Bodrum - Recommended and Day Trips

> Ephesus
> St. John's Bassilica Seljuk
> Mary's House
> Trekking
> Blue Cruise
> Bird Watching

Ephesus
Ancient capital of the Roman empire in Asia Minor

The fabled city of Ephesus is a couple of hours travelling from Bodrum. We set out in the early morning for the day, guided by Zafer - the manager, and driven in the Hotel minibus by Erkan - the hotels own driver. Suitably stock piled with drinks and enough rations we were ready for adventure. Local beers, nuts and fruit for the journey in an icebox - nutritious food indeed.

Ephesus is actually a collection of sites as much as an individual city. It is rightly renowned as an ancient city but is much more than that. It is a place that with a little imagination can make you transcend time and suddenly you are 2,000 years away from our present time???.. The real beauty of seeing the ancient sites is not the bricks and mortar but the connection with an early civilisation.

There is really little in Europe that compares. In the majority of Europe there are plenty of cities that are as old, but they are still there, and you see the odd fragment of what was once the mighty civilisation of Rome. In the main they have been reconstructed on the same site, the ancient buildings used for more modern edifices. It is the fact that Ephesus was abandoned for nearly 1,500 years and excavated only this century that makes the connection feel so real. The ruins are not sterile - they create a sense of awe and wonder. Who were these people, where did they come from, why would you want to abandon such a magnificent city? The guides can answer these questions, but somehow the answers are not completely convincing. Let your imagination be the arbiter of the way you judge the sites.
Ephesus was abandoned apparently by a combination of a silted up harbour, infestation by mosquitoes, earthquakes and administrative chaos. The Romans recorded the life and times of Ephesus - so we know a little.

To list the individual sites is tedious, and none of us have a memory for the names of individual buildings - better to start your tour and imagine that you were a Roman citizen of 1800 years ago - an ancient tourist. Not much has changed - just the fact that most of the buildings are dishevelled. You can still see the grandeur and magnificence of the carvings, stones and streets to understand where you were.
Stone carved into images that almost live and breath, Marble of the finest quality under your feet.

Most likely you would have arrived in the Harbour, perhaps from Rome itself. This would have been full of all the races of the ancients. Ephesus was the start of the Silk Road to China, so in the main there would have been merchants, trading and haggling. The business done for the day you would have gone to the Great Theatre for a performance. It is still popular today. Elton John played the first live concert that people paid to watch on the web from here.

There is every sign of life. The area around the Library is the most interesting. This was probably the centre of the town and the Market Square. Our Roman citizen would have no doubt gone to the Library, stopped by the latrines (complete with running water) and maybe visited the Brothel on the way home. All tastes were probably indulged in the ancient city. Today it is more likely that you will watch the bare bottomed tourists taking rude photographs for their albums!

The biblical connections are fascinating. St. Paul was a well-known figure in the town, preaching early Christianity. One of the chapters of the Bible - Ephesians was directed at the citizens, who at the time worshipped Artemis. In those cruel and ruthless times converting the wealthy Ephesians to Christianity must have been hard work. It is for instance; known that St.Paul particularly annoyed the silversmiths who produced Artemis paraphernalia, because they thought that there would be no market for their produce. You could see the same reaction today! St. Paul went on through a combination of tenacity and saintliness achieved extraordinary evangelical conversions. The early Christian Church was not born here but it had its adolescence.

St. John's Bassilica Seljuk
St. John figured prominently in Ephesus. He is believed to have died in Ephesus in his late 90's, and indeed in the 4th century the second largest church in the World at that time was built at the site of his tomb. Presumably they demolished one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Temple of Artemis to build it.

A short trip to Seljuk a few miles distant is worth seeing the site of St. John's Basilica. It is quite stunning that this major site for pilgrimage in the middle Ages is now rarely visited. The scale, size and setting are miraculous, even without the connection to St. John.

Mary's House
In the hills above Ephesus, there is an extraordinary site that is now an important pilgrim

Trekking
Walking around the BODRUM peninsulaBodrum and the peninsula is Turkey's door to a magical world full of wonder. The shoreline of the Aegean hosts superb ancient sights:

• The Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
• Halicarnassus is Bodrum's ancient name dating back over 4,000 years. The key sites that remain from the old city include the historic Bodrum Castle built by the Knights of Rhodes (the legendary Crusaders), the Ancient Theatre built by the Romans, the reconstructed Myndos Gate, traces of the Temple of Mars, and nestling beneath the crystal waters of the Aegean the still visible remains of the sunken city of Myndos. The World's finest Museum of Underwater Archaeology is situated in the castle at Bodrum. • Wild flowers, deserted villages, windmills on the skyline, wild birds and unexcavated remains will make your walking holiday unforgettable.Weather: the kindest months of a year for walking are March, April, May, September and October. The weather is remarkably stable with warm days interspersed by the occasional shower. High summer is usually very hot for walking.Winter rains can be heavy, but there are many fine and gently days, cool and clear weather are ideal for walking.We have created six different walking tours for our guests:
1- Karakaya to Gumusluk
2- Sandima to Geris
3- Yaka to Derekoy
4- Kibele
5- Pedesa
6- Sleepy ValleyAn English-speaking guide will escort you in an air-conditioned minibus.

Blue Cruise
Feel your senses with the breezes of the turquoise Aegean sea

Blue Cruise Should you, during your stay , wish to cruise the glorious blue waters of the Aegean on a gulet or a bareboat - we can organise tailor-made cruises for you. The Gökova Gulf is acknowledged to be one of the best cruising areas in Europe.
Do not hesitate to to contact us for information and relevant details.

Bird Watching
Birding in the Bodrum Peninsula and South-West of Turkey

Brian Stoneman is an experienced guide to the Bodrum Peninsula having spent over ten years in the area. He is member of ; RSPB, DHKD, WWF

Visitors to Bodrum will be delighted to find that the area is a paradise of flora and fauna, particularly in the Spring.One of the best sites for bird watching is at Tuzla, an inlet from the Aegean with extensive mud flats and marshy ground.
During the months between October and April vast numbers of Greater Flamingos can be seen. Over 1400 were there in March this year. Another common sight is the groups of Great White and Little Egret.

You will also be able to see the largest population of breeding White Storks in the area at a village close to Bodrum

We can combine an ornithological trip with seeing some of the sights of the ancient world.

A short distance from Bodrum you have Iassos, Euromos, Labranda. Halicarnassus Mausoleum, which is one of the seven wonder of the ancient world.

Bafa Golu - Akkoy flats.
The majority of wetland species occur along the northern shore of Bafa lake. At this location Dalmatian Pelicans can be seen for most of the year and it is worth checking the lake for White Tailed Eagle and White Pelican. In the Spring and Autumn passage Spoonbill, Little Eagret, Squacco, Night and Purple Herons, Little Bittern and Glossy Ibis can also be seen.

Whiskered and White Winged Black terns in large numbers have been passing through the site.
There are good numbers of Collared Pratincole, Black winged Stilt and Spur winged Plover.

Along the muddy edges of the shore are Passage Waders. In the surrounding hills are many different birds of prey. The absolute peak of activity and the most glorious sights are in March and April. There is a superb display of wild flowers including; anemones and orchids which are a truly glorious sight.

Whilst at Bafa Golu a short stop could be made to visit the ancient city of Heraklia.

This area also has an abundance of wild life including lizards and spectacular butterflies including the Two tailed Pascha.