Omentide

Yesterday we were shown round properties, mostly from the outside and were pleasantly surprised by the view from party roof house. Not an uninterrupted picture postcard, no sea view (it is 7Km away) but you can see the castle, the street, some mountains and plenty of sky. It is a varied view. Couldn't get inside though as owner in Bodrum. In the afternoon we went to Kirazli where we were made very welcome and given good advice from people who live there and write blogs. On the way back I got a haircut and Ashley got a shave. I badly needed a haircut and I am happy with the result. We ate in again and took a few beers in Deniz bar which is where we usually go when we are here. Today I went and ... read more

26 March 2011 We have been very lax about putting our short trips on the travel blog. They go on the LJ but they can be hard to find there. So, here we are at the Kingfisher in Shillingford. The pub is small and quiet and comfortable. The food is superb. Last night we both had stifado with mixed stir fry veg and saute potatoes which was delicious. Breakfast (full English) was high quality everything and perfectly cooked to order. It was not huge but that actually suits me better. Shillingford itself is very pretty. Yesterday we amused ourselves by wandering round part of the village where they were filming Midsomer Murders – round the corner from here. They were actually filming and we may have seen famous people we didn't recognise. Today we walked. We ... read more

Ayvalik: The hotel in Izmir was not as cheap as we thought - 50 lira per person per night not 50 lira for the room. Still reasonable value though. We took a taxi to the otogar where we easily got a bus to Avalik. We booked into the Aziz Arslan Otel (where we stayed two years ago) then headed out to Sheytan Sofrasi - the devil's dinner table. About an hour easy walk from where the bus dropped us. It is very beautiful up there. The views are immense. So immense that they are hard to take in. It was extremely windy. There are several cafes up there and some of them play loud music. Most people though go up in vehicles so the walks there and back were quiet. In the evening we drank beer ... read more

Izmir The train from Selcuk to Izmir was pleasant enough and terminates in central Izmir unlike the bus which terminates some miles out at the Otogar. Izmir is hot. Car and truck fumes add to the sense of heat. Its a busy modern city with all the usual confusion that can bring. We had simit and some very, very nice cake from a baker (carrot and walnut cake - just moist enough and not too sweet). We found a locally made kitchen range of ovens and hobs. This included a combination electric and gas hob, the whole range seemed to be modular, and looked to be akin to NEF stuff in quality. The museums are closed on Monday The bazar was neat. Staying near Basmane train station has its drawbacks. There are a few bars open ... read more

This morning we went to Kusadasi and wandered around for a bit. The bay is very beautiful. We also looked around the market and bought a kilo of figs. They are not first class but we have been told we got them cheap. Today we learned that, for approximately what we paid for the flat we are currently living in we can either buy a property in need of restoration and get it restored or buy an already restored property or buy a brand new high end apartment. I do not think that buying land and having it built upon is a good option for us. We saw two properties of great interest. One a completed conversion with a wonderful roof terrace and one a brand new apartment with a priceless view. Both are well within ... read more