Winter Swim in the Black Sea

December 15, 2024|Rick Juliusson

Stimulating or overstim? After 2 weeks of Istanbul delights and Turkish markets, our souls are crying out for fresh air (today’s air quality index is 71: “The air quality is generally acceptable for most individuals. However, sensitive groups may experience minor to moderate symptoms from long-term exposure.”) We hastily pack an overnight bag and head for the hills, or in this case, the Black Sea.

The first half of the 90-minute taxi ride to Ağva crawls through the endless urban sprawl, then finally breaks out into the Turkish countryside with steep winding roads, national parkland and small small towns (without the rural charm of the better-preserved Spanish and French villages). It’s a cool 14 degree (57 F) but sunny day, and before I can talk myself out of it I’m alone in the Black Sea feeling refreshed and free and wondering why I was ever hesitant about a winter plunge (the water and air felt much colder in our Ireland plunges last August).

Agva beach

Fishermen's wharf

Lest you think it's balmy warm in December...

We came back later for sunset in the cold wind

Sarah's Cooking Lesson

Further down the almost-deserted winter coastline we pick a restaurant for a lunch of fresh tuna and whiting before a nap back at our little (“boutique”) hotel. For dinner we find a tiny diner where the owner’s family hurriedly clears the table where they’d been hanging out so we can be by the woodstove. While I watch Turkish soccer, Sarah gets her first cooking lesson as the woman makes spinach-cheese “Gozleme” and the husband prepares Turkish ravioli with yogurt sauce ("manti") in the back family kitchen.

Rolling out the paper-thin dough

Cooking and adding olive oil

Adding the spinach and cheese

Gozeme! Turkish flatbread with spinach and cheese

Summoning our Camino habits, we set out next morning at sunrise for a 16 km hike along the rugged Black Sea coastline. Soul- and body-reinvigorated, we return to the hotel in time for the huge breakfast spread, then elect for the 4-hour bus-ferry public transport back home to our cosy lovepad in Istanbul. Only 31 hours away, but we feel grounded by nature and ready to dive back into whatever our last 2 weeks hold in store.

Princes Island Day Trip

The following weekend, we act like true Istanbulites and hop the ferry to “Princes Islands” (Adalar), the playground of the rich and famous. The ferry ride alone is worth the trip, seeing how incredibly vast Istanbul is - every point we pass reveals yet another expanse of urban sprawl (5,461 square km, 2,063 square miles.) At one point we see nothing but city shoreline for 270 degrees (like, from 7am to 5pm on a clock)

At the big island of Büyükada we squeeze through the trinket- and food-selling gauntlet and out into the wide streets with summer mansions galore. It’s what I imagine Martha’s Vineyard to look and feel like, such a contrast to the industrial lighting district we inhabit in the city and a reminder of how rich and powerful the rich and powerful class is in every country.

Catering to local tourists, all the historic sodas

Fun/spooky lawn decorations

Once again, we enjoy the freshness of the sea air (the ferry took us into the Sea of Marmara), wide streets with no need to constantly sidestep gaping potholes and oblivious Turkish men (city walks are fun but not relaxing), and a different perspective on the history and reality of Turkey. And once again we’re happy to return “home” to our cosy airbnb - renting for a full month gives such a sense of stability and groundedness.