Stardate May, 2014. Canakkale, Turkey
I have a confession to make.
I played hooky on the last day of the Onsekiz Mart University conference and visited the beautiful little island of Bozcaada. This gem in the northeastern Aegean Sea is only a 35 minute ferry ride from Canakkale. It is blessed with a Mediterranean climate that is perfect for growing wine and table grapes. When you see the photos, you’ll know why I chose a day of sightseeing and sunshine.
The Bozcaada Castle is so old that no one knows who originally built it. No kidding. It was used during the Venetian, Genoese, and Byzantine periods and completely renovated by Fatih Sultan Mehmet. This photo was taken from the ferry as we approached the island.
Our ferry just docked!
The harbor is picture pretty. Those are fishing boats in the foreground.
One more photo of the walkway to the city center: More fishing boats, the harbor master’s office and an outdoor cafe.
Bozcaada’s center is filled with shops, cafes and sidewalk vendors. I had a cup of tea with Leslie S. and two of her brightest students. I wasn’t the only one playing hooky that day!
After tea we visited this Ottoman era cemetery in the courtyard of a mosque. Turkey travel tip: you can find clean public restrooms in almost any mosque. It’s polite to leave a small donation but not required.
Bozcaada is divided into Turkish and Greek neighborhoods. The architecture looks pretty similar but the Greeks seem especially fond of blue accents. We’re posing under a grape arbor in the Greek neighborhood.
More blue trim and an intricate wrought iron entrance.
I love the bouganvilla arch and pretty lace curtains in the window of this home.
This is the money shot. Have you every seen a more beautiful sky and sea?
Just down the beach from the last photo is the Bozcaada Castle. Although the summer season hadn’t officially begun, there were a few sunbathers enjoying the gorgeous day.
Last stop: Ayazma Beach. We took a minibus to the most popular beach on Bozcaada and found it clean and uncrowded. A long walk in the sand, bare feet in the surf, and a few smooth beach rocks in my pockets made this the perfect end to my day off.
All the ELFs who attended the conference gathered at the rooftop bar at the Akol Hotel Saturday evening to watch the sunset and talk about plans for the future. We’ll all be heading in different directions as our fellowships end and our time in Turkey comes to a close.
I didn’t quite meet my goal to catch up all the Turkey blogs this summer and fall. But I’m close!
Next week I’ll fly to Ecuador for my new job teaching English at Yachay City of Knowledge. So should I change the name of my blog to Letters to my Daughter from Ecuador? or something more generic? What do you think, Lili?
Anyone else have suggestions for a new blog name?
ILY Mom
Dear Lili 