Wednesday 26 September – Bodrum: boats, beaches and a beautiful sunset.

An easier day today; we left Pamukkale and headed back towards Izmir then turned left to follow the coastline to Bodrum, stopping on the way for a delicious lunch of meatballs, rice and salad and viewing some enormous pumpkins (and their minders).  Bodrum is now a resort town on the south-western coast of Turkey.  Our hotel is perched high on a hill with spectacular views over the Aegean.

Bodrum was Halicarnassus in ancient times.  Legend has it that it was founded by Anthes, a son of Poseidon. It was the birthplace of the 5th century BCE historian Herodotus - the “Father of History” (a title bestowed by Cicero) – and the author of The Histories. Although some of his tales in The Histories have been shown to be inaccurate they are still relied on as perhaps the most authoritative account of much of ancient Greek history, including the Greco-Persian wars and such famous battles as Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. 

Halicarnassus was later captured by the Persians and when one if its rulers, Mausolus, died in 353BCE a monument and tomb was built (hence the word mausoleum) and became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A short time later, in 334BCE, Alexander the Great laid siege to the city and captured it.

Crusader Knights of St John arrived in 1402 and used the remains of the mausoleum to build the impressive Castle of St Peter, or Bodrum Castle, which still stands today.  The castle and its town became known as Petronium, which has morphed into Bodrum.  Unfortunately, like much of the rest of Turkey, the castle is currently closed for renovations.

We had a brief rest at our hotel then wandered down to the harbour, with its view of the castle, and strolled along the waterfront past the many seafood restaurants on one side and impressive timber-hulled cruise boats and yachts moored on the other, pausing to taste some scrumptious mussels at a street stall and noting the important role that the giant seagulls perform here.  We reached the beaches at the southern end of the main pedestrian strip and watched the sun go down, then turned and made our way back to the northern end of town to find the restaurant recommended by our erstwhile guide Gőkça, for a delicious yoghurt  kebab dinner, and then made our way back to our hotel.