17 April 2015; Bodrum Turkey.

We had a scheduled arrival today of 10 am and that also gave the not-so-early risers the chance to see the ship coming into port. Bodrum is located in a curve of the land at the end of a very wide inlet. I call it a curve as it is really too wide to be called a bay. In 2010 they constructed a pier long enough to take two 1000 ft. ships and that is where we docked. We were the only ship in, as the real cruise ship season has not yet started.

Prinsendam as seen from a cafe on the sea front near the Castle.

Also the Holiday Makers are not there yet. It is still too chilly to bake on the beach and for most Europeans it is still too early for a vacation.  Come back in 4 weeks’ time; and Bodrum will be buzzing. But today the guests had the whole area virtually to themselves.

When coming in, there is one building which dominates the area and draws all attention; Bodrum Castle or St. Peters Castle. A Roman Catholic name as it is a left over from the days of the Knights of St. John who had a base here since the Middle Ages. The current building was constructed from 1402 onwards and was modified several times to deal with threats by Muslim Forces and impact of gunpowder. The Castle was built as a strong hold to complement the Knight Templars hold on Kos, a Greek Island not too far away. Most of the material for the Castle came from the Mausoleum of Mausollos. With every expansion and strengthening of the building more material was “borrowed” until hardly anything remained of the Mausoleum. The Castle is in such a good condition as it never saw real warfare. It was handed over to the Ottoman Empire when the Knight Templars lost their stronghold on Kos.  Now it is a museum for underwater archeology and a very famous one as well, with a very nice layout. Mausollos was a Satrap in the Persian Empire and when he died his wife built a tomb for him so magnificent that we still use the word Mausoleum to indicate a magnificent or important place where people are put to rest.

Nice and quiet Bodrum.

Our roving reporter was not on tour today as Bodrum and tomorrow Kusidasi have been reserved for looking at the shops. Looking only, which resulted in buying today, yet another handbag. (Number 183 if my count is right, although Lesley claims it is only 41) Turkey is a great place for leather with great prices as well and that is something that has to be taken advantage of.

For the rest Bodrum is a very much a tourist area which came into vogue when the Europeans wanted something different than the SE & South coast of Spain. As a result the area is very popular for package holidays combining cheap flights, cheap hotels and lots of party options. But today it was still quiet and the guests could enjoy a peaceful quiet town. The dock is located about 20 minutes from the downtown area and the ship lay on shuttle buses to accomplish this. For those of course who were not on tour. Yesterday we left a group of guests behind who went on the overnight tour so they could visit Pamukkale and Cappadocia.

Pamukkale is known for its hot springs and the deposits generated by those springs are very colorful and beautiful to look at. The tours to Cappadocia focus on the area of the underground city. Multi levels of underground chambers were cut out of the rock and if I am not mistaken they are still finding more and more. Why the elaborate digs were done in the first place is still a partial mystery as the total size goes far beyond of what would make sense as temporary shelter from invaders and others.

My day was spent on training again and one of the groups was the Laundry Team. Since the introduction of the 3 alarm system, the laundry guys are responsible for clearing the decks of deck chairs and anything else that might be in the way, before the guests arrive on deck.  I love working with them, as they are eager, on the ball and very disciplined. When you make a cruise next time, have a look near the bow area of the Deck where you assemble for the Boat drill before departure. You will see the boys in blue waiting for further orders after they have completed the first clearance.

We sailed almost an hour late as we had to wait for the return of the overland tours. We will still be on time in Kusidasi as the distances here along the coast are not that big. The sunny weather and not too warm temperatures are set to continue so we should have another glorious day to enjoy.