Liam and I took the dolly to Gümüslük, the pretty picture postcard bay with overpriced fish restaurants and tedious hassle from the press-ganging waiters. We were visiting friends who lived in the village. As we travelled along the pot-holed road, I was wondering what the scenery was like before the mad march of little white boxes up hill and down dale. Stunning I imagine. It’s still pretty in parts and the views from the coast road are dazzling. We turned a coastal corner and happened upon a huge supermarket that wasn’t there before. It’s a sign of the times. I see the advantage. Residents and holidaymakers alike no longer have to endure the sweaty trek into Yalıkavak or Turgutreis to stock up on booze and larder essentials. Who wants to do that in 40 degree heat? Sadly, I fear for the living of the little man in the local shop. Times are hard and, in the winter months, times are impossible. We all know the tale of the big boys who muscle in and soak up all the trade. It’s a sad story that’s oft repeated in high streets across Blighty. Still, this particular supermarket does have the most spectacular view of the Aegean from the rooftop terrace. Sütlü Americano, lütfen.
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Perking the Pansies 
Migros?
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That’s the one.
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I first came across Gümüslük in 1993, it was fabulous but did smell very much of fish and for some reason it doesn’t smell so much these days. I hope the building work stops some time soon and that they repair the roads………………well you can hope!!
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Alas unlikely. People keep building little white boxes that nobody wants to buy, deflating prices and killing the golden goose. It’s a shame.
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It’s all so much a familiar story and no answer to it except recession and who wants that. We have been moving up & down this coast for a while now and I got so feed up with this that I decided I would suggest a place not for the fact that we may find work but for the fact that I needed a peaceful place to live but not out in the wilds so we have now tried Gocek. When I first mentioned it my husband was very dubious as he could not see himself getting a job here, so we made a bet and if just one of us got a job we would move, so here we are and it seems to agree with us. Time will tell of course, they are building here too but not the mad frenzy we have witnessed before, waiters rarely hassle you, traffic is limited and Migros and the like have been limited to micro markets. There is just one thing which has started ringing alarm bells in my ears I hear Kippa (not sure that is the right spelling but sure I will find out next year) will build here next year right on the sea front.
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Sounds just wonderful. Long may it last. You probably know that Kipa is Tesco in disguise. I think they’re trying to take over the world.
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All manner of supermarkets have popped up in Fethiye over the years. They’re really handy but the blessing is (for the moment) they seem quite happy to sell poor quality, over-priced fruit and veg so the pazars are still packed. Some of our local markets are hanging on in there by getting hold of cheap wines – never asked where from 🙂 – and undercutting the supermarkets. Long live the markets and pazars.
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I’ll drink to that! Have a quiet word and try and find out where they get their cheap plonk. I think our readers need to know!
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Still prefer to buy my food at the market and local shops.
Still- the MMMMMigros you refer to must have the best car park view in the world.
Gerish Pete.
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It probably has. People will sit in the car park for the view alone.
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Change is always double-edged. A similar debate rages in Spain. Small shops that have few goods or huge ones that have everything. Family businesses that refuse to open on Sundays or all day and chains that do (though opening on Sunday here is still prohibited in many cases). Beautiful landscape or great services. Very thorny topic. Enjoyed the post Jack.
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It’s the convenience over tradition argument. No one wants to see local shops close down but then most of us use the supermarkets because of the choice, price and one stop shop nature of the corporate beast. Who has the answer? Not me.
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Turkish shops stay open all hours. Doesn’t seem to make a difference.
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Living in another place dependent on tourism (Jamaica) I know the dangers and the curse of (in our case) the huge ugly hotels built by the Spanish, which have transformed our once lovely north coast into a maze of concrete. It’s called “development” and “progress” here… I am not convinced.
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Trouble is, presumably it provides employment. There’s the rub.
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Yes… Up to a point. They also employ a lot of Spanish/Spanish-speaking people. They answer the phone with a thick (non-Jamaican) accent.
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I’d ban the bloody lot of them (not to mention money), but then I’m a socialist and an ‘Impossibleist’ to boot.
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You certainly are. Get back under that bed, you red. 😉
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Everyone wants to enjoy what they’ve ‘discovered’ but that just ensures the hoards will follow. Thorny subject indeed. Let’s hope that shoppers will notice the view and appreciate that it is in part because of that vista that they are there to begin with.
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