Bozcaada

Many people from Istanbul make this little island a romantic destination during the summer months due to it’s small size, friendly people, and breathtaking beauty all for a reasonable price. If you are a history buff then you would also like to know that this island was mentioned in the Iliad (yes, very true per Wikipedia and my mother). The little island use to be part of Greece and you can see the Greek influence everywhere. If you are in Istanbul for an extended period of time and need a weekend trip I can not recommend this place more.

When I was studying abroad in Turkey my friend, Robert (from Poland/Germany) and I decided to take a weekend trip to a small island in the Aegean sea known as Bozcaada.  It’s right off the coast of Çanakkale. If you are like me and like to save money, you can take a 6 hour bus ride from Istanbul to Çanakkale and then a ferry to Bozcaada, an enchanting little island full of nature and wonderful people.

We had no idea where we’d stay when we got there but assumed that there would be a place. We were so wrong. After traveling all day we get off a boat and try to find a hotel to discover they are all closed because it’s off season and rainy (Pro Tip: Book a hotel in Bozcaada in advance- always). So we wander around looking for anything with an open sign and an older Turkish lady, who we’d come to know as Mrs. Tuna, asked us what were we doing running around looking lost.

In our broken Turkish we told her of our ordeal and she invited us to stay with her for the weekend. So we did. We slept on two couches (which were comfortable) ate homemade breakfast and dinner and met her son who owned a bike shop. He offered to rent us a bike for the day but we decided to walk and it was the best decision we could have made.

We got utterly lost. We trespassed on a vineyard, ended up in a garbage dump, hitch-hiked in a truck to an empty hotel where they made us manti, then we hitch-hiked in another large white truck to the sea. The sea was crystal blue and the beach was covered with tiny, hard, rocks. We were alone, of course, there was no one for what seemed like miles and the only noise in the air was the sound of the waves pushing against the shore. We just sat there looking out.

Hours later we made it back to Mrs. Tuna who fed us and put us to bed. It was a great adventure and one that will stay with me for life.

I’d highly recommend the island and a tour of the island if you are less adventurous than I (I was in my early 20’s at the time).

I never forgot the island and hope to return again one day.

Take a trip down memory lane with me:

Mrs. Tuna, her son, and my friend.

The view from Mrs. Tuna’s house as we left early to embark on a full day of exploring.

A boat house. The island was full of color.

The outside of a house. Patched of color were everywhere.

Near the sea a boat lays on the shore.

If you walk long enough off trail you’ll come to this beautiful spot overlooking the sea.

A lunch we had once we got “rescued” via hitch-hiking.

A black and white picture of a beautiful house. I had never seen someone put artwork outside of their home before.

The beach was empty except for us and the boat. We had finally made it to the shore and this is what we found.

Walking along the shore I understood why this island is a best kept secret.

The morning we left my friend wanted to get up early to take pictures of the rising sun. As I watched him I made a friend. She would not let me pet her but she was very protective of us when other dogs came around.

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