Selimiye

  

Really wide beach, isn't it!

This area of Turkey is experiencing a little heat wave and temps are averaging 10 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the normal summer highs.  The intense heat is too much for Bill and me, and too much for the grandkids.   They were asking if we couldn't just return to the marina in Marmaris or find somewhere else with shore power so we could run the air conditioners.  We were not ready to return to Marmaris to just sit there awaiting the family members who will arrive in a few weeks, so we headed to Selimiye with hopes of getting on the town dock which we knew had shore power.  We had visited Selimiye last year via rental car and we liked it.  We looked forward to returning there with our boat. 

Sardenyu Restaurant, were we first docked

We arrived in Selimiye around 3 p.m. on Monday 16 July and found the town dock full.  No space for us.  Bill took the dinghy to check out other dock possibilities while I slowly circled the bay.  He radioed that he had found a spot at one of the restaurant docks.  Soon we were backed in and docked in front of the Sardenyu Restaurant.  The cost for this dock was 30 TL per night, including shore power.  Eating in the restaurant was not required but expected.  Bill and I ended up eating there each night.  I fed Elisabeth and Zachary on the boat and let them watch movies while Bill and I ate ashore.  Technically, we ate on the dock itself.  The restaurant moved tables onto the dock each evening and served meals there.  Sardenyu turned away customers each night because they were fully booked.  I would estimate they served about 250 people each night.

BeBe is the boat in the middle.  Remember, Bebe's draft is 2.1 meters.
That water is deeper than it looks.  Amazingly clear!

Unfortunately, the shore power on this dock was insufficient to operate the air conditioner during the day.  It ranged 196v to 208v during the day.   But we could run one unit at night when the power draw on the grid was less.  So Bill and I slept in the aft cabin bed with Elisabeth sleeping on the settee next to our bed, and Zachary slept in the passageway berth.  We closed off the passageway from the main saloon with the curtain and placed a fan at the opposite end of the passageway to suck the cooler air from the aft air conditioner and disperse it into the passageway.  This enabled all 4 of us to sleep comfortably.

Swim area at end of the dock at Sardenyu Restaurant.  

We liked this dock very much.  We were at end of dock next to the small swimming area so the kids could swim right off the boat.  We stayed here 3 nights and then moved to the town dock as soon as a space became available there.  The cost for the town dock for our 16-meter boat is 50 TL per night.  The shore power is better supplied on this dock and ranged 215v to 231v.




We took the kids to meet the Captain Osman, the 'gold toothed man' we met last year when we visited Selimiye by rental car.   He claims he brought all his money with him when he moved from Greece to Turkey years ago -- in the form of gold filling his mouth.

Captain Osman, the man with the gold teeth; keeps his fortune in his mouth.  Serves delicious
traditional Turkish casseroles in his sidewalk restaurant on the main harbor shore.

Walked around the bay searching for a
restaurant recommended by a friend.
 Missed it while admiring their wine
grapes hanging over the walkway.

The arrival of our family members has been delayed a few days so we are not hurrying back to Marmaris just yet.  We like Selimiye and will wait until closer to their arrival before moving back to the marina in Marmaris.  The weather is supposed to moderate back to normal summer temps over the next few days.  It will be nice to feel normally hot again rather than super hot.

The restaurant we were looking for was Girit.
Found it on our way back---beneath the grapes.

There are places to swim and Zach can kayak when boat traffic isn't active.  And plenty of restaurants to enjoy.  Even a few small stores to buy basic groceries.  And a bakery that bakes the best bread we have found so far in Turkey.  No reason to get in a hurry to leave this wonderful place.

Care to eat lunch seated around a tree?  Literally around it.

Switching to a completely different topic, since the country of Turkey did not come to be until 1922 (previously the Ottoman Empire), I have wondered exactly where the Turkish people originated.  After all, even though the country of Turkey did not exist, there are many references to the Turks many hundreds of years prior to the formation of the country named Turkey.  Here is a link to a very brief explanation about the origins of the Turkish people:
Origins of Turkish people

Feeding ducks on our walk around the bay

According to our Lonely Planet guidebook the Selimiye area is filled with caves and people at one time lived in these caves.  Selimiye is situated on the Bozburun peninsula about an hour's drive northwest from Marmaris.  This peninsula is the southernmost known boundary of where the ancient Phrygians lived.  


The following is taken from the Lonely Planet:

Elisabeth's Aflak moment

The Phrygians immigrated from Thrace to central Antolia region around 2000 B.C.  They spoke an Indo-European language and used an alphabet similar to Greek.  They established a kingdom with its capital well east of here, roughly 60 miles west of Ankara.  Their small empire flourished under a successive line of Midas and Gordias kings, until it was overrun by the Cimmerians in the 7th century B.C.  The Cimmerians sacked and burned the capital and murdered many Phrygian leaders.  Yet the Phrygian culture continued to flourish under the new leaders and subsequent Lydian overtakers.  


Considering they lived in rock dwellings, the Phrygians were a sophisticated people with a dedication to the arts.  Phrygian culture was based on Greek culture, but with strong neo-Hittite and Urartian influences.  They are credited with inventing the frieze, embroidery and numerous musical instruments, including the double clarinet, flute, lyre, syrinx (pan pipes), triangle and cymbals.  The Phrygian civilization was at its most vigorous around 585 to 550 B.C.  Study of the Phrygians has provided anthropologists with fascinating insights into a culture that bridged the gap between primitive and advanced in central Turkey.

That looks like a small castle on top of the hilltop.   Our Lonely Planet travel guides does not identify
this structure and there are no signs visible.  Not walking all the way up there without some incentive.