Bodrum (Part 1)

We lazed around in Mersinçik until the afternoon of 17 April because our passage to Bodrum would be just 13 miles, the wind was set to build nicely in the afternoon and Mersinçik was just a really nice peaceful anchorage to relax in. We were joined by a Turkish gullet which moored next to us so we watched them arrive and sort themselves out before it was my turn to don a wetsuit and swim ashore to release our lines. Once clear of the shelter in the bay we realised that the wind was blowing quite strongly. BV loved it and, heading north on a beam reach, she raced along at 8 knots.

St Peter’s Castle, Bodrum

We took it in turns to steer, each wearing a big grin on our faces, thoroughly enjoying ourselves. At that speed it didn’t take long to get to Bodrum and sadly it was time to take the sails down so that we could get into the marina whilst the fuel station was still open. The marina sits beside the impressive St Peter’s Castle which was built during the crusades by the Knights of St John.

The marina’s fuel station is right by the entrance and our refuel (only 60litres taken on but useful to do now to help in Nicky’s quest to confirm the fuel consumption of both the engine and the generator) and holding tank pump out (and all-important update of the Mavi-Carte (Blue Card)) were carried out quickly by the very efficient staff. Equally efficient were the staff in the marina office when we came to check in but the price per night was rather eye-watering, even this early in the season, so we elected to stay for just 2 nights. There are some anchorages outside the marina where we could have anchored had the wind been from the more usual northerly or northwesterly direction. However, we arrived on a southeasterly which was forecast to remain for a couple of days and increase during that time. All the anchorages are open to winds from that direction and, whilst there were some boats anchored off, we agreed we would not have been happy to have done so too.

Myndos Gate, Ancient Halikarnassos

We were up bright and early the following day so that we could fit in all that we needed and wanted to do. After buying a gas bottle and arranging for our laundry to be done, next on the list was some food shopping. As now seems perfectly normal because there seem to be historic sites everywhere in this area, on our walk up to the supermarket we stopped to look at some ancient ruins, this time of the Myndos Gate. It is the only surviving gate in the 7km long ancient city wall of Halikarnassos and was built by Mausolos, the Persian appointed sarap (king) of Halikarnassos, in the 4^th century BC.

The gate sits alonside a defensive 7 metre wide and 2.5 metre deep moat, also from the 4^th century BC. According to the historian Ariannos, when Alexander the Great laid siege to Halikarnassos in 334 BC, “the collapse of a narrow bridge over the moat resulted in many casualties in addition to the ones who fell into the moat or were trampled, many died in front of the gate”. Perhaps fittingly, the gate is by a graveyard and alongside the more modern graves there have also been found graves dating back to the era of the Roman Empire.

Having completed our shopping and had an early lunch we walked around the harbour to St Peter’s Castle (see later blog entry). The season not having started properly, resturants and gullets were still being varnished and painted. However, there was a lively buzz about the place and you can see why it is so popular.

On our way back to BV afterwards, we took a detour via the remains of the Mausoleum of Harlicarnassos, much of the masonry of which was used by the Knights of St John to build St Peter’s Castle.

The Mausoleum was one of the ancient 7 Wonders of the World and was commissioned by Artemesia the Younger to the memory of her brother-husband Mausolos. The remains of the mausoleum now sit in a plot not much larger than the ruin itself and could very easily be passed by if one wasn’t looking for the site. However, in the 4th century BC the mausoleum sat in splendour right alongside the Myndos-Halicarnassos road in the corner of a much larger plot in which, probably, there was the funerary pyre, and in which celebratory horse racing etc could take place to honour the King’s memory. The mausoleum itself was about 50m high and 20m long and was adorned with columns, statues of lions and magificent friezes. The prymidal top was surmounted by a triumphal quadriga (chariot drawn by 4 horses abreast) driven by Mausolos and Artemesia.

Little remains of the mausoleum today. It was still standing in the 12^th century AD but was destroyed by an earthquake in the 15^th century. The small museum at the site describes how the Knights of St John plundered the site for masonry with which to build the Castle of St Peter. As well as taking large blocks from the above ground part of the mausoleum, sources from that time describe how the Knights found the entrance to the below ground ante-chamber and tomb. Apparently, they spent some time admiring the frescos and carvings in the ante-chamber…. and then destroyed them all as they removed the stonework they required for their castle! The tomb and Mausolos’s sarcophagus were apparently looted by others the following night. The chariot and many of the friezes remained at the site for a further 4 centuries before being removed to the British Museum between 1846 and 1857.

We had an interesting time wandering around the remains of the ruins. Some of the  subterranean parts of the mausoleum can still be clearly made out, including the clever drainage system that was incorporated into the structure to ensure that that the tomb where the sacrophagus lay remained dry.

Green Almonds

Back on board BV we tried some of our food shopping acquisitions. South west Turkey produces excellent almonds which are harvested around October to give the dry nut we are more generally familiar with. At this time of year, however, some are harvested young. The velvety green fruit is all edible although the peach-like skin can taste a little bitter. We have not tried green almonds before so looked up what the locals do; we ate some whole, some peeled, some with a little salt and from some we squeezed out the soft gelatenous centre and ate that. On balance we decided that we preferred mature almonds and so look forward to them being harvested later in the year. However, we did enjoy slices of the peeled green fruit for breakfast with the fabulous yoghurt and strawberries we can get here.

Bodrum, Turkey