Outdoor Market Ataturk Caddesi
Datça comes alive on Saturday morning with its outdoor market. Local vendors set up their stalls under a white canopy that covers several city blocks along the main thoroughfare – Ataturk Caddesi. It’s an incredible display of flowers, live chicks for sale, spices, honey, clothing, and handicrafts. The area is a rich fruit, nut, spice, and vegetable bowl, and on Saturday, farmers pack up their goods and come to town to sell them at the market.
There were priceless faces in the crowd, and I wished I were a better photographer and able to capture their expressions and character. I’ll be here for ten more days, so I bought fresh fruit and vegetables – great bargains! I took the goodies back to my apartment and sampled a tomato that was so good – I went back to buy more!
Datça Harbor and Boardwalk
Before and after shopping, the market crowd wanders down by the boardwalk. There are several small playgrounds for children. Dogs run wild soaking in the sun, chasing cats, and jostling with each other along the beach. The boardwalk cafés and restaurants offer even more goodies like tea, espresso, and pastries – it’s a pleasant, lighthearted atmosphere. Chocolate éclairs at the bakery next to my apartment are getting harder to resist.
Saturday was a clear but breezy day, so the hot Mediterranean sun was cooled by a soft sea breeze. The people in Datça are happy and down-to-earth and their contentment with life shows. There’s a large mixed European community living here. I discovered a few Italian cafés by the marina that have delicious pasta and pizza! I talked to some Italian locals, and they offered advice on nearby sites to explore and gave suggestions for restaurants in the area. Lots of Italian, German, and French tourists were roaming around on Saturday.
The water in the harbor was such a beautiful blue! I took photos of some of the boats anchored along the boardwalk. Then, at about 4 pm, everything became quiet as the crowd thinned out and headed home.
