Bodrum, Oct 13-14

After the previous days' culture and excitement, İ knew İd need a break, and Bodrum was just that. Its a smallish beach town nestled in a bay right where the coast turns up from the Mediterranean to the Aegean Sea, popular with British beach-goers (and partiers) and İ was staying in a hostel just a few short blocks from the water. With the end of tourist season the town was quite a bit quieter than its reputation suggests, which was just fine with me. I did get my share of boisterous Anglo-Franco rivalry when İ watched the Rugby World Cup Semi-Final in the bar downstairs (England beat France), which was thoroughly entertaining and amusing. And, of course, a few drinks at a few local (Turkish, not touristy) haunts with Tarik, who helps run the hostel, turned into a 5am adventure of its own!

The next day was spent mostly reading by the water and staring aimlessly off into the distance... perfect! İ did break out the running shoes for a mid-day run on a low-traffic road along the coast, which was warm but picture-perfect (and a good way to finish off what lingered of the previous nights beers!). Batteries recharged...