Kept Light» Tenedos

Tenedos, III, the thyme fields

A. Cemal Ekin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:39:55 +0000

As I alluded to a couple of posts before this one, we stumbled upon beautiful fields of thyme between the Aquarium Bays and Ayazma. The view and the aroma captured our full attention. The first day I photographed like a mad man, trying to make sure that I could capture at least the visual impact knowing full well that I would have to leave the aroma behind. We enjoyed the experience so much that we decided to stay another day and visit the same place again the next day. You will see the fields of thyme, with blue, purple, and many shades in between flowers. As the setting sun touched them, the colors became warmer.

Also very interesting, and in supporting role are the mounds of Sarcopoterium spinosum, a.k.a “Çoban Yastığı” or “Çeti” in Turkish. Although it did not display as colorful a display as the thyme fields, its stiff mounds created very interesting shapes and forms both around the thyme fields and elsewhere.

Below are the photographs from these two visits to the fields. The best way to experience the photographs is to grab a bottle of dried thyme, open the bottle and put it close to your nose. Now, breathe ….

Tenedos, II, the second day

A. Cemal Ekin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:07:53 +0000

We wanted to see the island, and the thyme fields, once more and decided to stay another day on the island. The next morning we strolled around town, visited the Bozcaada Museum, a small collection of local artifacts and historical tidbits. After a nice lunch under the pine trees at the center of the town, we returned to the hotel for rest. Later in the afternoon we drove around the island, went to some of the beaches to look for the special sand Elif had asked for. No luck! The plane trees at Ayazma were impressive, and the house Ergun and Binnaz liked very much about 30 years ago was still interesting but in disrepair. Some of the beaches were empty due to high tide, most of the umbrellas and the beach chairs were in the water. In the evening we visited Yakamoz Restaurant again.

The photographs below are from the second day, the next post will be the thyme fields at sunset.

Tenedos, I (Bozcaada)

A. Cemal Ekin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:06:48 +0000

On June 21 we left Ayvalik to catch the ferry to Tenedos, a small island on the northwest corner of the Aegean coast of Turkey. By all calculations we should have made the 1:00 pm ferry very comfortably, but since we left about 20 minutes later than planned, we made it to the boat by the skin of our teeth. The ferry ride was only about 30 minutes long and it was an easy one. Its name comes from “the island of Tenos” and it is located almost directly across from the ancient Troy.

The island has a quiet lifestyle, it has quaint narrow streets with old houses. At the heart of the town is a large medieval castle last restored by the Ottomans after they captured the island. In the evening they illuminate the castle which creates a nice contrast against the night blue sky.

We checked in at the Kaikias Hotel run by a very pleasant woman. Our room was comfortable with all the amenities, even a mosquito net essentially for decorative purposes. We rested until 5:00 pm then went out to tour the island. We drove around the island, saw very nice scenery and stumbled on the most beautiful display of wild thyme fields, all in bloom (another post abot that later). We returned to town and had a very nice dinner at Yakamoz Restaurant, viewing the castle from the harbor.

Here are some photographs from the island, more to come.