Bodrum Castle - Crystal Ball Gazing

"When is Bodrum Castle going to open again?" 

A frequently asked question to which I certainly can't give an answer and no one else seems to be able to hazard a guess either.   Renovation work is in progress.  Our familiar castle view is blighted with scaffolding and cranes. A two day symposium in December, attended by archaeologists, architects and interested locals, came to the conclusion that the intended new-build museum inside the castle walls would be too small for the number of exhibits and its construction would blight further excavation and research into the buildings which preceded the castle by 2,000 years or more. The overwhelming local opinion is that a new site should be found for the museum building while leaving the existing ancient wreck exhibits un-touched and that any repairs that need to be done should be completed as soon as possible so that the castle can open to the public.  

Will the closure affect visitor numbers to Bodrum?  I assume yes, but I forget that not everyone is as interested in history as I am.  Over supper with visitor friends in October, I commiserated with them that they wouldn't be able to see inside the castle. Their reply, "Don't worry, we probably wouldn't have gone anyway" left me momentarily speechless, but castles and museums aren't everyone's cup of tea and the sun will still be shining, the food will still be great and Bodrum will still draw its fans - open castle or not. 

The above photo is taken with a long exposure app on my phone - It is not a representation of what the castle looked like last year and hopefully is not a prophecy of what it will look like next year. 

Bodrum at Sundance

Foto: Jonas Lodahl

We are used to film crews in Bodrum making TV programs and movies for the Turkish market but we haven't had foreign film makers here for a while so it's exciting to hear that 'Holiday', by Isabella Eklöf, premieres at the Sundance Indy Film Festival today.  Eklöf's feature length film was one of only 110 chosen from 3,901 entries so expectations in Bodrum run high, especially amongst everyone involved in the tourist industry and those of us who had fun as extras.  Can Holiday do for Bodrum what Mama Mia did for the Greek Islands?


Holiday's entry in the Sundance list runs thus:

Holiday- Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (Director: Isabella Eklöf, Screenwriters: Isabella Eklöf, Johanne Algren, Producer: David B. Sørensen) — A love triangle featuring the trophy girlfriend of a petty drug lord, caught up in a web of luxury and violence in a modern dark gangster tale set in the beautiful port city of Bodrum on the Turkish Riviera. Cast: Victoria Carmen Sonne, Lai Yde, Thijs Römer. World Premiere

Taster here: https://vimeo.com/251874108


It sounds a tale of shady goings-on but some stunning locations were chosen as backdrops so an international audience will hopefully be reminded of Bodrum's allure.  Anyone looking for the club we danced in will be disappointed - it was knocked down last month and a completely new venue will be up and running this season.

Extras - Filming in Bodrum in May 2017

Carrot and coriander with a kick

One week after my unfortunate slip I'm appreciating the benefits of imposed relaxation:  I can lie on the sofa reading a trashy novel without feeling guilty; I have had several visitors who don't usually pop in, so there has been plenty of chatting while I paint and I have been on the lucky end of a homemade Kashmiri Chicken delivery.  On the downside I usually dream up my blogs on morning walks around Bodrum with Jake. Today's inspiration had to come from opening the fridge.  There were a lot of carrots - I've been painting them and now I've cooked them.
I like carrot and cilantro/coriander soup but I decided to make it more interesting. This one has a hot and sour kick which has booted it into first position on my favourite soup list.

This recipe is for 2 servings and is medium hot, add more chillies to fire it up.

5 medium carrots
1 red onion
2 inches of ginger
1 fresh red chilli pepper
1 lemon grass stick if you have it - not essential

Chop the above and soften in a tablespoon of oil or butter

Add half a litre of chicken or vegetable stock and simmer with the lid on until the carrots are soft.
Take off the heat and liquidise until smooth

I handful fresh coriander
1 lime

Chop the coriander and add to the soup
Grate the lime zest into the soup and add the juice of half a lime
(I'm sure this would work with lemon too)
Taste and add salt if needed

Warm up and serve. So simple but very tasty.

Many a slip ....

...twixt cup and lip..

and many a trip between the pavement and street.  It was Sod's Law that I was thinking about using the rest of January to get a bit fitter and start exercising a bit more and was actually wondering whether to go and look at the nearest reformer class, when I missed the edge of the curb and twisted my ankle. I hobbled home and, good first-aider that I am, put Rice, Ice, Compression, Elevation into action.  After an hour I was hoping that the stabbing pain in that big bone that sticks out would have gone away but it hadn't. Instead that sticky out bit had tripled in size and this hospitalphobe had to admit that I needed an x-rayed. Good news - I live hobbling distance from a hospital. Bad news - it is a private one with no price reduction for state health care. I had a very short inner argument weighing up the merits of waiting an hour or so for free treatment or immediate x-ray 100 yards down the road ..... and in less 30 minutes (the longest wait was to pay the bill)  I was back home with a my foot in a cast, instructions to put no weight on my ankle for 6 weeks and a pair of crutches.  Has anyone got any idea how you use these things? I wish I had been to the gym because I think you need upper arm and shoulder strength to operate them and I'm embarrassingly lacking.  However after six weeks practice maybe I will have bulging biceps and my plan to get fitter will have come to fruition. 

Jake is not too pleased. His walks are going to be seriously curtailed. 

"Mindless Pap"

My internet has been off which means I've had no access to TV, newspapers, The Archers or Facebook.  My house is cleaner than it's been for ages, I have painted more and read a real book and I slept better with no wi-fi in the house.  I feel a bit disappointed that Türk Telecom have connected me up again.  I mustn't slip back into my usual W.W.W. grazing that steals so much productive thought.
My favourite Stoic, Epictetus, was writing nearly 2,000 years ago but this scarily prescient quotation could have been written for the social media age

“Most of what passes for legitimate entertainment is inferior or foolish and only caters to or exploits people's weaknesses. Avoid being one of the mob who indulges in such pastimes. Your life is too short and you have important things to do. Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest. It is the easiest thing in the world to slide imperceptibly into vulgarity. But there's no need for that to happen if you determine not to waste your time and attention on mindless pap.” 
― Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness

Two plus Four equals Six

I wrote the below  post 4 years ago and I hope I still wear my rosy spectacles despite the unwelcome change in my life and unsettling events in the country.  If we learn to accept that change is inevitable we will all be happier for it. Two days ago we packed away the fake Noel decorations and now nature has provided a much fresher alternative which carries the welcome scent of Spring.  We can't hang on to the past, life goes on and there is plenty to enjoy.

 No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.                                                            There is nothing permanent except change.

                  Heraclitus of Ephesus 

              (c. 500 BCE) 

Two Years

I picked a bunch of anemones from the garden to celebrate BacktoBodrum's second birthday

When we left Bodrum in 2000, we moved to East Sussex and my daughter started at Mayfield primary school.  On her first day we parked at the bottom of the hill, walked through the picturesque main street  and followed the crowd through the car park to the playground gate. As we turned the corner, an amazing vista of "England's green and pleasant land" was spread out before us.  As someone who felt a bit starved of "Englishness" after 19 years in Turkey, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of it all.  I couldn't help but turn to the mother beside me (who on reflection did look a bit like Cruella Deville) and say "Wow, isn't that fantastic."  She turned and with a withering glance said "No, it's ******* boring." Thus my bubble was pricked.  My new eyes on an old scene were not appreciated.
Returning in 2012 to Bodrum I was determined to keep my "new eyes" open and enjoy every aspect that Bodrum has to offer. It's very easy to get depressed about political inconsistencies and obsessed with the march of construction over Turkey, but I'm determined to try and see each new day with new eyes and bring the good things about living in Turkey to your attention. So I will continue wearing my rosy spectacles with just the occasional moan as a balance.

 Wishing you all a slightly belated but optimistic New Year. 

Camel Parade

I wasn't the only one taking my animal for a walk in Bodrum today. The streets were full of camels.

Some car drivers weren't sure whether to overtake or undertake and a few just decided to ignore the giant beasts in their way which caused some haranguing.

I was happy to watch from the sidewalk and take photos.

       ....not too close though as there was a lot of foamy saliva being flicked about. 

The camels were happy to pose.  Tomorrow they will wrestle to prove which of them are the most virile so a disdainful stare and a macho stance is required.

Ancient Wisdom

New Year's day dawned bright and sunny and the pavements and cafes in Bodrum were packed and, although Jake and I had a job to negotiate the crowded quay, it was great to see Bodrum being enjoyed by so many people.  Apart from walks, I spent the day at home catching up with a weeks' newspapers and magazines. As usual at this time of year, current affairs had been abandoned in favour of lists and dietary advice; most of it preachy and contradictory in nature.  I mentioned in my Christmas post from Gümüşlük Beach that I had been trying to incorporate some ancient philosophy in my daily life and the more I learn the more relevant it becomes.  In answer to all the bloggers, vloggers  and diet gurus telling me to give up dairy, meat, carbs, fruit, wine and the kitchen sink,  I give you Epictetus,  who was born in 55 CE in Hierapolis (modern-day Pamukkale  - a few hours drive from Bodrum). 

"Preach not to others what they should eat but eat as becomes you and be silent"