SEE IT, SHOOT IT, PRINT IT

The simit (by its Turkish name), which is also known as a koulouri (κουλουρι) throughout the Greek speaking world, is a popular quick snack, sold nowadays from glass covered carts by ubiquitous street vendors. It is made from a circular ring of bread abundantly topped with sesame seeds and the simit seller has long been a common sight in the city streets of both Turkey and Greece. I photographed this one walking down a street in Fethiye on his way to stock up his street stall. Istanbul claims to be the home of the finest simit in the world, countless simit bakeries having established themselves there over some hundreds of years.

The traditional ingredients for simit commonly include flour, butter, eggs, olive oil, milk and, naturally, sesame seeds to go on top and their preparation is relatively quick and simple. There are variations on the recipe including the Armenian simit and other menus that merely take their inspiration from the sesame seed and bread combination. The simit differs significantly from the bagel, which it resembles, in its firm texture, thinner bread and larger central space.The Armenian simit is known in Izmir simply as gevrek which means crisp. Simit, as this name suggests, is at its best when the bread is fresh and crispy.

Saklikent Gorge is a 17km-long canyon, with walls so steep that the sun never reaches the floor. If you can brave wading through the icy cold water at the start it is a pleasant walk through the canyon. Enterprising locals have set up a series of wooden platforms suspended just a foot or two above the bubbling snow-melt of the Xanthos River. Decked out with Turkish rugs and comfy cushions and shaded by fig trees, they serve freshly-caught trout, turkish pancakes and beer cooled by the ice-cold waters.

Saklikent (Hidden City) Gorge is the second-largest gorge in Europe and the longest and deepest gorge in Turkey, close to Olu Deniz. It is a spectacular place, with sculpted walls soaring high above. Four km. of the gorge is walkable after April when most of the snow from the Taurus Mountains has melted and passed through the gorge on its way to the Xanthos River. Summer is the best time to visit as the canyon is deliciously cool and shady with cold water. The gorge is open from the April 1 to September 30. Be sure to wear shoes that you don't mind getting wet or sports sandals as the rubber shoes available for rent at the river bar are not very comfortable. You may also want to bring a change of clothes with you in case you get wet.

The entrance to the gorge is under the bridge over a large stream. A narrow walkway suspended from the rock wall will take you into the gorge. Once inside, you reach the Ulupinar springs where water bubbles up under great force from the base of the cliffs and you wade across the stream into the gorge proper to begin your walk.

Outside and inside the gorge locals have set up small restaurants with seating areas on wooden platforms suspended just above the rushing waters. These are a great place to relax upon Turkish rugs and cushions with a beer under shady trees. Among other things on the menu, they offer delicious fresh trout. Outside the gorge you will also find treehouse accommodation, small relaxed bars and river tubing. River tubing rides last from 45 minutes to about two hours, depending on which ride you join.

A trip to Turkey's south coast isn't complete without exploring ancient ruins and archaelogical sites. Fethiye is built upon the ruins of the ancient city of Telmessos and posesses, as remnants of its past, some impressive rock tombs and a recently excavated Hellenistic theatre. However, the majority of the ruins remain still buried under the quaint town.

The town got its name from Telmessos, the son of the god Apollo. Little is known about the origins of Telmessos except that originally it wasn't part of the Lycian Federation. In 4th century BC the Lycians fought against the Telmessians and finally subdued Telmessos and brought it into the Lycian federation. Later Telmessos was captured by Alexander, became part of the kingdom of Pergamum, and during the Roman imperial era the city was part of the Lycian Federation.

The city continued its existence into the Byzantine era, but gradually lost its significance due to the Arab raids. In the 8th century the city's name was changed to Anastasiopolis in honor of a Byzantine emperor and the following century it changed again to "Makri", meaning "Far (City)". Under Ottoman rule this was changed to "Megri" and finally, after the expulsion of the predominantly Greek population in the 1930's, it was named Fethiye after Tayyareci Fethi Bey, a local who was among Turkey's first pilots and also a war hero .

Fethiye suffered two immense earthquakes in 1857 and 1957 which toppled much of the town and completely destroyed the medieval town and the remains from antiquity. Throughout Fethiye, there are the scattered typical Lycian stone sarcophagi dating from around 450 BC. At the main quay at Liman Caddesi there is the the theatre that was excavated only since 1994. It had a capacity of 5,000 people and was built in the Early Roman period and renovated in the 2nd century AD.

I went to South Turkey in late August and took a couple of trips to a deserted village by dolmus. Kayakoy (Greek: Levissi) is a village 8 km south of Fethiye in south western Turkey where Anatolian Greeks lived until approximately 1923. The ghost town, now preserved as a museum village, consists of hundreds of rundown but still mostly intact Greek-style houses and churches which cover a small mountainside and serve as a stopping place for tourists visiting Fethiye and nearby Oludeniz.

It was built on the site of the ancient city of Carmylessus in the 1700s. It experienced a renewal after nearby Fethiye (known as Makri) was devastated by an earthquake in 1856 and a major fire in 1885. After the Greco-Turkish War, Kayaköy was largely abandoned after a population exchange agreement was signed by the Turkish and Greek governments in 1923.

Its population in 1900 was about 2,000, almost all Greek Christians; however, it is now empty except for tour groups and roadside vendors selling handmade goods and items scavenged from the former village.

Kayaköy is presumed to be the inspiration behind "Eskisehir", the imaginary village chosen by Louis de Bernières as the setting of his 2004 novel Birds Without Wings (novel).