The sun shines differently here. The nights are longer, the drinks more enjoyable. And then there is love in Bodrum … You have to experience it to truly understand the attraction of Bodrum.
Bodrum town is a famous resort place, both among Turkish and foreign travelers. The population jumps from 50,000 people to more than half a milllion during summer time. The heart of Bodrum beats loudest in the narrow streets clustered around the bay where shops, restaurants, bars and discos via for attention. Strolling along the most popular of the streets, Cumhuriyet Caddesi (the locals call it Barstreet), the visitor becomes immersed in a blend of native and cosmopolitan culture that is Bodrum today.
Here small boutiques offer latest hits, hand-made sandals are crafted; fezzes and harem slippers are sold side by side with baseball caps and T-shirts bearing universally recognized logos and humorous or bawdy captions. Cafes and restaurants serve a wide variety of cosmopolitan ‘international’ fare as well as tasty Turkish kebabs; Chinese, Mexican, Indian or Thai specialities and also the delights of traditional Ottoman cuisine; visitors ‘go native’ by replacing beer or wine by the deceptively light national Turkish drink: raki.
When night descends Bodrum lights up with laser shows to the rhythms of the same hits that are current in London, Berlin or New York, but if you listen you can still hear strumming of the Turkish oud and the folk melodies of Anatolia. Bodrum today is truly a Symphony, or better still, a Living Ode to Joy