Marmaris...a little bit of Turkey!

The port with its traditional wooden gulets

we're in Turkey!

one castle I didn't visit

Statue of Ataturk, father of the modern Turkish Republic

his quotes adorn a number of public monuments in his honour

Marmaris has lots of funky cafes and night spots

Don't miss local specials like the delicious spinach and cheese pide bread

cruises cater for everyone ...even those who don't like music!

The castle bar where I spent some time

views from my castle

lots of quirky little corners

Turkish apple tea

I would have liked to curl up too...it was really relaxing

no bazaar shopping for me

but I was treated to a fashion parade at the leather factory on the way back to the boat. You could pick up a new season leather reversible jacket for a bargain 200 euro instead of the 1000 tag in the shops!

Marmaris is a pretty Turkish seaside town on the Aegean coast, a short 45 minute fast boat ride from Rhodes, with a castle and a bazaar. I am not in the mood for any castles or bazaars today, but I do find the “castle bar”, that boasts the highest point in Marmaris so I climb the steps and am rewarded with a gorgeous spot to hang out for a while.

The trip to Marmaris was easy, except for the passport control (very confusing, requiring us to queue up in 3 different places and showing our boarding pass and documents to numerous people before we even left the country) and the fact that we were supposed to stay in a group, even though we were not travelling as a group!

I had no intention of being hijacked to visit all the shops with the official guide, so I took the free shuttle to the town from the port with them and then defected as soon as I found out when the bus was returning to the port.

As I make my way back along the waterside I spot a sign for a Hammam, a Turkish bath. My last experience with a Hammam in Istanbul was a traumatic rather than relaxing experience, involving being scrubbed within an inch of my life by a very obese sadistic Turkish woman, so I am a bit hesitant to repeat the experience, but I am desperate for a massage, and the sign says they give them, so I decide to take a risk.

There is no answer when I ring the doorbell, but a young man appears from the barber shop next door. He tells me that the Hammam is closed and offers to give me a massage and points to the sign on his window that says he is trained. I am hesitant and say I prefer to find another Hammam or massage place. He recites a list of other services that he offers, eyebrow threading, facials, and hairdressing and then offers to give me a neck and shoulder massage with an eyebrow threading so I can “try” and if I am not happy I don’t have to pay. His enthusiasm is hard to resist, so I decide to trust him.

He tells me that the shop is his uncle’s, a good man, who passed away 6 months ago and that he is from a small village 18 hours by bus from Marmaris.

With expert skill and attention, my wayward eyebrows are threaded into submission and the face massage he gives me is divine. I agree to his offer of a back and shoulder massage. As I follow him up the rickety old stairs that lead to what is obviously a bedroom for a whole group of people, I have a moment of doubt, but 30 minutes later I am floating down those stairs, perfectly relaxed, without the hint of a tense muscle in my neck or shoulders and he was a perfect gentleman!

The history of Marmaris dates back to 900 BC and it was ruled by various conquerors including the Romans, Byzantines and in 1522 by Ottoman Sultan Suleyman “The magnificent”!

Between 1919 and 1921 it belonged to the Italians until it became the Republic of Turkey from 1923 under Ataturk. From that time it was home for fishermen and sponge divers until the 80’s when it was discovered by tourists who now come in their thousands to experience its beaches, shopping, small villages and its beautiful port full of traditional wooden gullets.

 a presto

mon x