Bodrum, Turkey

When in Turkey are you in Europe or Asia?  The answer is yes, you are in both.  Turkey is the only country that sits on two continents; the Bosphorus Sea separates the continents.  Istanbul, the largest city with 20 million people, as well as 95% of the country, sits on the Asian side.  Turkey has a population of 72 million, and the majority of them are Muslim.  Turkey currently is a democracy with a secular government, but that could change.  Just saying.

Bodrum is an ancient city.  We viewed a 2,300 year old amphitheater that is still in use today.  We saw a castle that dated back to the crusades, some 600 years ago, that was built for protection from pirates.  I guess some things haven’t changed!  Many ancient sites have been destroyed by earthquakes.  At one time, this was a walled city and only a portion of the old wall remains at the Myndos Gate, where Alexander the Great entered the ancient city of Halicarnassus (one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World) in 334BC.  At one time, the hills above this port city were covered with olive and pine trees, some purported to be over 2,000 years old; today, there are homes on these hills.  Yes, they are still in the olive oil making business, running in third place behind Spain and Italy; and today, it is illegal to cut down olive and pine trees. 

Amphitheater 

The last remaining piece of the original city wall

The Castle of St. Peter

Modern Bodrum, is a playground for Turkish and European snowbirds.  One could say that this is the Florida of Turkey.  This beach resort city on the Aegean Sea claims an amazing 320 days of sunshine.  It is clean and there is a lot of new building going on.  Off season, the population is 200,000 but swells in season to over 2 million.  Summer temperatures here can top out at around 110°. 

This is a confusing city as it looks Greek and Turkish all at the same time.  In fact, Greek islands are just around the corner.  You will see this reflected in the architecture of the buildings and homes: small windows and white paint are utilized to keep the sun out.  Homes are two stories tall with a terrace on the top.  Solar panels on rooftops heat water.  Homes precariously hang from the hillsides.

Michael and I were both escorts on the same tour today.  We hit the jackpot with brand new buses that had the new bus smell.  They each held 24 passengers and it had great leg room.  They even had a little step stool to use to get up on the first step of the bus.  It was like a little vacation for my knees!  On our tour, we saw cisterns, now abandoned, that were used to collect rainwater.  Today, a dam takes care of the water needs of this very thirsty city.  We also saw windmills, long abandoned, that were used to grind wheat to make grain.  So we saw the usual sites such as the Myndos Gate, the castle --  it was pleasant, the weather was wonderful.  Who could ask for a nicer day?

View from the hill where the windmills are

This is a beach resort city today

Homes cling to hillsides

Abandoned windmills

We headed out into the countryside, which was beautiful.  We passed through very old villages on narrow, windy and sometimes dusty roads.  I wanted to stop and take pictures as everywhere I looked, there was a photo opportunity.  Our two caravan bus continued on to a small seaside fishing village called Gumusluk.  We had been transported back in time!  This was such a charming little village, with open air restaurants nestled right along the edge of the water.  Small fishing boats sat at anchor bobbing away just feet from your chair.  As part of the tour, we were treated to a soft drink and a Borek pastry, filo dough filled with cheese and vegetables and fried.  Yum.  Then we were off to explore the village and came across some unique souvenirs shops selling handmade items.  Soon, my money and me parted, and some lucky girls in my life are going to be the recipients of these riches.  Michael even found his strapping tape here!  All too soon, we had to leave for the ride back to the ship.  Boo hoo, this was a real treasure of a place.