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)

These rocks rock:

I try not to collect rocks or shells when I walk on a beach.  Sometimes this is harder than others - and on the beach in Çıralı, it seemed to be harder than anywhere else because the rocks were so unique, and often quite big.  To avoid a broken back and extra baggage fees, taking pictures was a good alternative to collecting, but after five minutes that tended to be pretty boring for my company.  If they can pose or build or throw something, it seems to make them more patient.  The challenge for this post was to pick a few pictures to share. The good thing for me is I won't get offended if you lose interest because I simply won't know...

Close-ups

Can't stop myself from being distracted by details,
and in some situations I think that is ok.  These visual distractions are from our vacation on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey:

This wooden fishing boat is on its way to becoming a Phaselis artifact

Snails have the most captivating homes.

A wash-ashore Christmas decoration.

This is apparently how a pinecone is constructed.

Tiny, and probably hot, peppers

Cacti are very fascinating for someone who grew up close to the Arctic Circle. 

Intriguing color.

I don't know if this is a mossy leaf or moss growing on a leaf,
I just thought it was beautiful.

This little guy is in search of a tour guide, and a bath.  If you
enlarge the photo (just click on it) you can see the salt/dust on him.


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The rubies M is eating came from an abandoned pomegranate grove 

nestled amongst the ruins of Olympos.

Eternal flames (Çimera)

The Chimera monster had a lion's body and head, with a goat's head and a snake for a tail. This fire breathing menace destroyed villages and took children.  Legend has it Bellerophon destroyed her by aerial attack on the back of Pegasus. The fire of this monster still seeps from cracks in the side of the mountain.  We were down on the beach and from the water, could see these fires winking in the darkness of the mountainside.  It is said the fires were even stronger in ancient times and acted as a natural lighthouse for seafarers.  It is uncertain what the exact composition of the gas is and though they will extinguish if you cover them up, they reignite when exposed again.  The hike by the light of a near full moon and eerie natural campfires gave us a truly unique perspective on Mother Nature that night!