Out On The Datça Peninsula
Our arrival in the small coastal town of Datça coincides with the first noticeable drop in temperature and the first time on the trip that the sun has failed to break through cloud. The Datça peninsula is narrow, too, only about 6 kilometres wide, meaning the sea breezes are far more sharp here than back in Fethiye. Overcoats are in evidence down in the square on our first morning as the crowd gathers for Ataturk Remembrance Day, today – November 10th – being the anniversary of the death of the Republic’s founding father 86 years ago in 1938. The weather blip is just that, a blip, and the sun returns next day.
With its off the radar location and its narrow, mountainous shape, being on Datça feels more like being on an island than on a peninsula, the locals apparently think of themselves in this light too, proud of their slow paced island-like lifestyle. The isthmus at the neck of Datça is so narrow that the village in that stretch is named Balikaşiran, which loosely translates as “the place where fish may leap across” – now that’s an amusing name however you look at it. Once through the neck, the land ahead is dramatic and spectacular.
It’s also populated only sparsely – the eponymous town is the only place of any size, the rest of the “island” comprises small, attractive villages and large tracts of land too mountainous to be inhabitable. Down in the depressions between mountains olive groves, almond orchards and orangeries dominate the agricultural scene, with almonds being the produce most “exported” to the rest of Turkey. Evidence of that is everywhere – shops selling local produce stock dozens of different almond products alongside the copious numbers of jars of pine and other honey. Almond bags, almond sweets, almond paste, fizzy almond drinks, almond cookies, almond essence….oh, and of course marzipan.
Rising up from the groves and orchards, any south facing slope is covered with a different crop, as vineyards producing the renowned Datça wine line the hillsides with bright green rows. We are of course past the harvesting season and the almond trees now stand shedding their leaves in the neat plantations, but with just a modicum of imagination it’s possible to picture what must be an incredibly colourful scene when they are all in springtime bloom.
Dramatic is the right word for these towering, hulking mountains which run the length of the peninsula, then dive beneath the sea to rise again as the Dodecanese islands visible just across the water. Driving around Datça peninsula is a slow job, the roads are twisting and narrow but the real delay is the number of times we have to stop and stare, such is the drama unfolding with every kilometre. As if this isn’t terrific enough, the tip of the peninsula is the point where two seas meet, the Mediterranean off to the left and the Aegean to the right. Small wonder a city stood at this very point in ancient times.
This city was Knidos, built by the ancient Greeks between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC, a compact hillside city with the bonus of two adjacent ports, one in each of the two seas. Pinned between the mountains and the sea, Knidos was densely populated, evidenced now by the close proximity of the remains of its grand buildings. The site was only rediscovered and excavated during the 19th century; some restoration is now in progress, not all of it to our taste. Is it really necessary to ship in new marble blocks in order to rebuild sections of an ancient city?
As we drive through, and keep stopping in, the sleepy villages, there is yet more distinct evidence of the island vibe. Stooped ladies in heavy traditional clothing glance up and perhaps issue a toothless smile, weather beaten field workers haul olive crops behind chugging tractors, in every village groups of men huddle around tables playing board games – usually a variation of a game we call rummikub at home but which is known as “okey” here.
Just above Datça town is Eski Datça (“old Datça”), the original settlement built in compact enclosed style to defend against the Meltem winds. Little has changed here in the tight cobbled alleys between stone houses, bougainvillea in multiple shades draped over characterful walls, ancient fig trees providing shade – apart from nods towards visitors via coffee shops and wine bars. It is extremely quaint and impossibly charming, though unfortunately the wine bars’ season is over and their doors are firmly bolted.
Eski Datca
Like absolutely everywhere else in Turkey, Datça supports a sizeable cat population in every village. Generally speaking, cats in Turkey are not pets to a particular home, but rather a free roaming colony fed, cared for and respected by all. As a result, they look healthy, well fed and content, free but never ferrel.
It’s probably time we did the little treasures some photographic justice…
28 Comments
restlessjo
I don’t think we actually made landfall on the peninsula, though I remember sailing in the area. What a fine location was Knidos, and the villages look very charming.
Phil & Michaela
It’s lovely Jo…and more to follow on the villages…
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderersl
Beautiful, your writing made us feel right there!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you guys, that’s much appreciated. And be warned…Colombia is very much on next year’s hungry travellers radar…
Heyjude
Knidos looks very interesting. The villages are quite charming, beautiful bougainvillea, and those cats have definitely got the cream! 😻
Phil & Michaela
Gotta love these Turkish cats. This is a surprisingly lovely area, has exceeded our expectations.
Heyjude
And I forgot to mention the almonds! Very healthy, but perhaps not as fizzy drinks or marzipan (though I love that too…)
Phil & Michaela
They’re pretty damned good on their own…!
Toonsarah
So much to love here! The scenery looks wonderful, Knidos very impressive (especially the carvings on the columns), the old town really quaint and so many beautiful cats 😀 Plus I do love marzipan! How was the almond drink?
Phil & Michaela
Imagine drinking marzipan flavoured ice cream soda and you’ve got it. Very very fizzy though. This is a lovely area Sarah, even better than we expected.
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Why is it that in every corner of the world the women are working and the men are playing board games? 🙂 Love the cat photos. I am more inclined to appreciate ruins rather than restoration in these ancient cities. It often feels like the authenticity of the place is compromised. Lovely tour. Is Michaela still shooting with a phone camera. These are beautiful.
Phil & Michaela
Yes she is, still all iPhone work. I too really don’t know why those big slabs of smooth marble are necessary… give me a drawing of how it would have looked and I’ll be happy to look at the ruins. As for men and board games, I have no answer but it’s certainly a sight we see across the world!
Christie
What a lovely place Eski Datca! I know there is a large selection of Turkey sweets I would love eating all day long, so I’m sure you enjoyed some of their treats! The almond pastries shelf looks so yummy😊
Phil & Michaela
Well actually, neither of us has much of a sweet tooth so we’re not often tempted by sweet things. However we’ve had a couple of almond cookies and some of the honey. And yes, there are some lovely villages in this area, really lovely.
Helen Devries
That area has everything…and so beautiful.
Phil & Michaela
It’s better than we expected, really very lovely and very laid back.
WanderingCanadians
The town looks so charming and lovely. And how cute that there’s so many kitties!! They certainly look well fed! Those cat pictures just made my day!
Phil & Michaela
Gotta love ‘em, huh…😄😍
bitaboutbritain
What a beautiful, fascinating, place. I want to go there immediately! Oh – wait – not until the wine bars reopen… 🙂
Phil & Michaela
This area has exceeded our expectations!
leightontravels
Crikey, you take a week off of WordPress posting / reading and it’s all going on. Turkey is one country we’ve been to where we have both firmly decided “Need to see much more one day”. Your recent string of posts underlines that in bold. From your travels so far you might be unsurprised to read that Datça appeals to us the most. That sleepy island feel… the adorable cats… those narrow flowery stone lanes. Sladja is learning Greek now and is greedily lapping up just about anything to do with Greek history, she would be all over the delights of Knidos. Oh, and where the sea meets, your post has put Turkey and indeed Datça, right at the top of our re-visit list.
Phil & Michaela
Mate, it really is lovely here. Can’t speak for how it is in holiday season but for now it’s well exceeded our expectations. Lovely, lovely area. And I didn’t mention the air, every breath feels pure and clean. And on the Greek, it’s Michael’s second language. She’s not fluent by any means but can hold herself well in conversation. As for the Datça peninsula…well, ticked lots of boxes…
Alison
Looks just so picturesque. The colours are so vibrant. Shame about the wine bars! Hope the little shops are still selling wine. Enjoying virtually visiting Turkey with you.
Phil & Michaela
Where there’s a will…. 😃. Lovely area, Ali, we love Turkey anyway but this area is a delight.
wetanddustyroads
We like to buy almond flour here in SA, but it’s a very expensive item … I bet it’s a lot cheaper in Datça. The views are spectacular … imagine what it must have been like to have to live in ancient Knidos! Beautiful colourful photos in Eski Datca and of course I really enjoyed the cat photos.
Phil & Michaela
Datça peninsula really exceeded our expectations, Corna. So much to love. Including the cats.
grandmisadventures
Your pictures are so lovely. Those streets just seem perfect for wandering and taking pictures and mountains that fall into the blue water is the icing on the top 🙂
Phil & Michaela
It really is a lovely part of Turkey. So much to like…….