Stand out of Sinop's sunlight

Inceburun lighthouse in Sinop,
the furthest northern point in Turkey.

Sunset view from Sinop's fort.

One of the nicest things about being in Sinop was to remember –yet again- how big and diverse this country is. Located on the Mid-Blacksea coast of Turkey, it is as underrated as Denizli and definitely worth a weekend visit. Interestingly, it is the happiest town in Turkey when in world happiness indexes, Turks are close to the gloomy part of the list, (77th among 156 countries). One of the contributing factors to this happiness may well be that they might know how to live with the least number of things available. Indeed, Diogenes who famously lived in a jar was of Sinop (then Sinope). When asked by the Great Alexander what he could do for him, he famously have said: "stand out of my sunlight". 

All sorts of fish are freshly available
at Sinop.

Fjord like Hamsilos bay in Sinop.

Akliman Bay in Sinop.

Another explanation for the happiness may be the fact that it is in the furthest northern part of the country with the highest amount of sun light. Indeed, a visit to the light house in Inceburun -the furthest northern tip- is a must. It is one of the fewest places in the world where the sun goes up from the sea to also set into the sea. The easiest way to do that is to rent a car or drive to Sinop. When you head out of town towards the direction of the airport, İnceburun, Akliman and Hamsilos are all in the same direction. Hamsilos with its fjord like shape may also serve as the entry point into a hiking trail that is full of endemic birds. Indeed, natural tourism may easily grow in the area given the waterfalls in Erfelek; lake in Ayancik; natural park at Hamsilos and otters under threat of extinction in the area. There are already tour companies that offer it.

Meydankapi mosaics at Sinop archeological museum.

Another view from the mosaics at museum
of archeology in Sinop.

The Fountain of Martyrs at Yalı Kahvesi, Sinop.

The sea, fish and everyhting sea related is in the soul of Sinop. When the fishing prohibition is lifted as of 1 September, fish shops are full, for affordable prices. And restaurants know how to cook it. Fishermen sit around in Meydan Mahallesi and sometimes at Yalı Kahvesi. The latter is a place for everyone to sip tea or coffee and maybe eat a toast. Its humble ways should not fool you as a fountain nearby attests to its historical significance. Indeed, being the shipyard town and port for the Ottoman Navy came at a price for Sinop. When the Ottomans were "the sick man of Europe", the Russians raided the town in 1853 -known as the Battle of Sinop -as part of the Crimean War. Today, the monument for the fallen soldiers is located in the museum of archeology but at Yalı Kahvesi, the re is a fountain commemorating the event. The Fountain of the Martyrs was built with the moneys left in the pockets of the fallen soldiers. Apparently, the Pasha bastions -first built  in the 15th century- were also not much of help given the denseness of the fog. Today, the bastions are decorated with canons and there is constant sound of shelling in the background that makes it all the more real to imagine. 

Monument for the fallen soldiers
 of Sinop Raid of 1853.

Pasha Bastions in Sinop were first built in 15th century.

Street view from few old houses in Sinop.

If you go to Sinop in the summer, the beaches at Akliman, Karaliman and in the city are clean and thus of the few places in Blacksea coast that is so. Another sea related thing in the city is boat modelling which was initiated by two former inmates that were released from the Sinop Prison. Today, there are many shops but Ayhan Kotra seems to have started it. The other shops are all next to his at Iskele Caddesi. Sinop Prison (Cezaevi) is located next to the fortress by the Blacksea and many political and literary figures in Turkey served time here. Given that location, noone has been able to escape it and many movies have been shot in its alleys and corridors. The prison was closed down in 1999 and serves today as a museum. 

A view from the Sinop Prison (museum) today.

The shape of Sinop is like a peninsula but the locals call it an island. If you have a car, driving it all the way will take you to the other side of the city, amid stunning scenery. Along the way, visit Pasha Bastions and drive up to Boztepe where at low visibility, there is a fog horn that warns seafarers. The sea really is the soul of this city. But you can still indulge in meat and Turkish ravioli at Teyze'nin Yeri.

A view from Ayhan Kotra boat modelling shop.

No more lying on the beach at the Mediterranean

I have been holidaying on the Turkish Aegean-Mediterranean coast for as long as I can remember. These holidays usually involved relaxing, sunbathing and swimming but not trekking. So in May 2008 we decided to do a three day backpacking tour on the Lykia Trail that has been recently discovered. The trail is an old trade route of 509 km and covers an area from Fethiye all the way to Antalya. It is mountainous, sometimes hard to pass and at times lacks water. However, it is worth your effort because it preserves incredible views of the Mediterranean through the trees and high cliffs. Some of the places are inaccessible by road. Although it is said to be one of the ten best long distance hiking routes, you must be crazy to hike it during summer.

The Gelidonya lighthouse with the Beşparmak (Five fingers) islands.

We flew from Istanbul to Antalya and ended up in Kumluca, 75 minutes from Antalya airport by cab. After passing Mavikent, we started the trail in Karaöz. This turned out to be a dull walk on road side. So we decided to swim in Korsanini bay and hitch hike until the end of the road to start hiking properly. We walked pretty flat for a while. Towards the late afternoon, however, it all got steep. When we finally got to the famous Gelidonya lighthouse, we were exhausted from climbing. According to the Sky Magazine, the name is coming from "kaledonya" meaning swallow (bird in Lykian language). The lighthouse is the highest in Turkey over 200 metres above sea level. It has an incredible view of the Beşparmak islands which was quiet a dangerous passage way for ships in ancient times due to strong currents. Indeed, you can see the currents from high up. The deeps of the sea is said to contain few ship wrecks. 

Olympos beach where caretta caretta turtles leave their eggs.

We decided to sleep in the porch of the lighthouse while others simply put their tents around the available flat surfaces. The best time of the day was when we took out our Chilean wine that we carried all the way from Istanbul. Unlike the college youth around us who were drinking cheap and (warm) beer, old farts like us hike in style and watch shooting stars all night!

Olympos ruins at the end of the Lykia trail by the river.

Next morning we started the day early as the route all the way to Adrasan (13 km) was going to be tough with lots of climbing. This was exacerbated by the fact that in the lighthouse there was no water. Our wine drinking contributed to dehydration and the “stylish travel” turned into complication! The strong May sun did not make things easy either. So what ever water we were left with, we could only wet our lips for 4-5 hours. You can only imagine what happened when we finally found water. We were like cattle! When we reached Adrasan, a nice dinner on the river was definily earned. 

Typical Adrasan restaurants on the river.

Given the trauma of running out of water the day before, we the girls skipped hiking next day and took a cab to Olympos and spent all day at the beach while "our man" hiked the Adrasan-Olympos route of 16km. Olympos is a special place where the little river from the mountains merges with the sea as well as a natural park where sea turtles (caretta carettas) nest. 

Lykia trail from Kaleköy to Üçağız with tombstones.

At night, we walked from Olympos up to Chimaera. This is a natural gas outlet that looks much more romantic at night with the flames going up randomly. Again we took our wine and coffee while watching the flames. But another option not to exhaust yourself yet again is to basically sit on the beach in Olympos and watch the stars amid the waves like many students and backpackers do. What the Lykia Trail  offers in terms of peace, views and nature is pretty addictive. Our next trekking destination on the Lykia trail will be the route from Appellai (in Kaş) to Kaleköy.

Don't you love Turkish English in Olympos? "Keep clear please!"

A shorter version of this post is available at Hurriyet Daily News.