How did we end up in this spectacular Turkish town? Just by chance actually. We were looking for a stopover point on our way to Cappadocia and the Rough Guide described it as "an astonishingly beautiful setting." It was only three hours from Pamukkale and eight hours from Goreme so we decided to take a chance. We're glad we did. The atmosphere in the town is very relaxing. There are very few tourists here at the moment, but this probably has more to do with the time of year than anything else. The lake, the mountains, and the sunshine all reminded us of the Okanagan..jpg)
We stayed at Ali's Pension on the island of Yesilada. Up until the late 1960s you had to access Yesilada by boat. Now there is a bridge and you can just walk down the causeway. It was sunny and warm and we had been sitting on the bus for a few hours so we decided to walk. On your way to Yesilada, you have to walk through a small area called Canada. It is like a little forest and we saw people having picnics in the sunshine. Ali's Pension is run by Birsen and her family. Although they are not officially open for the season, they were happy to accomodate us. Yet again, we were able to enjoy some wonderful Turkish home cooking. We even got to try the Turkish version of cotton candy. It was sweet and sugary without the chemical taste.
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The next day we wanted to do some exploring. We had the option of going for a 60 km bike ride, but we didn't want to tie up our whole day so we decided to walk in to town instead. We needed to do some shopping. It seems that Craig has lost another hat and with no natural protection on his head, we needed to find another one quickly. He is thrilled with his stylish, new Turkish cap (sapka) which he got for a mere seven lira (about $4.) We also went in search of a sink plug. It is not an easy task when you have a very limited Turkish vocabulary, but charades work well. We asked at a number of plumbing stores, but sink plugs are a rare commodity over here. Finally, we found a shop and instead of making a sale, they actually gave it to us by stealing it out of a sink drain kit. Another sink in Turkey that will have no plug. Later that morning, we met a friendly, English speaking taxi driver who drove us up the hillside to a village called Akpinar. We walked up the hill a little further, passing by goats and cows and local women working in the fields. There we enjoyed some incredible views of Egirdir and the lake. On our way back down, we met a lady from the village. Not only was she carrying a huge pile of branches on her back, but she was dragging a heavy bag full of branches too. Craig relieved her of the bag and we walked back to the village together. The branches are taken from the orchards, chopped into little pieces and used for firewood. It is very labour intensive and it makes us appreciate the convenience of our gas fireplace at home. .jpg)
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We stayed at Ali's Pension on the island of Yesilada. Up until the late 1960s you had to access Yesilada by boat. Now there is a bridge and you can just walk down the causeway. It was sunny and warm and we had been sitting on the bus for a few hours so we decided to walk. On your way to Yesilada, you have to walk through a small area called Canada. It is like a little forest and we saw people having picnics in the sunshine. Ali's Pension is run by Birsen and her family. Although they are not officially open for the season, they were happy to accomodate us. Yet again, we were able to enjoy some wonderful Turkish home cooking. We even got to try the Turkish version of cotton candy. It was sweet and sugary without the chemical taste..jpg)
The next day we wanted to do some exploring. We had the option of going for a 60 km bike ride, but we didn't want to tie up our whole day so we decided to walk in to town instead. We needed to do some shopping. It seems that Craig has lost another hat and with no natural protection on his head, we needed to find another one quickly. He is thrilled with his stylish, new Turkish cap (sapka) which he got for a mere seven lira (about $4.) We also went in search of a sink plug. It is not an easy task when you have a very limited Turkish vocabulary, but charades work well. We asked at a number of plumbing stores, but sink plugs are a rare commodity over here. Finally, we found a shop and instead of making a sale, they actually gave it to us by stealing it out of a sink drain kit. Another sink in Turkey that will have no plug. Later that morning, we met a friendly, English speaking taxi driver who drove us up the hillside to a village called Akpinar. We walked up the hill a little further, passing by goats and cows and local women working in the fields. There we enjoyed some incredible views of Egirdir and the lake. On our way back down, we met a lady from the village. Not only was she carrying a huge pile of branches on her back, but she was dragging a heavy bag full of branches too. Craig relieved her of the bag and we walked back to the village together. The branches are taken from the orchards, chopped into little pieces and used for firewood. It is very labour intensive and it makes us appreciate the convenience of our gas fireplace at home. .jpg)
Our taxi driver suggested we stop by the local restaurant in the afternoon for some gozleme (Turkish crepes.) It seems that all we do is eat, but since we intended to walk back down the hillside we thought we should get some substinence. We ate gozleme with cheese and drank some cay and enjoyed the view from the terrace. By the time we walked back to our pension, the day was done.
Egirdir is one of those hidden gems you only hope to find when you are traveling. It would be an ideal place to spend some time, especially a little later in the spring when the temperature is consistently warmer. There are so many possible activities that you can do: hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, fishing, etc. yet it is not overly touristy. We would highly recommend this beautiful spot and we are hopeful that we can make it back one day!
Egirdir is one of those hidden gems you only hope to find when you are traveling. It would be an ideal place to spend some time, especially a little later in the spring when the temperature is consistently warmer. There are so many possible activities that you can do: hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, fishing, etc. yet it is not overly touristy. We would highly recommend this beautiful spot and we are hopeful that we can make it back one day!
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