I got to Egirdir on the 30th of October. It is a lovely spot in the Taurus mountains at an altitude of 930m (3000ft): the scenery is breathtaking, the lake wide and (not only in November) cold.
The one hike I did, to the top of The Needle, was challenging – and rewarding. Stunning views, despite the rain and the wind. A bit of a slide coming down the steep screes, where walking poles would have been very welcome. Hired a taxi (no car rental in town) the next day and enjoyed visiting the Zidan Cave (there is, of course, a Hellenistic dwelling in front, and a Roman bridge nearby) and the Yazili canyon. It was a real pleasure to have Dominika, a 21 year old Cambridge Classics graduate, as a companion. And, of course, Jenghis (“like Khan”) the taxi driver, a local man, a bit of a maverick who’s been places and who spoke English. The haggling settled the cost of the trip at 2350TL – c £80, and though it’s a fortune in Turkey (the monthly mortgage is c 3000) I thought it worth it. Jenghis stopped whenever we wanted to take a photo (such as of mounds of apples along the road, waiting to be processed into juice or freeze dried… this is THE apple province and the scent of apples is everywhere.
He persuaded us to have the freshly caught trout for lunch after our canyon walk, and it was delightful. Especially as we had it at the table set on the river, with water murmuring underneath. (This did not deter the cats; they are well versed in how to get whatever is left of the fish.)
I took a bike ride around part of the lake (where there are bike paths – the main roads are a bit chaotic and feel unsafe for a lonely cyclist (even with a helmet on – a rare sight); a lot of beeping goes on. Late autumn is probably not the best time to come here: the visitors are few and far between, which means all sightseeing is costlier as not shared. But, and it is a big but: it is beautiful and very picturesque. I hear the wind soughing down the steep mountain slopes to the water as I write. And the autumn colours are putting an impressionistic palette on everything.
Most hotels are shuttered now, the locals (some 16000) are selling/buying fruit and vegetables to pickle and preserve for winter. The olives, apples, nuts, spices, beans, pomegranates, aubergines, gherkins, okra, potatoes, peppers, all waiting for buyers. And there are nice, large, shiny pots, just waiting to be used.
Maribibi_travels 