Thursday 2 November 2017

October lamentations

These Ecco boots will have to last

A first world problem I know, but upsetting. My mother, friend Jane and I headed to Oasis, Bodrum's first shopping mall. I only go there to buy shoes and I buy in just one shop - Ecco. Jane comes all the way from Marmaris to shop there. You probably can't imagine our disappointment when we found it closed - fully grown women shouldn't be brought nearly to tears because a shop has shut down but as the only supplier of hardwearing, affordable, comfortable footwear for 100s of miles - this was a blow. 
Not the first this month - I rang the lady who looks after all my banking and insurance to check a payment. She answered as usual and efficiently fixed the problem and then dropped the bombshell - she has been transferred. She has looked after our finances since we moved back to Bodrum and helped me sort everything out when Teo died, I have relied on her heavily to keep the ship afloat. Change hurts. 
And finally the biggest lament; on October 1st, Bodrum Castle closed its doors to visitors, with no indication when they will open again. The plan is to put all the museum exhibits into one purpose-built hall in the centre of the castle. Apart from the worry of how all the heat and moisture-sensitive displays will be stored whilst work continues, Bodrum's already teetering tourism industry will take another hit when it least needs one.  

Scaffolding up around the castle

16 comments:

  1. How sad scaffolding makes an ancient, noble building look whereas Ecco boots enhanced our not so ancient but noble feet ...perhaps the new banking lady will turn out to be the star of this sorry trilogy ...

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  2. The proposals for the castle are particularly saddening. The whole charm of visiting was to enter the ancient rooms and towers - all to be lost to a 'modern' display centre. Their is a lack of understanding in the offices of those who decide to upend and upheave Bodrum's culture. Visitors loved the street markets; now consigned to concrete covered yards. Little pensions and hotels largely lost to massive 'all inclusive' nightmares, even the friendly dolmus' replaced by midi buses which are too cumbersome anyway in village streets. Call some place Paradise, Kiss it Goodbye.

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  3. Oh Annie, I'm so sorry to hear...does sound like a crappy month! :( It happens to all of us at some point. When we lived in Turkey, I bought shoes a few times in Germany bc they stocked my size 40 shoes! Now in London, I've gotten so spoiled w Amazon being able to order whatever I want.

    Fingers crossed that November is better!

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    1. Mt poor daughter takes size 43 - no chance to buy any in Turkey

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  4. shoe shops, castles, people - all are expendable! It's the system!

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  5. Bad things happen in threes so the old saying goes so hopefully that's your lot.

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  6. Oh no, very sorry to hear this all : ( I am banging wherever I am nonstop about how wonderful Bodrum is in all seasons, and this hurts me a lot too. Once my book is out, I will keep on banging Bodrum and rest of Turkey, this magical land needs and deserves every bit of positive promo and it will be from the heart. This shall pass too, always here anything I can do xxxx

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    1. We are still banging the drum for Bodrum and Turkey

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  7. Annie,
    As a contrast, we just visited a brilliant World Heritage Site in Galicia (The Tower of Hercules at A Coruña) where one made one's way from the excavations at the bottom, all the way to the top with exhibits placed strategically along the way to better illustrate the significance of what you were looking at. Everything made sense.
    Re. shoes. At my age, I have bunions, morton's neuroma (pain in the ball of the foot), and flat feet. I can totally understand how you all felt! It's hard to get old in Turkey, but I'm bringing home 3 pairs of shoes from Spain where ageing is generally treated with more respect. xoxo M and J

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