A one-day Turkish tease in Bodrum

Barbara Moser

April, 2009

Bodrum. The name itself is exotic. The only destination on our seven day cruise that wasn’t an island, this town of 40,000 is a magnet for tourists. On the Turkish coast, it was the second stop on our Easy Cruise, which started in Athens. Irwin and I were eager to get back to Turkey, which we had explored for five weeks, five years ago – even if it was only for one day.

Like many Turkish cities, Bodrum has its shuk, or market, with hundreds of small, tantalizing shops to explore in a maze of narrow streets. I have to confess I spent most of the day wandering around them buying jewellery for my staff and family. I adore bargaining in these tiny shops.

The trick is to buy a lot in one place, once you’ve shopped around and found an owner willing to lower prices. The shop we chose was owned and run by a family of burly men who were gentle and smart about recognizing me as a serious customer.

For lunch, the shop owners recommended a fresh-fish restaurant on the sea. We were taken there by the same boy who had brought us traditional mint tea and Turkish coffee after our deal was sealed. But as I predicted, the restaurant prices were outrageous and we left to search for another eatery.

Finally we made our choice and took our seats facing the beach only to realize that many restaurants had their own beaches, little spaces with beach chairs where one could have a sip or a meal and use the beach for free. No towels provided, though, and certainly no bathing suits. Irwin had his suit, but I had left mine on

the ship, so we decided to go shopping for one. Unfortunately, there were no suits I wanted to splurge on. Finally we found a fun boutique and I purchased a “skort” (remember those?) and went in with my T-shirt, looking pretty silly. So I learned my lesson. Never leave your bathing suit on the ship.

Of course, Bodrum didn’t have the serenity of Kalymnos, our previous stop, but it was an exciting way to spend our second cruise day, and it certainly put the idea of returning to Turkey again into our heads.

Bodrum boasts some fascinating historic sites and nightlife galore, but I have to confess we were doing the cruising thing and just shopped till we dropped into the sea for a swim.

If you want more information on accomodations and sites, google Bodrum.

Next stop: Kos