Bodrum

On our way to Bodrum we heard it’s the number one destination for Turks going for summer holidays. More than a million visitors come to the beautiful beaches every year. Luckily for us we came after season, with prices somewhat returning to normal. Bodrum gets posh and attracts the rich in high season. When we arrived we soon found out why. Local administration demands all buildings to be white and not to exceed two stories. It’s beautiful and again we just cannot believe it’s November already while we’re running around in just a shirt enjoying fantastic views and food.

Lucky us we were hosted by a great couple via couchsurfing. Serap is the head of the English language departement and Can is the children psychologist at a private school just a few kilometres out of Bodrum. The school has a big pool and several gyms which I tried out with Can one night. We were invited to join Monday in school and talk about our trip (and ourselves) and participate in the commemoration of Atatürk’s death. We’re very thankful to have had such a unique experience! And even here – in school – the food is just wow. I’m really, wondering if I can allow for my children to grow up with school cantine food from back home :D.

After three fantastic days of endless sunshine (apparently this is how it is here ALL YEAR ROUND) we bid farewell and hitch-hiked our way out of town, further East to Fethiye. We never waited longer than 10 minutes and again met people of all walks of life. A craftsman, a tourist agent bringing luggage, a guy in an old rusty Renault 12 full of metal rods and right after a Turkish TV star with his fancy Mercedes. In the end a teacher from the village next to our destination tried to bring us all the way to the mountain hut we’d call home for the next two weeks.