Going through lots of old photos today, and came across a load from our first visits to Calis in 2003 & 2004. I thought the following would be of interest to a few of you oldies!
The first one is from 2003. This is the Kerim Hotel next to the water taxi, but before it had the bar below it (now one of our favourite spots for people watching).
This is us outside the now defunct Sultan restaurant in 2003. The year after when we visited again, it had gone. The hotel was then refurbished and renamed the Delta. The restaurant below is now Bella Mamas. The more observant amongst you may notice our waiter George, who seems to hop from restaurant to restaurant every year, and is still around.
The next one also from 2003. This is Alison outside the old Post Office Bar which was opposite the Kerim Hotel. The Post Office was our venue of choice for watching most of the games in the Euro Championships the following year in 2004. It used to have a great atmosphere on these nights, but when it became B52's in later years, we felt a bit old! Notice the lack of block paving, and lack of generic signage outside all of the restaurants.
This is me in the main road leading down to the prom in 2003. This was before the famous dolphin roundabout was constructed. Also, there were no traffic lights in these days, but the road was a lot quieter then as the dual carriageway hadn't been constructed. In that year the restaurant on the left before the junction was Mangal I think, which then moved further down the road opposite Meeting Point. The premises they vacated became Bombay Corner, which has also now gone.
This was Alison outside the Bambu restaurant in 2004. We were millionaires in these days, with the old money is was TL 3,000,000 = £1. If you can make out the prices on the board, a fillet steak then was TL 14,790,000, so just under £5. One thing that hasn't changed, it came with rice, chips and salad! Before anyone asks, a large Efes on the prom in these days was TL 3,000,000 everywhere, so only £1.
The final one is Teo and the boys at the old Bus Stop bar in 2004. This place on our last visit is now Chinese Breeze I think. The bar at the time didn't have a food offering, but they had no qualms about you hollering over the wall and ordering a pizza to be brought round from the newly opened Bella Mamas. This was where I first met Keith. I remember Alison thought I was strange going up to a stranger and saying "excuse me, are you Scunner". The Bus Stop then moved along the prom a couple of years later to be resident at a hotel which name escapes me, they then occupied the bar at Bambu for a year or 2, and on last visit they were up above one of the other restaurants near where they started in 2004.
We didn't make it last year, but we are looking forward to seeing what has changed when we get to Calis again in a couple of months time.
