It’s late and I step out of the air-conditioned hotel
apartment onto the balcony. I’m on holiday in Turkey and I feel relaxed. It’s
more than just relaxation though, and I always wonder what people mean when
they say they are relaxed; it can
mean a variety of things to so many different people. For me everything feels
lighter and more distant, it’s almost as if all the things going on back in the
UK are a distant memory. Something that happened a while ago and there is no
need to recall those events or even dwell upon them.
The heat of the September night hits me, as I step outside
of the apartment. The previous booming sounds of clubs and cafes have started
to die down, with the laughing and chatter of revellers starting to become quieter.
I can smell cigarette smoke from a neighbouring apartment, as I look out across
the bay. Lights start to switch off, as the last guests make their way back
from the bars towards the hotel, with the music becoming ever quieter and in
some cases being switched off.
I lean on the balcony railing and look up across the bay and
watch the sea from the bay onwards laying in a state of complete calm. It
provides a mirror-like surface to reflect the moon that appears to be shining a
path of light from the sea all the way towards the bay. The sun beds are empty
on the beach of the bay and a few lonely figures stumble along the beach, no
doubt feeling ‘jolly’ from their activities at the various bars.
