Yalova to Termal – 6th September
Distance: 14.0 km – Elevation +290 m -180 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 27 degrees
I liked Yalova, a small compact town. It has a wonderful sea promenade, lots of green areas, and a beautiful tree-lined avenue. It has restaurants and cafes but also quiet areas away from the crowds.
I started today with a good breakfast in the top-floor hotel restaurant with its panoramic views out across the sea of Marmara to the distant northern shore. Leaving the hotel at 8.00 am my route took me past the gleaming white minarets of the Yalova Merkez Camii and on across the Selimandira River via the Post Office bridge with its bronze sculptures of children playing and reading created by Özcan Kılıç, and from there the tree lined promenade that would take me out of town. I passed by the statue erected to honour Hayrettin Karaca, the renowned environmentalist who founded the Karaca Arboretum in Yalova, the first private arboretum in Turkey. I also passed and stayed a while at the Yalova Earthquake Monument which commemorates the victims of the 1999 Izmit earthquake that killed more than 2500 residents and destroyed so much of the town of Yalova. It is located in the 17 Ağustos Parkı, which was renamed to commemorate the date when the earthquake occurred.
The route out of town took me through the village of Samanli and on the outskirts of the village as I was wending my way up the first hill of the day I passed by a small single-story house where I was invited to sit and rest by a rather excited man who was full of smiles and as I sat I was joined by another more relaxed man who welcomed me and introduced me to his wife and gave me a glass of tea. Whilst I was resting the family prepared a meal on an outside table set in the shade of the garden, and when it was ready I was invited to eat. As we started to eat, others came from the village to join the family, and soon there were eight around the table, including a daughter who was an English teacher and was able to translate and relay to all around the table the reason why I was walking past their home that day. After my explanation there was a lot of lively and happy chatter around the table, and although I did not understand the words I knew they were talking about me and were happy to welcome me to their home. It was a special moment.
Having thanked my hosts I continued the climb to reach the top of the hill where looking back I was greeted with glorious views across the plains below to Yalova. The path was now a dirt road that descended through a mixture of woodland and cultivated fields and at times provided extraordinary panoramic views out towards the sea of Marmara. I reached the village of Akköy with its mixture of old and new houses and continued on to Gökçedere where before my final climb to my hotel in Termal, I was greeted by two brothers who run a cafe and they invited me in for a glass of tea. One of the brothers spoke good English and we had an interesting conversation about the Turkish Republic and socialism. I arrived at the Thermal Park Hotel in Termal at 3.00 pm after a wonderful day’s walk, my first in Asia Minor. It was short on distance but long on hills and full of wonderful surprises.
Termal is renowned for its hot springs and thermal baths and I would imagine at the height of summer it is a busy town but now it was relatively quiet. From the hotel, I walked through the main street lined with shops and cafes. I sat at an outside table of one of the cafes and ordered supper and whilst waiting for the food to be served I heard the approaching beat of a drum, turning in my seat I saw a young boy dressed in robes sitting astride a horse being led through the main street, followed by a small crowd and a three-man band. This was a sünnet ceremony, a celebration of the circumcision of the young boy on the horse. Dressed in traditional Ottoman era white robes including a cape the young boy is “Sultan for the day. The sünnet ceremony is an important celebration for Muslim families in Turkey, it is the beginning of their son’s journey from boyhood to manhood. In present day Turkey most circumcisions are completed in hospitals during the first seven days after birth. Some parents wait until their son is 7 years of age so that they can explain the reasons for circumcision. It is illegal in Turkey to undertake circumcision between the ages of 2 and 6.
Very few of those who passed by entered the little shops or visited the market stalls located beneath the coloured umbrellas that were strung high above the main street. I did buy a punnet of plump blackberries which were delicious! It was a cool evening as I sat outside for supper. It had been a while since I felt the need for long sleeves.
