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A famous quote by Benoit Paul Denis Joseph Marie Yves Hanquet
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| Lake Egirdir |
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| At the car rental |
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| A raki table, always a nice way to finish a day. |
As usual I was the last one to arrive at the airport, and as always (well, almost always) I made it on time. Arriving at the gate I met with my travel companions, Benoit, who was the organizer, leader and superhero of the trip, his charming wife Aysun and beautifully souled Huseyin. The flight from Istanbul to Isparta took only about an hour, which was just enough time to read through the newspaper while fighting off Aysun’s attempts to strike a conversation. Our first mission in Isparta was finding a rental car, which was accomplished after a few enquiries. We settled on a Fiat Albea that ran on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). As an alternative to the highly priced gasoline these cars are modified to run on LPG by installing a tank in the trunk, which works just fine unless you’re rear ended, which could cause the tank to explode, turning you into a nice smoked jerky. We decided it wasn’t all that bad of a way to end one’s life and rented the car. By that time it was already dark, so we headed directly to our first destination of Egirdir Lake. The area is known as “the land of lakes” as it contains many lakes of various sizes. We checked into a “pansiyon” (from the french word “pension”) which in Turkey signifies a cheap accommadation similar to a motel. Benoit had been to the area many times before as a guide leading walking tours, so we were warmly welcomed by the Charly’s Pansiyon owner Ibrahim Bey (Bey is turkish for mister). He showed us a video of the rose harvesting tours they organize in the spring time and explained the whole process. Isparta is famous for its roses, which are grown in large numbers and exported. Rose oil obtained from the flower is used in cosmetics, rose water and its petals are used in food products to flavor deserts and make rose jam out of. Eating a spoonful of rose jam with its petals floating in it is a sensual experience.
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