The Blue Voyage

Deniz Gülü

Jeff Diving (5.5)

Ever since I heard of it, I have wanted to go on a Blue Voyage, or Mavi Yolculuk (as it is known in Turkish), and I promised myself that I would not leave Turkey without doing one.  To the best of my knowledge, this is something only possible in Turkey.  The idea is that you organize 6-10 of your very best (and very compatible) friends and hire a boat to take you for a week around the Aegean Sea going from island to island and cove to cove.  The crew fixes all the meals, and passengers are totally at leisure to do whatever they want.  As my days in Turkey started dwindling, I realized that we needed to do a Blue Voyage – even if no one could come from the US.  So, this week, complete with sunblock (50 strength), bathing suits, hats, and reading material, we flew down to Marmaris and  hopped aboard the Deniz Gülü with 5 strangers and 3 crew members. 

The 7 Voyageurs

Aegean Cove

Our first night was in port in Marmaris, and I must say that I began to wonder what we had gotten into at about 3:30 am when the disco music from the nearby bars was STILL PLAYING loud and strong.  And the cabin was definitely plus petit, with the bed being only slightly larger than the remaining part of the cabin.  In addition, I was unable to locate a shower in the little bathroom.  And then at 5am there was lots of commotion on board, waking us up and introducing us to the fact that every sneeze, snore, snicker, and step could be heard through the paper thin walls and ceiling.

Jeff Relaxing

Aegean Sea

At breakfast we met our fellow voyageurs: Gwen (a British lady) and Ron (Scottish) (the couple who came on board at 5am!), Gusty and Ida (German Swiss), and Tineke (Dutch).  We were all within the same age range, have grown children, and enjoyed many of the same things.  There was not a lingua franca between us, but Tineke spoke German as could Gwen, while Gusty, Ida, Tineke, and I could make do in French, and Tineke could speak English as well.  It made for some fun translations.

Whatever doubts I had the first night on board were totally dispelled that first day at sea.  The views of the islands from the boat, swimming in the clear blue Aegean, our new and extraordinarily compatible companions, and the simple but wholesome meals prepared by the young crew made me think that a week might even be too short!  

Rodos Statue

View From Above

A mention about meals… Breakfast was at 8am and consisted of: eggs of some variety, cheeses, olives (black and green), tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh bread (or at least fresh on the days we’re in a port), local honey and homemade jams, freshly squeezed OJ, and of course coffee and tea.  Lunch (around 12:30) was vegetarian: salad, some vegetable dish (on various days we’ve had eggplant and squash), rice, more fresh bread, and fresh fruit.  At 4:30 or 5 we had tea and biscuits (little cookies), then 7pm was the cocktail hour with nuts and olives.  Dinner was at 8pm: on the first night we had fresh grilled fish, but other nights it was chicken or meat, there was always salad, rice or pasta, vegetable, more bread, and fruit for dessert.  It sounds like a lot, but when you consider that there was no butter served with bread (except for breakfast), nothing was ever fried, the only salad dressing was a little lemon juice, and the only processed sugar was the teatime biscuits, it was actually very healthy.  Now we all had our special things that we like – Jeff and Ron requested butter with their noon and evening bread, and Ron liked his “Scottish salad” (potatoes!), but everyone seemed pretty satisfied with the galley’s efforts.

Rodos, Greece

Greek Town

Greek Church

Lest you think we were perfect angels – only eating a healthy Aegean diet, with some intermittent swimming and plenty of rest – I will confess that there was a bar on board.  On the first day I thought I had misunderstood when Gusty asked if I would like some wine (at 10:30am!).  He and Ida seem to enjoy a little bracer before the morning swim, and then the rest of the bottle with lunch.  Ron liked his morning beer, and all (except one) were known to indulge in wine at lunch.   I won’t even talk about the direction it went from there – but you’ll be proud to know that Jeff and I were on the lowest end of the consumption totem pole.

Our route took us from Marmaris to Kumlu Bay, Bozburun, Selimiye, Datça, Simi (in Greece), and Rodos (also in Greece).  There was a good mix of swimming in coves and shore time in great little towns.

Would I do it again?  In a heartbeat!

Turkish Cuisine

Turks love to eat, and it’s slightly miraculous that neither Cef nor I have put on kilos, as Turkish food is really good.  Let me focus on dinner, as that’s the best.

More Cold Mezzeler

Cold Mezzeler

First, people don’t hit restaurants until about 8pm.  Dinner is a leisurely affair, and it lasts several hours.  If you’ve reserved a table, they assume that you’ll be there for the whole evening – no fast turnaround like in our restaurants!

It all starts with cold mezzeler – or small plates – that are usually ordered for the table so that everyone gets a spoonful or two.  My favorites are with eggplant, but there are truly all varieties and it’s worth it to get as many as you think you can taste.  A green salad (again for the table) is also usually served. 

More rakı

Rakı and Mezzeler

And I nearly forgot about beverages!  As they bring the first round of mezzeler, they also bring your choice of beer, wine, or (most typical) rakı.  Rakı is an anise flavored liquor that turns white when water is added.  It’s served in long narrow glasses, and the waiter makes a big production of pouring the rakı, pouring the water, and adding 1-2 ice cubes.  The founding father of the Turkish Republic (Mustafa Kemal Atatürk) was a huge rakı fan.  When alcohol was banned by the legislature in the early days of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal arranged for those legislators who voted for the ban not to be re-elected!

Shrimp (Hot Meze)

OK – time for the hot mezzeler.  These are little tidbits, like hot shrimp or small fried fish.  Best to go easy on these if you want to make the next course!

The main dish is usually a fish of some variety.  I usually let Cef go behind the scenes to pick out my fish, and they’re always fresh and delicious.  They are typically grilled or baked – I can’t ever remember having one fried or with any kind of sauce.

Now, if you have any room left (and it’s worth saving space!), comes the dessert.  There are all varieties (including French profiteroles, cheese cake, chocolate mousse), but my favorites are the classical Turkish ones.  These often include baklava like sweets dripping in honey-like syrup made with pistachios or other nuts and paper thin leaves of dough.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  And of course it wouldn’t be a Turkish meal without a glass of çay – or Turkish tea – at the end.

çay

Why there aren’t more Turkish restaurants in the United States, I’ll never know, as the food is amazing, reasonably healthy, and some of the best you’ll ever eat.

Cheers – or şerefe!