the road from The Three Bells. ( “Really, Paul,” I hear you cry, “what a convenient location for a bike hire shop”!!). Convenient indeed, and who am I to argue? So, I call in for a quickie with Nial, in my favourite seat at the bar. We have a good chinwag, and I feel the urgent need to be floating in a pool, so its back to base. After all that cycling, and yesterday's bike based exploits in particular, my knees have turned to jelly, and are making a funny clicking sound as I walk. It sounds like I've got a drum kit in each knee, and someone without a sense of rhythm is playing them. Loudly. Age, I guess. After a few lengths to try and bring some life to my aching and ageing limbs, I give up, and go to sleep on the sunbed for an hour or so, before waking to have that most important conversation of all. “Where do we eat tonight, girls?” Its unanimous, the only time on this holiday that it has been, in fact. We're off to Cupid's.
We amble slowly down the road, past, yes, PAST, the Bells, and on into the square, just me, the good lady, my daughters, and our two new drumming friends! It's a quiet night down in the square, but it seems to be getting busier. We choose a table at the front, so that we can have a laugh with Mehmet, and his bone dry wit (drier than any 'dry canal', or ditch, could ever be!). He's a funny guy, and as the evening progresses, the comedy improves. At one point, a guitar is brought out, to the amazement of the rest of the customers, and the unanimous disappointment and loud groans of my family….they know me well! However, I resist the temptation to become the evenings 'entertainment', and concentrate on my delicious Sea Bass. It really is something special, and accompanied by a lovely bottle of dry white wine, it goes down a treat. Two of my ladies enjoyed their steak from the Set Menu, and the youngest filled up on pasta, and cheese rolls. It was a lovely evening, in great company, and another Scouse Fitz recommendation. While we're sat there, it's hard not to notice the appearance of a Tyrannosaurus Rex wandering the square. I remember when the best we could hope for was a camel! It's ok, though, it's not a real dinosaur...at least… I don't think it is!!

Tomorrow's a day of rest...apart from a visit to the Three Bells, that is….

[ScouseFitz]

Sunday.

Lazy Sunday afternoon, I got no mind to worry, close my eyes and drift away….

That's right, folks. Sunday was an official day of rest, and really, not much happened. It was hotter again today, and we've crossed the 40 degree barrier, that's for sure. There was swimming, sunbathing, eating and drinking. There was a good amount of reading done, catching up with my magazines. I went to Show Barber in the village for a shave, just over the road from Sun Village. I ate some more. Drank some more. And slept. Oh boy, I slept. All afternoon my poolside snoring gave the crickets and chickens a run for their money, and luckily, the Mrs couldn't lay her hands on her rolled up copy of Take A Break, so I was safe. It was a brilliant afternoon, catching up on R and R, and it was as though my body, after a couple of months of 7 day weeks, had suddenly realised it was on holiday, and just closed down for a few hours to re-group, recuperate and reorganise. Lovely.

In the evening, it was decided and decreed, not by me, I hasten to add, that we would eat at the Three Bells. I did try to resist, believe me, but my efforts were futile. Ah well….anything for an easy life...I just went with the flow, just to please my family, obviously.

The girls all have their firm favourites here by now, but I'm going to branch out and try something new. I'm going to try the Adanna. Now, I'm a fan of an Adanna or two. Or three. I LOVE the Hanedan Adanna, and my other favourite is from our local Turkish restaurant back home, but hey ho, let's give the Bells' version a go. MMM. It certainly doesn't disappoint, either. They serve it with lots of shredded salad, and a massive flat bread to roll it all up with. It's delicious, tho it could maybe do with a little more of a fiery kick. Apart from that, though, top notch stuff, and all washed down with a large and very cold beer.

A slow amble home is called for, where we walk off our dinner, and I hook up with that fine upstanding Mr Beam fellow on the balcony before my head hits the pillow and I head back where I've spent the great majority of the day. In the land of nod. Its a great place to be, that's for sure.

Tomorrow, we hit the road...Jack

[JT]

Are we missing a few days, was it a black hole, a time warp, a worm hole