Getting a Jump on Spring, Ağva Style

The timeless, hand-powered pully ferries

It’s a great feeling to explore those cities which aren’t printed in Lonely Planets or blogged upon on travel sites. It gives one a feeling of originality, even if the trip wasn’t some long adventure (and thanks to an invitation from a friend to tag along, of course). And its extra nice when you get a jump start on the seasonal crowds, when spring is just beginning to leak out of the canister of winter.

Agva (pronounced Ah-va), however, can in no way be classified as unknown to Istanbullus, who, on summer weekends, choke the windy hill roads enroute to this cozy Black Sea town and beach, roughly 75 km northeast from the middle of Istanbul, passing villages populated by herders and Gypsy girls washing clothes by the side of the road.

This seaside village that is to the day tripping delight of the city’s middle class isn’t too exciting in and of itself, but it fronts a very pleasant stream where you can rent paddle boats and cruise past a unique, hand-powered ferry system that pension owners constructed to shuttle guests/customers from one side to another using a series of ropes attached to pulleys. We ate a delicious breakfast of menemen (scrambled eggs with spices and veggies and oil) at the same waterfront restaurant that rented us our paddleboats.

A great beach and a great day for taking pictures

Though it was still a bit chilly, one could still imagine the summer Turkish crowds packing the sand with their sunflower seeds and mini-barbeques on that March afternoon. Nevertheless, on that day my two friends and I were the only people on the wide flat beach as far as the eye could see, a treat that is never taken for granted living in our 14 million plus metropolis.

And it is a fine beach — If you like ocean-type beaches with rougher surf, course sand, driftwood, etc. Agva and the surrounding coastline resemble my native Oregon coast in certain ways, were it not for the plastic water bottles washing ashore, reminders of how Turkey lags behind places like Oregon insomuch as giving a damn about the environment.

On the way back, we stopped to have dinner in Polonezkoy (see my earlier post) at a restaurant and garden with pleasant views of the rolling pastoral countryside. The first blossoms of white and pink were in bloom — the first hint of rebirth and renewal of the new season — as we dined on barbecued chicken.

I am reminded of Tom Waits lyrics: “You can never hold back spring. Remember everything that spring can bring!”

(see also this guy’s post about camping at Agva)