Bodrum

Hello! 

I'm back from my most recent holiday and was going to post all about it, but realised I hadn't even had time to post about my visit to Turkey before I left. It's a bit late as I went mid-June, but everything's been so hectic with work and applying for internships (soo exciting) - and the pictures are too pretty not to share.

I go to Turkey every year with my boyfriend, Robbie, so this was my fourth time there, but I think each time is even better than the last! We stayed for two weeks, enough time to get myself a tan before my next holiday and to have a really chilled time after a busy year.

I'm going to apologise in advance for the massive post that this is going to be, but I'm a bit of a rambler and a huge photo freak. All these were also taken on my phone so aren't of the best quality, but I didn't want to trek a massive camera to places like the beach!

The Villa

I've actually forgotten what the wooden thing on here is called (absolute idiot) but it grows grapes and looks really nice - this is in the front garden of the villa.

We spent quite a bit of time just in the garden pool - it's so nice to read in the quiet and be able jump in the water whenever you want, without burning the soles of your feet on sand.

Playsuit: Urban Outfitters

Weird legs: my own

Shoes: Birkenstocks

I basically spent the whole holiday in my Birkenstocks, as they're so comfy and really easy to slip on and off at the beach.

Plums or something growing in the garden, such amazing colours!

Dress: Topshop - I've had it ages but love the print so much.

Sandals: Urban Outfitters

Glasses: bought from a street stall in New York, think they are meant to look like a pair of Oliver Peoples

I look really funny here as I'm burned and had also had an allergic reaction to one of the suncreams I was using. The doctor thinks I'm allergic to the sun, which is also fun.

*plant lyf*

Robbie looking cute and myself, featuring salty hair and a red nose.

This was a cat that kept turning up in the front garden. It was really nice but was obviously a stray so I fed it some sausages and gave it water each day, which I'm not allowed to do. Shh.

I warned you about pictures of cats that aren't even my own...

I take a different photo of this door opposite the villa every year, it's SO pretty. I want one.

The Beach

We spent a few days on different beaches, getting the dolmus (bus) there in the morning and staying until around 6PM.

Reading Vogue on the beach with a Lipton peach iced tea. One of my favourite days, as actually feeling like I could relax with a magazine is something I can never seem to do. I also read three books in the first four days of the holiday -

Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin

The Coma - Alex Garland

How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff

I also got to around halfway through 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, as I stopped reading and started drawing mid-holiday, so by the time I was really getting into the book, the holiday ended and real-life resumed.

To avoid making this post even bigger than it has to be right now, I'll do some book reviews later on. My Mum practically has a library-worthy collection of books, so whenever I go away I just grab a few from about eight bookshelves in the house. She hates me reading them as I bend the spines and get them a bit soggy in the pool, whereas she likes them looking all fresh out of Waterstones. My Vogue magazine also fell apart after reading it for a couple of hours. Oops.

A mulberry, caramel and chocolate ice cream. There was so many flavours to choose from, I sometimes ended up with some strange mixtures.

Boat Trip

We went on a day-long boat trip later in the holiday with some of Robbie's family.

Breakfast - lots of different breads, cheeses, veg and yoghurt things.

Lunch - fish, chips, 'kofte' (like meatballs) and salads.

 

Bikini: H&M

I love this halterneck bikini as it can be worn as a crop top too, and is perfect for covering up a burnt chest! It's also got a really cute crochet-style trim.

The ice cream boat came and I bought these. The ice cream boat is like my favourite thing ever. It just parks next to your boat and hands you lollies! The Lipton iced tea lollies were amazing, but I'm yet to find any in England.

Sketchbook: Paperchase

Cay (tea) and my cute little sketchbook. I bought this from the airport for about £10 as I knew I'd be doing a lot of drawing on holiday. I took it almost everywhere with me!

Bodrum

We went into the centre of Bodrum in the evenings, as it's too hot to do anything during the day. It's perfect for doing some souvenir shopping and having amazing cocktails on the seafront.

Bodrum's harbour is full of boats, pink flowers and pretty sunsets.

Turkey has loads of really cool stuff like interesting patterns on tiles and walls. I'm a huge fan of any patterns and prints so couldn't resist taking a photo whenever I saw something pretty.

Turkey; home to some amazing kebabs. Bodrum has so many lovely places to eat. This was an adana kebab from Kirkicegi, with a base of bread, yoghurt with a tomato sauce.

Trousers: H&M

Top: Topshop

Shoes: Birkenstock

Drawings

I drew this of Cara Delevigne on a turbulent flight while looking at a Chanel advert, so it ended up scruffy-looking but I quite like it.

Sketchbook doodles of the latest catwalk shows. There was nothing nicer than sitting on the beach with my pencils in the sun, though using my phone as a drawing reference in blinding light wasn't easy.

So, that was our two weeks in Bodrum.

Despite how fab our holiday was, we were absolutely horrified at the events that happened in Istanbul while we were in Turkey - it's such a lovely place full of amazing people and things, and everything going on in the world at the moment is so upsetting.

Thanks for reading,

Indy ♥