Today will be a long driving day as we head further south along the coast. Thankfully, Kivanç understands his group needs a decent cup of coffee along the way, with bathroom breaks and snacks. We drive for just over 1 hour from Çanakkale to Adatepe, an adorable village with a population under 400. As we wind our way up the mountain past olive oil groves, the van teeters left and right and looks like it will succumb to the soft, red clay and gravel shoulder at any moment sending us plummeting over the edge. I hold my seat belt tightly, close my eyes and hold my breath at every turn. Heights, not a favourite of mine.
Village of Adatepe
Safely arriving in Adatepe we find a charming village with stone homes with colourful shutters, lovely gardens and like elsewhere in Turkey, cats and dogs. In Adatepe, it’s cats, dogs and chickens. They are allowed to run free and cared for by the residents. Shannon loves cats and has been posting a Cat of the Day photo daily which has been fun.
Fact: There are approximately 500,000 stray cats and dogs in Istanbul and veterinarians spay/neuter to control the population as well as perform surgeries on the injured animals. They deliver food to the animals at various locations around the city. I find this endearing. You will find dogs lying in the middle of the street and people and cars move around them.
We find a shady area with picnic tables and a pergola next to a chicken coop that is more of a condominium. It is three stories high. The rooster is cock-a-doodling, announcing our arrival. Doves are cooing in the branches. It is a relief from the relenting sun. The temperatures as we move inland are warming up. We order some gözleme and fresh pomegranate juice to hydrate us. The gözleme are served with a creamy sauce, different from what we have tried before. Kivanç asks if anyone would like to try a local drink called ayran made from yogurt, salt, and water. I accept the challenge and down it under the watchful eyes of the group who are wincing and screwing up their faces at the idea. It is delicious and prompts me to remember Mom and Dad who enjoyed an occasional glass of cold buttermilk on a hot day. Ayran is a wonderful hydrating drink, a probiotic, and a way to ease the effects of hot food. I will be looking for this when I return to Canada.
Recipe
This link takes you to a site where you will find a recipe for ayran along with different variations. Ayran
While enjoying the scratching sounds of the free-range chickens, a puppy jumps up on the seat and nuzzles my leg with momma dog watching from a safe distance. She is giving me the side eye.
After a rest, we board the van and take a short trip up a mountainous road to the rusty gates leading to the Altar of Zeus on Mount Ida. The location is marked by a tiny sign. Alighting the van, we walk uphill along a winding gravel road. Remnants of an ancient road juts up through freshly laid gravel forcing us to concentrate on each step. It is reminiscent of portions of the El Camino.
The location and view is beautiful and the hike up is a welcome way to burn off those delicious gözlemes. The pines provide shade and hit my nostrils with a herbaceous, peppery aroma. The birds announce our arrival as we continue upwards. I try my e-Bird application, but it doesn’t connect here. It’s a hot day today and having extra water is welcome. The stairs leading to the Altar of Zeus are too uneven and steep for me to manoeuvre without a handrail. I err on the side of caution and stay at the bottom of the stairs. I can hear our group snapping photos which afterwards they share with me. It is a beautiful view of the Aegean coastline, even from where I stand. The water is a brilliant blue and we are so high up that the water and its edges looks like a giant swimming pool. The altar and cistern also known as the Cave of Zeus are carved out of the rocks and the altar was once used for making sacrifices to Zeus. This is the location where army leaders could watch and lead the Trojan War. The descent is certainly easier, and I am grateful to spot Joseph, our driver, and the air-conditioned van.
We drive for a little under an hour to the Nermin Hanim Olive Farm and Restaurant. This is a woman-operated enterprise. Ms. Nermin graduated from ITU in Metallurgical Engineering. She had a dream to indirectly influence health and began research on the production of olives and olive oil. In 2012, she started with 800 trees, 52 acres to now 50,000 trees on 3500 acres. Impressive! You go girl!
In her boutique factory, we learn about the harvesting of olives and the different products they sell. Jocelyn and Kivanç joke about the caps we are wearing. Everyone is laughing and I see a blush from Kivanç. The poor guy must just shake his head at the strong women on this tour. We walk over to a beautiful restaurant, past full-sized animal sculptures, where we are greeted warmly and seated. Today, we can order anything off the menu. The bread is fresh, the olives are incredible and the lamb chops are to die for. There was a mix up or perhaps my order was lost in translation, but lamb chops were placed in front of me. My taste buds dance with delight. Sometimes errors can be a blessing.
Afterwards, we head into the shop and meet the Executive Chef who is cutting off small slices of meat like a shopkeeper in Italy slices prosciutto. We taste, savour and swallow. Shannon, and I take advantage of the photo opportunity with the chef. The cheeses, the olives and pickled products would make great gifts, but we would have to carry them for the remainder of our journey, so we pass.
Carpet Weaving
Next on the agenda is a carpet-weaving demonstration and a hard-sell campaign. It is fascinating how they get the silk out of the silk worm cocoons and then spool the fibres. This company farms silkworms for their carpet production and so mulberry trees, the food for silkworms, are planted here. After the demonstration, we learn about the differences between hand-woven and machine-made rugs. The colours are vibrant and stunning. Everyone has a chance to weave carpet with the guidance of the skilled, local women.
One carpet stands out for me. The salesperson hears me gasp. It would be perfect in my blue and white bedroom. Picking up on the cue, I get wrangled in by a salesperson. Kivanç just laughs. He has me sit, a lady brings me tea, and the salesperson proceeds to hold up the silk rug and demonstrate how it reflects the light. I was a queen for a few minutes. Fellow tour members attempt (thanks Sue! lol) to convince me I should buy it. The salesperson offers to ship it via DHL to me in Canada but also shows me a carrying bag that would easily fit on the plane. It is a fun moment but then I have to politely say no. Kivanç tells me afterwards, it would be better on a wall and not walked on and it was still too expensive even after we bartered. Buyer’s remorse? Maybe a tad. It was gorgeous.
Waving goodbye, we head to Selçuk which will be our stop for the evening. We arrive late at Hotel Akay, receive our room assignment and drop our bags in our room. The first thing we see is a beautiful pool that is begging us to jump in. I can’t believe I’m hungry after that lunch, but we are all famished. The manager kindly keeps the kitchen open for us and assembles an amazing dinner on their rooftop. Tonight is my first experience with Turkish mosquitos. They take chunks out of Shannon. We enjoy wine, good food and conversation until our beds call us shortly thereafter.
I hope to take a dip in this pool tomorrow. It looks so inviting.
Summing up the Day
Favourite highlights of the day:
- Wandering the Village of Adatepe, trying ayran, puppy snuggling
- Nermin Hanim Olive Farm & Restaurant and those lamb chops
- Listening to the birds and smell of pine trees on the way up to the Altar of Zeus
- Watching how silk is extracted from the cocoons of silkworms
