Day Nine and Heading North

Bodrum Castle

Our ultimate goal was Bursa where we would reunite with the Toker/Olesen clans.  But we had to get there.


Bodrum is on a peninsula that pokes down into the Mediterranean.  This part of the coast is called the "Turkish Riviera" and like its namesake attracts fancy people.  And the McCloy/Earle group...not fancy people.

I visited Bodrum in 1995 and liked it.  I recalled it as a place I would like to return to and give more time.  It was the site of the Mausoleum of Halicanarssus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  There is little to no evidence of that structure.  Its stones have been repurposed many times.

Bodrum Kalesi: One of the beneficiaries of the mausoleum's stones is the Bodrum Castle, designed in the 15th Century for the Knights Hospitaller who were confronted with an invasion by the Seljuk Turks.  It is an amazing space with a footprint of 3,000 square feet and housing a museum of underwater archeology for the underwater discoveries of ancient shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea.

Our travels into Bodrum from Fetiye was pretty uneventful.  It was the end of Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish) and people do a lot of traveling to visit family during the Bayram festival that ends Ramazan.  On our approach to Bodrum we hit a huge traffic jam on the narrow entry road. We exited that road, relying on our phone's map to get us to the address of our hotel.  This became another lesson in Turkish streets and signage.

Adnan Menderes Caddesi No 20 Gumbet started and stopped at least three times that we could tell.  Each time the numbering seemed to start all over.  Drivers behind us were not pleased that we were going slowly to try to read signs and find building numbers--these numbers often hidden is quaint places. We were tired; it was hot; Forrest was beginning to melt down.  So we stopped and placed a call.  "You are near.  I vill get you."  We were near as our savior arrived on a motorcyle from a one-way street that we would never have found because we would never logically look for the start of the one-way.  It turned out that the reason we could not Google the Seray Class Apartments was that the name was misspelled by one letter.  Our bed also were not strewn with flowers.  It was a clean and comfortable budget hotel that met our needs:  a place to sleep overnight before heading north. 

After we settled in, we walked down to the Gumbet Beach, maybe 500 feet down the hill.  It was clear why this is called the Turkish Riviera:  the entire beach was covered with beach chairs and umbrellas.  It reminded me of pictures of spring break in Florida.  Layered with people and the prices of the eateries along the beach were astronomical.  We got out of there fast, turning up another street and coming out, really no where near our hotel.  Lucky us:  we were a little lost but not badly so and asked around for restaurants.  We were directed down the street to a restaurant perched on the top of the hill with a stunning view and--even more importantly--cool breezes coming off the water.  The food was great, Forrest was happy in his "baby seat" and the Efes was cold. 

We discussed our Bodrum plans and decided to "get the hell out of Dodge."  Our exit from the city was a lot smoother than our entrance and we headed for

Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey.

 It was a long ride across country from Bodrum to Selçuk. 

[ç gives a "ch" sound "sell-chook"].  Gretchen had found the Nazar House hotel for us which we found with Sean's superb directional senses.  We arrived, spilled out of the minivan and looked longingly at the pool. Our host was so welcoming and hospitable.  We looked at our rooms and they were fine but on separate floors.  Yes, he could get us on the same floor if we could pay cash -- we could -- and the cost would be overall less.  Sean, Gretchen and Forrest got a nice room with a balcony and more space and Kathy and I each had a comfortable single.  All had working A/C.  Our host wanted to know about our plans.  We told him we planned to see Ephesus the next day.

"Well," said he, "I recommend that you wait until after 3:30.  It will be cooler but more importantly, the tour groups will have left. I will drive your vehicle up to the north entrance and let you out.  I will come back when you call me and pick you up at the south entrance.  You won't have to pay a parking fee and it will be a lot easier."  

We ate in S&G's room and had all the groceries we had been carrying with us plus some fruit from the local market.  It was a great meal.  Free WiFi allowed me to give a good review of Nazar Hotel on TripAdvisor.com.   The pool was very nice and the sleep was even nicer.

Next day we ate at a place recommended by our host.  After the meal, Forrest and I explored the water feature in the town square. We also washed off in the ablution place at the mosque.  You can always be assured of finding clean water at these places.  Forrest also practiced going up and over the small bridge in the town square and throwing leaves into the water.

Then time to leave for Ephesus.