32 MAGAZINE | THE BEACH
FETHIYE
TOWN
T
he promenade; walk
it and discover how
close the land is to the
sea...The Lycian theatre
overlooks the sea
behind the harbour. Start from here,
where the fishermen still clean their
nets. Continue on past the moorings
of the gulets which offer daily boat
trips; stop off at one of the promenade
cafes for a glass of tea. Pass the Fethiye
Cultural Centre (FKM) and search its
notice board for on-going exhibitions
and performances. Curve north as
the promenade turns towards Calis.
You may spy the well-known fast food
chains on the right. Then walk on to
reach a quieter area where kids rollerskate, people jog and some just sit at
the sea-brink restaurants watching
their children or stare romantically out
towards the islands while they await an
aperitif before dusk. Continue on past
more sophisticated restaurants and
cafeterias to eventually reach Calis.
Calis itself: some 40 years ago Calis
was THE tourist venue. With one hotel
and a variety of campsites it attracted
visitors mainly from Ankara. In those
days there was no airport and even the
road connections were not asphalted.
Fethiye was a holiday resort only for the
more active. As to Olu, it was inhabited
by 5 families of farmers, immigrants
during the exchange of peoples.