Dalyan – 6th May

I had a little bit of a fuzzy head on Wednesday 6th May, proving once again I was no longer able to keep up on the school night drinking. I cracked on, though, as I needed to break off for Fat Club and had arranged to go out for a meal with my parents later.
On the home scales I had put on 0.5kg (1.1lb), my measurements were not good either; 1cm on my bust and hips and 2cm on my waist!
It was sunny but not particularly hot and the wind had dropped now. I walked, very carefully, to Fat Club at Ren Garden where the roads were tricky due to the new pipes being put in.
Unfortunately, Carol’s scales were not kind and I had put on a whopping 1.15kg (2.5lb) this week. I was off to the UK this time next month and my aim to be slim again was quickly disappearing. I had a pot of tea (no cookies this week) for 100 lira (£1.67) and had a good chat with the ladies.
Back home I raced through my afternoon tasks so that I could finish at 5.30pm and meet my parents. Ma & Pa love an early bar before eating out so we had decided on Retro bar, another one of my favourites.
I arrived first and decided to take some photos. Having got my new phone in February I was acutely aware all my photos so far were of my food or boats on the river. I rarely go to bars these days so this was the perfect opportunity. I was also hoping to get more family photos when we were all together later this month.
Ma & Pa arrived and ordered their preferred beers, Efes Malt, which were 160 lira (£2.67) while I decided to push the boat out and try a cocktail. I was using the excuse that we might bring my sister here and she loves a cocktail so we needed to check if they were any good. I decided on a margarita at 345 lira (£5.75) and, not only did it have an actual lime in it, it had a very salty rim and passed the test.
It was nice sitting at Retro bar which had been improved since last year. I liked the cushions which all had bears on doing different things and they even had a shuffleboard in there now. We had a second round of drinks and chatted to the bar staff Onurkan and Mustafa (previously from Lukka bar). It’s always interesting at the start of each season which waiters we will see working in which bars as there is often a bit of a change around.
As Ma had paid the bill last week at Ren, I paid our Retro bar bill at 1400 lira (£23.33) which I thought very reasonable for 4 beers and 2 cocktails, while sat in the sun.

For our evening meal we had decided on Lukka bar, which is another one of my favourites. It’s located near the river and metres from where I live so is super handy for me and I enjoy the quality of the food – I really like the music bingo nights there, too!
We looked at the menu and it was still the existing one, which had a lot of choice. I played safe by choosing my favourite meal at Lukka, Beef Çökertme. Mom ordered a chilli chicken dish and Dad the Jack Daniels steak. We were given some fresh flat bread and dips to start and we enjoyed those with a glass of wine. Being frugal, I had worked out that it can often not work out any cheaper to buy a bottle of wine instead of having the same amount but by the glass. Mom prefers white and Dad and I had red so we just had a couple of glasses each at 250 lira (£4.17) for Angora, one of the decent brands. When the meals came, Dad’s had the sauce poured on at the table and it looked really good. We all enjoyed our meals and I really love the beef çökertme which is strips of steak in a tomato based sauce on a bed of chipstick potatoes and a big dollop of yoghurt – delicious!
At the end of the meal, Mehmet sent over a round of drinks on the house which was much appreciated. I’d had a lovely evening and it was nice to get out for a change. Our total bill came to 4,590ira (£76.50) and we decided to split it; including a tip I paid 1700 lira (£28.33). 
Of course, my daily budget had gone out of the window today with a total spend of £53.33, but it was worth it and I didn’t have anything to splash out on tomorrow.
It was a real treat and I went home quite merry having had 2 cocktails and 3 red wines.

Gratitude List
1. Fat Club, despite a big weight gain!
2. Drinks with Ma & Pa at Retro bar after work
3. Dinner with Ma & Pa at Lukka bar.