Bodrum

Bodrum was our second coastal town in Turkey after Antalya.  It's on the southwest coast on the Aegean Sea and unlike Antalya the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  65 and sunny, which for us in December is amazing.  It's a lot easier to enjoy your time in that kind of weather.

Bodrum is a big diving site (more on this later).

Would you like some cash from a giant orange?  Clementines are everywhere here and they are so cheap it's insane.  You can get a kilo (2.2 pounds) for 1 turkish lira (about 43 cents).  That means you could get one of those 5 pound crates you see in the grocery store in Boston (usually for about 8 bucks) for a dollar or so.  Needless to say, we've eaten a lot (a lot a lot) of clementines.

Bodrum's ancient name was Halicarnassus.  This is the Myndos Gate which is the only part of the old city gates that are still standing.  Now it's just hanging next to some shops on one side of the city.

I mentioned before that I've really enjoyed the ancient theaters we've seen.  This one is just on the side of a major road which is a bit strange.  Unfortunately, you can't climb up it.

Things you see everywhere: scooters and stray cats.  Here they are together.

These shots are from the tomb of Mausolos which is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  The models make it look really impressive but it's more or less a big pit now.  The roses are nice, though.  Also, it is where we get the word mausoleum from.

Here we are at the Museum of Underwater Archaeology (which is in the the Bodrum Castle of the Knights of St. John).  It's a really cool place.  Bodrum is one of the main sites for diving to old shipwreck sites and as a result it is the perfect place for a museum like this.  Behind us are amphoras which are ancient jugs that sailors used to transport wine, olive oil, and just about whatever else they were trading.  The museum has some really interesting finds from shipwrecks as old as 1300 BC.

Just popping a squat in an ancient latrine...

I mentioned the museum was in an old castle.  It's delightful to stroll between exhibits when you are in a castle and have views out to the town like this.

Finally, we strolled uphill a ways to the old Bodrum windmills and to get another great view of town.  It was also the site of another cribbage duel where I was victorious.