Hello Mediterranean...

We flew on a mid morning flight one hour to the coastal airport of Dalaman and then transferred to the charming town of Marmaris where we boarded our gorgeous gulet and enjoyed a light summer lunch.  

The kids went crazy for the gulet which is over 100 feet long and 25 feet wide with lots of raised decks and rooftop sunbeds.  Our gulet has 8 cabins and each cabin has an en suite bathroom with flush toilet and enclosed showers.  We spent an hour exploring Marmaris which is full of quaint shops and winding narrow alleys dominated by a crenelated castle set next to the sea.  

The area is surrounded by tall mountains with green pine forests that roll down to the waters edge.  After stocking our bar with fruit juices, cold beers, local wines, and some goods for mixed drinks we weighed anchor and set off to a nearby turquoise bay where we had our first swim in the clear waters.  The water temperature was about 72-75 degrees and perfectly refreshing.  

Kids jumped into the turquoise waters and swam for hours...

Andrew jumping into the Mediterranean

Dinner was served al fresco in mid ship where we had a huge mahogany table set for 16 guests.  We immediately realized we had a great chef on board and knew we were in for a treat.  The menu consisted of mushroom soup, grilled eggplant and potato mezzes, flavorful bulgur salad, mixed shepherds salad, fresh bread which was followed by a main course of fresh caught fish from the sea poached in a wonderful white wine sauce accompanied by roasted potatoes. Desert featured fresh regional fruits such as plums, nectarines, watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, cherries and more...yum.  In Turkey most people eat fruit for dessert which is probably a good thing given the generous quantities the chef provides at the main meal.  After dinner we all gathered our pillows and blankets and climbed up to the raised sunbed on the roof to sleep out under the stars in the perfectly warm evening air....ahhh back in the Mediterranean!!!