Dogs and Cats and Beer and Sea
Love Letters to Türkiye, Part II
Welcome to Fethiye. Let’s explore this small city, on the southwest coast of Türkiye, about halfway between the two places most people have actually heard about, Bodrum and Antalya.
I’m honoured to be your guide.
Fethiye is way smaller than both those cities. It does not have 7000 boutique hotels or welcome many Turkish starlets. It is still a place, however, where the main income is tourism. It has two better known beachy areas… and a lot of lesser known ones, too.
Please meet some locals:
There are thousands of stray cats and dogs in Fethiye. As in many places in Türkiye, they are generally well cared for. Some are even a bit portly around the belly, since food is the love language of this country.
After some time here, you will know which dog belongs to which shop or restaurant. (Or the other way around.) Should you decide to stay longer, you will almost certainly start feeding a furry beast or two or, in the case of a friend of mine, three dozen. Please note the water bowls and tiny cat houses that have been placed on many street corners. People also put their leftovers out for the cats and dogs. There are coffee fundraisers, bake sales, and craft sales to cover vet bills for the strays, build dog and cat parks, and even to transport adopted fur babies to the UK.
Over there, you can see the lady with the trolley bicycle. Yes, those are cat ears on her helmet. She rides all over one neighbourhood every day and feeds the local cats.
This young lady lives on Calis beach. She has three legs, and the sweetest heart (unless I am with Django, in which case she ignores me or emits a very low frequency growl). She must be well-loved, because she’s always in the same area and never looks hungry.
Calis beach is one of our main beaches. It’s pretty touristy but still, thankfully, hasn’t been overly built up and maintains a bit of old school magic. Even though it has its fair share of places like this:
and an increasing number of “beer as cold as your ex-girlfriend’s heart” kinds of signs.
You will also see this:
And lots of people fishing, especially in the morning.
And even this:
What he’s carrying on his head is called simit. It’s sometimes referred to as a “Turkish bagels”. As a Montrealer I am very aware of what I’m about to say, but these are better than any bagels I’ve ever had.
* ducks for cover *
Calis is where I come when life feels overwhelming and I need to be brought down to earth.
Okay, that’s every day.
Next week I’ll share another love letter to Fethiye. If you have any requests for neighbourhoods or aspects of Turkish life to be explored, please send them along. Fethiye is far from perfect, despite how it may appear on a week-long holiday. But this is a practice of gratitude and a cultivation of joy.
And you know what? It’s working.
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Thank you for reading!
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It was my birthday. I was promised a special day, but aside from extra cuddles and baby talk, neither of which are edible, the festivities were disappointing. Thankfully, my friends met us on our morning walk to share their well wishes.
Come to think of it, I would also love a closer photo of Mr. Bagel Head. Just sayin'.
I'm sorry but I won't be satisfied until I see a photo of the lady with cat ears making her SPCA rounds on a bicycle!