Beach holidays – to go or not to go?

I’ve just come back from a week in Turkey. Well… I say Turkey… I mean Marmaris – a holiday resort that is a home away from home for us Brits! You can get an English fry-up or Sunday roast every where you turn. God forbid you'd want anything else... Like Turkish food perhaps?! There are TV screens to watch the all important footie and of course the Sun – in case you cared about what was happening back in Blighty.

Although a little dubious at first, the more and more stressed out and tired I became the more attractive a prospect Marmaris became. The idea of sun, sea and stunning white beaches was certainly getting me through the grey and gloomy weeks in London.

After all, Thomson Travel voted Marmaris the third best holiday resort in the world for British holiday makers (in case you’re interested, Benidorm was number one).

http://marmaris.org/marmaris_blog/Default.aspx

OK – a bit of back story here: I’m usually a “sight-seeing” traveller. I go to places to explore and understand a different way of life to that of my own. I enjoy doing things I wouldn’t do at home. So the idea of a beach holiday would never have occurred to me until my housemate suggested it.

As soon as we landed and checked into our hotel, I realised that this would be as much of a culture shock as any other far flung place I've been to. I’d never seen so many lager louts, never been perved on so much in my entire life, and never started a pool party before!

I know I sound like a snob – but not only did I grow up in a ghetto in Birmingham, but I've also been to university so you’d think I’d be used to seeing people pissed off their faces, tinny in one hand and fag in the other. But believe it or not, I’ve never ever felt so out of my depth.

Our activities included sitting by the pool, swimming in the pool, getting a massage from very cute Turkish men, sitting by the beach, swimming in (or in my case bouncing in) the sea.



Not to worry, though, we didn't just sit by the hotel pool sipping our martinis - we explored Marmaris itself: Bar Street contained more bars than I’ve ever seen, even compared to the West End! And the drinks were about the same price as London! All the bar staff encouraged dancing on the bars! For the shoppers out there, there are hundreds upon hundreds of shops selling, towels (for the all important sun worshiping), sheesha pipes and the usual tacky nik-naks you get in every major toursist destination!

Towards the end of the week, we thought it was time to do something a little more strenuous! We took a boat out to Dalaman and Turtle beach where we did some more lying around in the sun, had a mud bath and sat around in a sulphur pool!
http://www.troysan.com/dalyan-caunos-turtle-beach

There's nothing particularly Turkish about Marmaris (the signs were in English and every Turkish person we met (mostly men) spoke perfect English!) If you want a holiday where each day all you have to think about is "pool or beach" and "martini or gin and tonic" then Marmaris is for you!

Do as the French...

Liberté egalité fraternité...

It is on this mantra that the French have been raised. It is this belief that sets them apart from the rest of Europe. They believe in a free society, where everyone is equal and walk hand in hand as brothers. Although on the surface this appears to be a harmonious way to live – it is just that - skin deep.

Recent events have us waiting with bated breath for Autumn. The French Senate will decide in September whether there will be a ban on people from concealing their face in public. This means masked crusaders, balaclava-clad robbers, hoodies and of course veil wearing Muslims.

According to the UK national press, out of the five million Muslims living in France, only 2,000 women wear a full face veil.

But of course, the French have a history of hypocrisy towards Muslims, so is it any wonder that they still feel threatened today?

The French government has tried to create a secular society but it appears that more than anything else, it has created divisions between the people. They seem more at ease hiding things from view rather than being upfront.

This is represented on a small scale, by concealing religious symbols at school. This means that children do not learn about the belief of others through experience but merely through text books. You learn by asking questions, not through spoon-feeding (as the British government is doing - but we'll save that debate for another time!). Nothing is as black and white as it seems. Even if it appears as such you need to ask why.

And on a much larger scale:
The end of the Algerian war in 1962 caused an influx of immigrants to France. The pieds-noirs (original immigrants to Algeria from France when it was under French rule) were repatriated. On the other hand, the 91,000 or so Algerians that had fought for France (the Harkis) were not given official permission to migrate to France so were left in refugee camps.

Once they were freed they were left to their own devices, but their lack of money and social status meant they could not afford proper housing, thus creating the infamous banlieues as represented in films like that of Matthieu Kassovitz’s La Hain and books, such as the autobiographical Le Gone du Chaba by Azouz Begag.

Those at the bottom rungs of society are hidden from view allowing the rest of the population to continue with their daily lives as if nothing had ever happened.

Separating a population on such a vast scale doesn’t allow a culture to assimilate nor people to integrate. They are left feeling like second class citizens.

A ban on the veil will not encourage integration. The French say that a ban will liberate these women, but many feminists including myself will argue that true freedom comes from being allowed to be who you wish to be.

People rarely learn from past mistakes – why should the French be any different? So... Now, we wait...