Picture this: a quiet beach with gentle waves softly lapping at the shore. It was a sunny day but not searing hot as warm rays of early fall filtered through wisps of clouds, the kind that reminded me of the thin layer of milk foam on a cup of latte. It helped that our sunbeds (ours for the whole day for less than $5) were well shaded by a beach umbrella made of reeds.
We took the river boat (that picked us up right from our BnB’s dock) to this beach, one of the nicest ones I’ve ever been to. It’s right by the estuary where the Dalyan channel empties the water of Lake Köyceğiz into the sea so the water isn’t as salty as regular beaches and the seafloor tapers ever so gently that the water was still only waist-height 200m from the coastline. Waves of tourists would come every hour and then they all left at the same time after an hour or so, as they were ferried off to their next stop on their packaged tour itinerary. As for us, we happily stayed on our sunbeds the whole day, reading our books, enjoying the warm sun and the sea breeze, occasionally dipping in the shallow water to cool off when the sun got too hot. For lunch, we went to the only cafeteria on the beach for chicken döner, which was surprisingly tasty and priced the same as the one in town. Guess the owner hasn’t realized or doesn’t see the need to capitalize on his prime location.
I can assure you that not every day on our travel is this beautiful and serene. We just happened to luck out, being here in Dalyan just as droves of summer tourists had left town. Being low season, we were able to get a cheap room in a bed and breakfast by the river. From the BnB’s dock – which also doubles as the breakfast patio – we had a clear view of the famous Lycian rock tombs that were carved into the karst hills more than 2,000 years ago.
“This is easy living,” I thought, grateful to have found this little piece of paradise. It was the second time that day that I wondered what makes regions around the Mediterranean so well-practiced in the art of good living. Earlier in the morning I had the same thought about la bella vita as we enjoyed the wonderful breakfast spread, cooked by a cheerful woman with a radiant round face and a resonant hearty laugh. She was so amused to hear us say please and thank you in Turkish that each time she saw us, she took it upon herself to teach us more Turkish phrases. Good morning. Günaydın. How are you? Nasılsın? Good, and you? Ben iyiyim, ya sen?
Ever since we arrived in Turkey, breakfast quickly became the highlight of my days. The Turks have really mastered the art of breakfast spread. Kahvalti is what they call their ‘traditional’ breakfast spread. Think of a continental buffet with different types of freshly baked bread (my favorite is a bagel-like sesame-crusted twisty round one called simit), fresh fruit, homemade jams, farmer’s cheese, olives, fresh vegetables (parsley, arugula, sweet green peppers), protein (eggs and cured meat) and pastries. Of particular mention is sigara boregi, fried feta-stuffed phyllo roll that is just heavenly when it’s fresh off the fryer with a bit of homemade jam (made of watermelon rind!) or drizzled with tahin pekmez (tahini mixed with grape molasses). And finally, a freshly brewed demitasse of kahve or cay that’s meant to be sipped not gulped.
Is it the mild climate that makes everyone so friendly and welcoming, the harvest of the land and sea so delectable on the tongue, the sun so warm in one’s bones, and the water so rejuvenating for our soul?Whatever the secret recipe is, our days on the Aegean coast is going to be a lovely memory for a long time to come.