We bicycled the 4 kilometers to the site, most of the trip uphill. Luckily we left at about 9:30, when the temperature was still bearable. It took us almost an hour to climb the hill, but it was worth it. The site overlooks the Aegean and the setting is very dramatic. The doctor was “out” as far as I could tell, and you couldn't get an appointment for 2400 more years.
The trip down the hill was more comfortable. We barely pedaled going down. On the way we stopped at a bakery to get a bread for lunch. We ate bread, Greek salad, olives, a little bottle of wine, and the dessert. We are stuffed.
As we sat resting before lunch, Rosi noticed that she didn't have her glasses. She couldn't remember what might have happened. Maybe she dropped them while biking. Think, think, think.... Hmmm, maybe I laid them down on the counter at the bakery. The two girls quickly got back on their bicycles and returned to the bakery. When they returned, they had the glasses. Whew.
At 4:30 our ferry sets out for Bodrum, about an hour from here, in Turkey.
At the embarkation, we found that we had to purchase an exit permit for 3 euros each. We had just about spent down our stash, but among us we scraped together 9 euros, and got on the ferry. The trip across was beautiful. The day was sunny, but the breeze was up and the gals were cold on deck, so they went to the inside cabins. I stayed outside to enjoy the fresh air... with the smokers, mostly. Thank heaven for the wind.
Pulling into the harbor at Bodrum, we passed the crusader castle, an impressive hulk. Took a bunch of pictures from the boat. There are very few Americans traveling to Bodrum, Turkey. Rosi recalled an expression in Ladino about being stuck out in the remote countryside: “(Rosi: fill this in, please.“
The harbor at Bodrum is very picturesque, aside from the crusader fort. It is overlooked by hills, on which there are ancient windmills and an even more ancient tower built in about the 5th century BCE. Even more impressive were the yachts parked in the harbor. I have never seen a collection of larger, more luxurious, beautiful yachts – anywhere.
In ancient times, Bodrum was Halicarnassas, the capital of Caria, ruled by a tyrant named Mausolus. Today, for some reason we have not been able to figure out, it's a vacation destination for Europeans. Note: when we entered the country, we had to buy a visa for $20 each. Of course, we didn't learn that it had to be purchased at a different window until we had stood in the Passport control line until we reached the guy with the stamp for entry.
We took a taxi to the hotel, winding through narrow, sometimes dusty streets, asking a neighbor or two for directions, until we reached the place. After a 10 minute cab ride we were about 3 blocks from the harbor. We checked into very sparse but clean rooms (except that the carpets were a little worn (well, a lot worn). But this is the first hotel we stay in that has a swimming pool! After check in, we found our way back to the harbor to choose a restaurant out of the scores that were available on the waterfront. They all showed their food in window coolers on the sidewalk: fresh bream or sea bass, kofta kebabs, lamb meat of various descriptions, and appetizers from tzaztiki to humus to egplant salads. The odors enticed us from all directions.
Tonight we had lamb kebabs, grilled fresh fish, more delicious fried potatoes, salad (not as good as Greek salad, but good enough), bread with olive oil, and fresh fruit. Rosi and I each drank a half liter bottle of Efes, the local beer. Not a bad supper, if a little overpriced.
Coming back to the hotel, after dark, I think I frightened Rosi out of her wits. Old Turkish towns (old cities from Jerulalem to Malaga) have narrow, poorly lit streets, that wind about until you think you are lost for sure. I led our troop up a street that went from lit and busy to dark and almost deserted in a few steps, and I think Rosi expected to be mugged and never heard from again in the civilized world she had left in order to travel with us crazy Jacobsons. I had previously asked about dangers in the city and in the neighborhood, and the fact that women and small children were on the street assured me, but Rosi's experiences are from deep dark Miami slums, where dark streets have a different meaning than they do here.
I felt badly all night after we dropped her off in her room, and I had time to contemplate how it must have felt for her. Tomorrow I'll apologize at least..
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