A Walk in the Woods

A warm day in late fall, when snow was falling in parts of the world where our families live, we explored the outskirts of Istanbul.  Traffic in this city has a bad reputation for a good reason, but if you get out before lunch on a Sunday morning, the highways are pretty empty.  Getting back home in the afternoon can be more tricky, but we usually survive that by listening to a good podcast (or two).

Fresh from the farm

Fresh from the woods

A Polish waiter, I assume.

I'm guessing this place is packed in the middle of summer
when people want to get away from the heat of the city.

We were pleasantly surprised when it took us only 1/2 hour driving from our house in the big city and into the village of Polonezköy where we could by farm fresh eggs and go for a hike in almost empty woods.  We tried to rent bikes in the village, but the season was apparently over for those activities.  They had packed away the bikes for the winter (it was 20ºC/68ºF) and encouraged us to come back for a ride in the spring.

Can you spot M in this picture?

Polonezköy (translated: The Polish Village) was founded in 1842 by Polish immigrants.  The village is proud of its heritage, and they keep their traditions alive especially in late spring during their famous Cherry Festival.  Polonezköy is a popular weekend getaway for busy Istanbullu. More than going for a walk in the woods, it seems people love to spend all of Sunday gathering the whole family for a big picnic.  

There are picnic parks where you can bring your own hammock, rent an already fired up grill and buy the kebab, burger or vegetables for grilling.  The park we went to on this Sunday had no restaurant, only what seemed like a hotdog stand, so people cooked their own food and the staff set the wooden tables with tablecloths, silverware and cold drinks.  The most important ingredient, the tea, was brewed on the grill or in a traditional tea-tower (samovar)