Our Airbnb host graciously arranged a rental car for us when I inquired about how to go about getting one.
Luckily Joe knows how to drive a manual. We decided that there are two skills in life that are good to have – knowing how to drive a manual and knowing how to type.Olive trees galore along the drive
The reason why we needed a rental car for the day was because we wanted to explore Knidos and Old Town Datça. Knidos is 24 miles west of Datça (the most westerly point on the Datça peninsula), and is the site of Greek ruins Temple of Apollo and Temple of Aphrodite dating back to 360 BC. The site was abandoned during Byzantine times in 8th century AD.
The small theater The rest of the ruins look pretty much like this.There are no intact structures. However, it seems like the government is trying to restore some parts of it, as there are new marble columns mixed in with the old.These are the few sculptures and carvings scattered around the ruin. The Brits took the best ones back home – the Lion and the seated sculpture of Demeter of Knidos. The poor Turks now have to reconstruct everything using their imagination. The right lower panel is actually an ancient “graffiti”.
On our way back, we decided to check out Ovabükü beach since it was mentioned in the Fodor’s guidebook. It was a chance for Joe to cool off.
As for me, it was an opportunity to realize how I’ve been taking the beaches in California for granted. There is no sand on the beaches here. The upsides to pebbled beaches are that it’s easier to walk on, and easier to wipe it off your feet.
The drive between Knidos and Ovabükü beach reminds me of PCH, especially the Big Sur section.
After a brief stop at the beach, we headed to the charming Old Town Datça or Eski Datça, originally inhabited by the Greek.
I would imagine that this would be the perfect setting for Instagrammers, but luckily we saw none. In fact, there were very few people strolling through the quaint alleyways.The colorful and interesting doorsEntryways and windows framed by bougainvillea bursting with colors
Eski Datça is a cute, pedestrian-only little town where you can peruse arts and crafts, and try their goat milk ice cream.
Thicker consistency. When in Datça or even Bodrum, try the mandalina (mandarin orange) and honey almond flavors.The town is also where the famed Turkish poet Can Yücel retired to.
After yesterday’s pricey dinner, we opted for some affordable home cooking
View may not be as nice, but Joe and I both prefer Lokantasi style of food because of the stew and variety.
FIRE'd @ 47 