Timler In Turkey (Part III)

It's been a week since my final day in Turkey, but the memories of the final night are still as vivid as ever and will remain so as long as I can let them. There's something about being in awe of natural landscapes that lasts longer than anything else.

Living in towns and cities, we miss a lot of what makes the world so special, and it takes a particular sunset or a vast mountain range to remind us of that. That was very much the feeling I got when we rounded off our week in Turkey with a moonlight boat trip out on Lake Köyceğiz.

Sitting out on the bow of our boat, seeing the Milky Way for the first time, it was a healthy reminder that there's a lot to see in this world and sometimes the everyday 9-5 isn't worth all the stress we take from it.

Of course, it wasn't all philosophical musings. There was a dip in a mud bath, feet-hungry fish and some late night swimming. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Here's to another nine months of rain. Summer 2014, it's been a pleasure!

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Timler In Turkey (Part II)

Look down. Now back to me. You're on a boat.

Ok, you're not on a boat... but I was last week as part of an amazing seven days in the Turkish sun. Staying just five minutes' walk from the Dalyan Çayı River, the only option after our Turkish bath was to head out onto the water and soak up some rays.

TripAdvisor isn't wrong when it recommends the Göcek 12 Islands Tour. Near to Fethiye, Göcek is supposedly where Icarus fell when he flew too close to the sun. And, if you're going to fall anywhere, I'd say Göcek is a pretty good place to pick. The waters are crystal clear and perfect for snorkeling.

Most tour companies will offer their own, very similar, version of the boat trip, and the difference generally comes down the food. Regular readers will know the importance I ascribe to food, so a BBQ chicken dish and on-board salad buffet went down a treat.

But sometimes food has to take a back seat. And when there's the opportunity to spend the day throwing yourself into the sea, the only bearing it has is on how long you wait to do so!

For a day on the water in beautiful surroundings, the 12 Islands Tour is great value for money. Depending on where you are, Turkey is relatively inexpensive, and seven hours on a boat equates to around £10, plus whatever you spend on refreshments. Considering a water taxi in Cornwall would set you back the best part of tenner, that's amazing value.

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Timler in Turkey (Part I)

It's the first of September, which is probably a fair date to call time on the British summer. Fortunately, I was able to send off our fleeting spell of warmth with a bang - in an entirely different country no less...

Tales of Timler comes to you this week from Turkey, and 7 days in glorious Dalyan. Famed for the nearby turtle beach, Dalyan is a quiet tourist destination which it's fair to say has been developed but not spoiled. Of course, there's plenty to spend your time and money on, and first on the checklist was a trip to the traditional Turkish baths. We visited a local hamam which offered a relaxation package consisting of a spell in the steam room, before a cleansing scrub down and a massage of choice.

While I can't bring you pictures from inside, the hot room (sikaclik) is an experience to trump an afternoon in the gym sauna. Natural light beams in through small windows in the domed ceiling, and the large marble tablet in the centre of the room offers a relaxing hot plate to reduce any tension pre-massage.

Around the room, there are ornate washing basins to rinse and further steam yourself with. From there, it's time for a slightly vigorous scrubdown with an abrasive mit (kese). The kese removes any dead skin which should prep for any holiday tanning/burning (gingers don't do well in the sun).

Free of all the dirt and grime of everyday life, the exfoliation is followed up by a healthy soaping. I won't pretend to know too much about the technicalities here, but the soap is collected in a linen bag to resemble a giant bag of candy floss which is then poured and rubbed all over.

And if that giant bubble bath isn't enough, a traditional full body massage wraps up a truly authentic and relaxing experience.

Traditional British embarrassment is also compulsory so try to feel horrendously awkward when being handled and towelled!

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Berlin Street Art

No hilarious punning on today's post. Just a selection of the artwork I caught this in Berlin. The city is covered in the stuff and you can't reach a crossroads without seeing at least one corner stamped. I'm not a connoisseur of street art - like you, I can probably only think of Banksy - so I'll just  keep quiet and let you enjoy. A big thanks to my mate, Ellie, who was kind enough to share her snaps!

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Bring On The Wall! (Berlin By Day)

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I spent the weekend soaking up some culture and alcohol (more on that later) in beautiful Berlin. I'm not the world's most travelled 22 year-old, so I was all in when a mate suggested a long weekend in the German capital. Without boring you with all the historical titbits I picked up - did you know Hitler was addicted to speed? - here's a taster of what we got up to in the city.

Perhaps surprisingly, my favourite couple of hours in Berlin were in the Topography of Terror museum, which is based on the site of the SS headquarters during the Nazi regime. Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust in particular, have always fascinated me more than any era in history, so I was desperate for the exhibition to be on our itinerary. The exhibition is completely free (I couldn't even find a donation box) and gives a pretty comprehensive but concise guide of the development of the police state after 1933.  There's, inescapably, some pretty graphic imagery but if you can stick with it then it's an extremely worthwhile visit. A lot of the photo documentation is in colour as well, which you rarely see in history textbooks.

Killing two (maybe three) birds with one stone, outside the museum is some remnants of the Berlin Wall, with more of the Topography of Terror exhibition built in front of it. Ironically, the wall is now protected by metal fencing. And, just to add to the history of the site, the wall stands in the shadow of the offices that were built by the Nazis to house the Luftwaffe and now serves as the German tax office - told you there would be titbits... 

The site is just round the corner from Checkpoint Charlie, a former crossing point on the Berlin Wall, occupied by the Allies. It's now possibly the most disgusting shitstamp of Western culture in Germany. Outside a conveniently located McDonalds, you can actually pay to have your picture taken with Germans dressed as American soldiers.

The rest of trip around the city largely took in the architecture and all of their accompanying tales. While there wasn't time to go inside all of them, the sites themselves are pretty spectacular.

The Altes Museum, which I found a picture of from the 1930s in the Topography of Terror exhibition.

The Berliner Dom, which sits right next to The Altes Museum in the Lustgarten.  In the background you'll be able to pick out the TV Tower - about the only decent building the Communists contributed to the city during the Cold War. 

The Reichstag - I can't help but quote The Producers at the site of this building. 

The Brandenburg Gate

Finally, probably one of the less attractive but most modern constructions in the city; Peter Eisenman's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The memorial is constructed from hundreds of concrete slabs of different height, which rise out of the ground to form a sort of maze/prison. The idea behind it is to portray the Jewish journey through the Holocaust, so as time goes by, the blocks become more dominant and repressive. The memorial makes a lot of sense once you're in the middle of the piece and one turn in any direction can leave you very much on your own.

I could write a post on each one of these sites - but I'm well aware no one would read that. There's so much to see and so much to do that it's difficult to do it justice with just my tourist snaps. Of course, there was plenty more than what the travel guide suggests. Keep your eyes peeled for a sample of Berlin nightlife and the city's street art later this week...

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The Timler Who Came For Tea

There's a time in everyone's life when they cross the threshold of adulthood and realise that they've become their parents. Unfortunately, that moment arrived for me this weekend on the drive through Wales to Shell Island. The moment came in the form of me seeing a sign for Bodnant Gardens (a National Trust kinda place) that my parents used to drag me round when I was little. My response to this slice of mopey nostalgia, you ask?

'Ooh Bodnant Gardens. It's actually really nice, we should stop off there on the way back...'

Who am I and what did I do with that 22 year-old lad called Tim?

Fortunately, being dignified and taking the time to appreciate some of the things your parents did for you when you were little (okay, partly for you) can lead you to some quite nice places. In the end, a quiet stroll under the laburnum arch at Bodnant - told you it was bad - wasn't in order but we did stop off at the picturesque little tearoom in Llanwrst; another childhood memory of mine.

The tearoom at Llanwrst is one of those timeless gems that has barely changed an inch in the last 20 years. Despite travelling through every time I go to Shell Island, I probably haven't been in since my family spent a week on holiday in the village about 10 years ago and remember the tearoom for its olde world feel and some of the best toasties and milkshakes I've ever had. Some things are just meant to stay the same and, luckily, Llanwrst is sleepy enough that it hasn't. The toasties still have the same rich cheese I remember and the ice cream milkshakes still laugh TGI Friday's out of the kitchen.

Everything about the tearoom is so unbelievably quaint that it could only fit in a shy village like Llanwrst. From it's picturesque location, right by the river, to the old tavern memorabilia on the walls, the cottage is pretty much a hipster's wet dream.

Now, before I head off to vomit up all this sunshine, it's probably worth mentioning how much this little old tea strainer reminded me (and my friends) of the intro to the old Peter Rabbit & Friends TV series intro. If you don't remember it, your homework is to give it a watch. If you can think of anything that will make you weep for your lost innocence more, I'm all ears...

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Carry On Camping

For me, you can't have a proper summer without a camping trip. Whether it's a festival or a more relaxed affair, you just can't beat BBQing under the stars or listening to the rain patter on the outside of your tent. It's been hard to keep my eyes on work recently with the weather being so hot, so last weekend I booked Friday off work and headed off with some friends to my favourite camping spot, Shell Island.

About two and a half hours from home, its relatively low key and perfect for getting away for just a couple of days. The best part about Shell Island is the sand dunes. While you can camp anywhere across the site, it's best to head right down to the beach and pitch up in amongst the dunes for a bit of privacy and to be just a few hundred metres from the sea. We managed to set up camp after being delayed on the causeway for an hour (it floods with the tide, hence the island bit) and zipped straight over to the beach. You should also make sure you have a few strapping young men to hand (ahem) as, unless you have tow rope and a 4x4 handy, you're more than likely to beach your car at some point.

The beach at Shell Island is beautiful and, if you happen to get the weather, could easily be mistaken for the Mediterranean with the rocky peninsula on the horizon. We spent the entire weekend just lazing around, playing Uno (extremely underrated card game, in my opinion) and having the occasional dip in the sea to cool off.

As the sun started to go down, I whipped up some grub for everyone - namely peppered grill steaks and hot dogs on the Go Anywhere Weber BBQ that I mentioned in my last booter post - before heading up to the top of the dunes to watch the sunset.

I wouldn't say I'm the most well-travelled person in the world, but I think you'd have to go a long way to beating this sunset. We watched it go down and the moon come up for hours - all washed down with a couple of beers and a summer playlist, of course.

So what do you think of Shell Island? And where's your best kept camping secret?

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