It's like a drug!

[julesbob0303]

It's great to read about so many other people making exactly the same plans as us for the future.

We came to Turkey for the first time 15 months ago, to Kalkan (beautiful!).  It was our Silver Wedding Anniversary and we wanted to go away for a fortnight for the first time on our own, having had four kids.  My boss wouldn't give me the second week off work, so my husband decided to use the money and buy me a car instead of the holiday.  To cut a long story short, we bought a car off a bloke who had a villa in Kalkan, and, on hearing our reason for buying the car, he kindly offered us the villa for a week in October 2006.  We had a fabulous time in the most amazing villa on the mountains, and decided to bring our kids back for our summer holiday in 2007.

We chose Calis as it looked as though there would be more for the kids to do than there was in Kalkan, as much as we loved it there.  We put our house on the market, and downsized.  Very unexpectedly, we put a deposit down on an apartment on the last day of our holidays (I too have never been this rash before!).  We have been back again since, and now I seem to spend all my time looking at flights and planning the next 3 or 4 visits!

We plan to retire early (in a few years time) and make the move on a semi-permanent basis.  It's so good to read of other people's similar plans.  Aren't we all just so lucky?  (I feel like I have won the lottery every time I look back at the photos of our beautiful apartment - I just can't believe what we have done!)  It's a dream come true for me, and obviously for a lot of other people too.

Julie

[Ian]

It is good to know you are not waiting on your own!

This time next year................who knows.........

Ian  

[mercury]

Hi Heather. Did the couple come back for your house? Anne

[Steve B]

Same here, there's not a day goes by that I don't think about the place. It's like the excitement you feel when you fall in love with someone for the first time, expect my love affair with Turkey has lasted for years so far and hasn't shown any signs of abeiting.

[Ian]

Steve - I wouldn't want us "men" to show our emotions - particularly if you are from "Up North" but your description is spot on!  

[julesbob0303]

Ian, glad you sorted out those photos.  They weren't showing up earlier (unless it was just me!).  They are great and make us wish even more that we were there too!  Julie

[Ian]

Julie - I saved them into a new folder on photobucket and that meant the http address was incorrect as I had moved them - but sorted it once I saw they had gone  

Ps I was told about photobucket by someone on the forum and it really is useful and free!!!

[laffa]

 :)Up to now I have just been reading this thread, but have to say I wish all of you all the happiness you deserve, I am quite happy to get my annual Calis fix, but that usually ends up quite extended anyway,they say where there's a will there's a way and I hope you enjoy it to the full.

[pookie]

addiction, obsession, call it what you will, but its certainly got us too !.  We have been holidaying in Turkey for several years and used to dream about owning our home over there one day.  During a dull moment at work a couple of years ago, I was just looking through properties on the web, (like you do !) and found our little dream stone house, and it just happened to be in uzumlu.  (We had stayed in Fethiye several times, at Lykia and Letoonia).  My husband flew out that weekend, and the rest is history as they say !  It will be several years before we are able to move across on a more permanent basis as my daughter is in those horrid teenage years of GCSE's etc.  But we hope, and plan, to be there in 5 - 7 years time.  In the meantime, we just have to cope with a few trips a year.  Problem is, once I'm back in the UK, I simply pine to be back in Turkey and I count the days to the next trip  (8 weeks, 4 days.... ).  We are so lucky.

The view from my bedroom balcony.........this is what keeps me going !

[Ian]

Laffa - is it true your annual fix lasts for 6 months?  

Seriously I can't explain it - most of us seem to be sensible, mature people who come from a generation that don't just "pack up and go". Pookie is a good example - must wait until it is time for the family / children / parents etc etc

I wonder if - like me - most have towed the line - paid our taxes been good citizens and after 30 years (ish) of working hard we have suddenly realised life is passing us by and politicians of all parties are cynically using what we (too few) are putting into the system for others (too many) to take out???

And then when we go 33 miles per hours at midnight on a road with no other cars - they throw the book at you!!!!

And a friend of my mothers who is 80 has been looking after her husband who started with Parkinsons 5 years ago. After 2 years she couldn't cope anymore so she asked for help and the advice has resulted in the following:

1. Care is £650 per week
2. We can have your husbands works pension and state pension
3. You can afford to contribute £100 per week as you have £18000 savings
4. We will add up the difference (approx £200 per week) and when you sell your council house - that you worked all your life to pay for - we will deduct what we are owed plus interest.
The friend said to my mum "my savings have as good as gone now - so I have to watch when I put the heating on"

This man fought in the 2nd world war - what sort of a society have we created!!!!

Sorry - I went off on one - now I understand why I want to do what's good for me!!!

Ian