Abandoned since 1923, the ghost town of Kayakoy is an interesting place to visit, not far from the touristy hub of Fethiye.

The attraction at Kayakoy is being able to walk amongst the crumbling buildings that once housed around 2,000 Greeks, before they were forced to leave after the Greco-Turkish War. Among the buildings that are most impressive are the old churches, which are in better condition than many of the other structures.

Officially nobody really lives here now, but a number of buildings are actually being used. Don’t be surprised if you come across the odd chicken, camel, squirrel, goat, or person wandering through the streets of the abandoned village.

The hillside setting of the village is great and you can imagine it once being a very nice place to live. Most people visit the village now via various hiking trails that connect to the coast and the Lycian Way trail route.

It’s an interesting place to explore for a few hours, especially if you’re into the history of the region. With hundreds of buildings dotting the hillsides, it can be rough trekking to some of them, but photography opportunities can also be rewarding by wandering around buildings that date back to the 18th century.

One thing I really enjoyed about Turkey was the food!

I’m not really a foodie traveller, but I do enjoy some good sweets, meats and treats. After many kebaps, Turkish delights and an amazing Iskender meal, Turkey surprised me once again with another fun food – Gozleme.

We were in Selcuk and had spent a long day hiking and exploring the scenery. We were hungry and getting a little cranky when we arrived at a little house with two friendly ladies working away at a wood-fired brick oven.

The open-air room was full of classically bright coloured Turkish rugs and decorations, a welcome place to sit and relax after our day in the hot sun.

As darkness began to fall, it was Gozleme time! These are tasty pastries, which are often filled with cheese, meat, eggs and potatoes. You have to make them by hand then cook them over a hot griddle.

The ladies made it look easy, but when some of us tried to roll our own, things got messy – not as easy as it looks! Being too hungry, I didn’t mess with trying to create my own Gozleme, I just wanted to eat! It was a fun experience though, seeing how a traditional Turkish meal was made.

Not far from Selçuk is the old Orthodox hillside village of Şirince. This small Turkish village is famous for it’s wines, olive oils and crafts and is a popular place for local (Turkish) tourists.

It’s a bit of a maze of a village, with some steep hills and market stalls lining almost every street. Some specialize in leathers, others specialize in colourful textiles. You’ll see plenty of the ubiquitous ‘evil eye’ souvenirs here as well.

The main attraction though is the wine. Not just grape wines but also many flavoured fruit wines. It is said that every home in the village produces their own wine, many of whom sell them at stands outside their homes.

You’ll also notice the village seems to be overrun by cats too. They’re all pretty laid back and sleepy looking, perhaps from all the local wine?

The story goes that back when the village was settled they called it Cirkince, which means ‘ugly’. It was a ploy to trick visitors, tourists and foreigners into skipping this picturesque town, so it could stay a secret. It didn’t last obviously, as the name was later changed to Sirince, meaning ‘pretty’.

While the market stalls here sold some fantastic home-made crafts and wines, that ugly/pretty story came to mind when I passed this perfectly genuine, fake shop.

Friendly shopkeepers, not pushy at all, made the experience here worthwhile. Many have areas set up at the back of their market stalls to sit and enjoy some Turkish coffee too. It’s a great place for a day trip, especially if you’re looking for a bottle of unique Turkish wine.