Waiting for our driver to take us to our last hotel in Bodrum. Melph told us that when he went to the U.S. last year he went to Miami and NYC. He bought a bunch of shirts (like LaCoste brands) for $25 at T.J.Max. It would cost $125 each if he ordered them on Amazon from his home. Apparently they pay lots of tax (tariffs??) to bring stuff into the country.
I suggested thrift stores and he said he did discover them, but only after he bought all his clothes.
There’s a waiting list in Turkiye to be allowed to travel to the U.S. Melph went without wife and kids lasy year. However, it looks like his wife will get a visa this year and he said then it would be easy to get visas for his 2 kids, 4 and 8 years old.
I would think a country would NOT allow the kids to go, as assurance that the parents would come home.
They try to spruce up garbage containers with astro-turf.
We walked downtown — and I MEAN down!! For ice cream and evil eyes. The down wasn’t bad — it was the UP that was a pain.
Evil Eyes are all over Greece and Turkiye and are supposed to ward off bad luck. The evil eye, or “nazar boncuğu,” is one of the most iconic symbols in Turkish culture. It is believed to protect against negative energy and jealousy, and it can be found everywhere in Turkey—from homes to jewelry, and even in cars and offices.
What a view of Bodrum!
I think the colorful one was a mushroom something. And the green was mac and cheese — delish! Liz was thrilled with a mulberry sorbet on her salad.
I SWEAR this is tart cherry juice and not wine as Liz is trying to show.
Sauna and steam room. We’d get in them at 8:30 and then have breakfast at 10. Marvelous!!
Hot marble to lie on before the turkish scrub.
I miss this place already!!
Oh, did I mention I was on the lounge chair when Facebook told me Trump bombed Iran. Sheesh!! What a joy squasher!
Another artsy photo of the juxtaposition of nature and city.
I great idea!! White walls and let people write on them. I added Jessie’s name on the center one.
We determined this is our favorite Turkish wine at a wine tasting in Cappadocia. Look at those umlauts!!
There’s the roki. Adding ice turns it from clear to cloudy. I don’t know why.
There is that darn ring again!!
Cute signs for men and women bathrooms.
Five star hotel. I had no complaints (I usually do.) And it had lighted make up mirror, a scale, cork screw and stemmed wine glasses.
Oh. A warning would have been nice. We had another fun Hammam — but this time by cute men!! I wasn’t compaining.
In the airport bathroom, they have an ablution room to wash up before Muslim prayers.
I was already feeling miserable with a cold or allergy by the time we flew from Bodrum back to Istanbul.
We stayed at a hotel (Yotel) in the airport because we had to get up at 1:15 AM to catch a 4:20 am flight to Paris.
I was miserable enough to choose sleep over the free food at the airport lounge, thanks to Liz’s Gold Card Delta status.
There was many hours before getting to the next hoto, but it’s always the same. Movies, 2 glasses of red wine, scarfing down dinner and then trying to sleep in teeny tiny space the airlines calls a seat. I did get about 4 hours of ‘bad’ sleep.
This was Atlanta Airport. They have ‘managed’ ceiling leaks. Yes, it leaks, but they make sure it is gathered, sent down a tube to buckets so that no water gets on the floor.
My big purchases. A coffee mug and some evil eyes. Liz bought this material since I promised to make her a purse as remembrance of our Turkiye trip.
Hoping my Kyrgyzstan trip in August will happen. I think it’s far enough from Iran to be safe enough.
Safe Travels!!
Linda Jeanne