The sailing distance between Antalya and Fethiye is not especially long and we seemed to make good progress overnight in very calm seas.

The port is only a small one (at least what we saw of it) and would not have coped with a ship our size, so we dropped anchor in the bay and the ship's tenders were put into service to ferry us all ashore.

It was the first time that they had been used during this cruise, so it was a new adventure for some of the passengers. We were, of course, used to them from our previous cruises, where we had some quite "exciting" experiences on them in heavy...ish seas! We were quite relieved that the sea was so calm today, however.

The setting can only be described as idyllic. We were almost sorry that we would be getting on a coach and leaving immediately, but hopefully we would have some time to take it all in a bit later.

Susan had decided to do her own thing today and just to wander around the town. We considered doing this too, but in the end decided to brave the six hour coach excursion. It was the right choice for us. We got to see three amazing sites and had time in the afternoon to explore the town independently. Our route would take us through some more lovely scenery. Once again, our expectations for this part of Turkey were to be exceeded.

Our first visit was to be Patara, but we paused briefly at a motor-way service station on the way there for a "comfort break". In that regard, we were impressed with the organisation, planning and thought that had been given to all of our excursions. At this stop, for example, there was even a pool which we could have used! Not that any of us had time to do so, but I can imagine that at the height of summer, it must be like an oasis for many a hot and weary traveller.

The building was constructed using local limestone blocks in the shape of a small theatre. In the centre, there is a small orchestra with marble flooring. There is a semi-circular cavea consisting of 21 rows of seats with a seating capacity of up to 1400 people.

Another friend, Janita. She wasn't quite sure whether she liked the place or not...

The remains of three temples can be seen here. The one on the left was Doric in style and dedicated to the god Apollo. The small temple in the centre was Ionic in style and dedicated to Artemis. The one on the right, also Ionic in style, was dedicated to Leto.

Another 30 minute drive and we arrived at Xanthos. I think this was my favourite site. It has some unusual features and its location, set high up overlooking a river with a backdrop of the mountains, made it all the more interesting.

After the visit, the last one of the day, our driver took us back to the motorway the pretty way. We got some lovely views of the farmland, mountains and the river, which we appeared to be following. Our driver probably found it to be quite challenging because the lanes were very narrow and we almost scraped our way through one particular village. We were amazed by the farms, with what seemed like acres of covered growing areas. Below is only one example of a farm we passed and we still don't know what was being grown, although I'm sure we were probably told by our guide... err, yes, by that time we had definitely switched off our ear-pieces... those guides can go on a bit in their enthusiasm to impart absolutely everything!