While in Bodrum a few weekends ago, Jeff and I were strolling through the shopping district lining the bay, following our noses, as they say, when we happened to notice a small narrow alley lined with flowers off the main street.
A beautiful sleek cat ran ahead of us, turned around to look and ran forward again. Well, that was our cue: follow the cat!
We headed up the steep incline, marveling at the flowers spilling over from a first-floor patio, hanging loose and carefree from iron gates. As we got closer, we realized that the free-flowing vines snaking up the building belonged to a pension.
We ascended the half staircase to the landing, intending to just pop in and get a business card to consider the hotel for our next trip to Bodrum. Instead, the woman behind the desk offered to show us around and even take us up to the terrace, where she told us there were gorgeous views of the Bodrum bay.
Well, of course, we agreed. Leading us up a few flights of stairs, which wrapped around the outside of the building, each new floor offered a growing glimpse of Bodrum from up above the city. She showed us a lovely and spacious room, then led us through the elaborate gate leading the way to the terrace.
From there, Bodrum seemed spectacularly different than it had on the harbor.
Way up high on the terrace, I could make out the outline of the two small bays, separated by the Bodrum Castle. The yachts in the harbor seemed grander than when I saw them on land and reminded me of nights on Bosphorous, the way their lights twinkled in the dusk.
I preferred to concentrate my attention on the sea, instead of behind me where the hills were crowded with white summer houses that looked hastily built and stacked precariously on top on one another.
We sat a spell with the woman who had brought us up to the terrace, drank a coffee and swapped stories of living and working in Istanbul and what we had done in Bodrum thus far.
Though we spent most of our time that weekend on the ground, navigating the pazar area, laying on the beach, eating fish on the harbor, my nicest memory of the weekend was that moment when I came up the stairs, turned my head and saw this.
