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Write: Melih Uslu

Spring Therapy

Do you ever yearn for the green countryside, the heady scent of flowers and the songs of birds? If you do, here are three suggestions for spring strolls that will refresh you in body and soul.

ALMOND BLOSSOMS ON THE AEGEAN
  Almond blossoms, buzzing bees and daisy-dotted hills... Old Datça is one of the best spots on the Aegean for experiencing an early spring. And everything is exactly as you remember it from childhood. Garlanded with bougainvillea and trumpet creeper, houses of stone the color of honey lie scattered around the tiny square. And the environs of this village, where poet Can Yücel lived for many years, are rich in hiking trails.

TUSCAN ROMANTICISM
  Situated in an unspoiled Aegean landscape, Şirince takes on a provocative freshness in spring. The vineyard and peach orchard-covered hills of this village perched on the sides of a wide bowl-like valley where historic houses rise on terraces bring to mind the romantic villages of Tuscany. And the mini-market selling handmade crocheting, olive oil and goat cheese is one of its added boons.

ALMOND BLOSSOMS ON THE AEGEAN
  Almond blossoms, buzzing bees and daisy-dotted hills... Old Datça is one of the best spots on the Aegean for experiencing an early spring. And everything is exactly as you remember it from childhood. Garlanded with bougainvillea and trumpet creeper, houses of stone the color of honey lie scattered around the tiny square. And the environs of this village, where poet Can Yücel lived for many years, are rich in hiking trails.

TUSCAN ROMANTICISM
  Situated in an unspoiled Aegean landscape, Şirince takes on a provocative freshness in spring. The vineyard and peach orchard-covered hills of this village perched on the sides of a wide bowl-like valley where historic houses rise on terraces bring to mind the romantic villages of Tuscany. And the mini-market selling handmade crocheting, olive oil and goat cheese is one of its added boons.

IN SEARCH OF QUIET
  Lake Kovada, which combines spring’s ravishing rite with utter solitude, is situated inside a national park untouched by human hands in the heart of the Taurus. Not a single concrete structure, not even an overhead power line, is to be seen on the shores of this lake surrounded by countless, well-marked hiking trails. You can swim as well on the small sand beaches of this lake with wooden viewing piers.

HOW TO GET THERE
 
  Fly Turkish Arlines to Bodrum or Dalaman and travel overland to Old Datça.

ŞİRİNCE
  THY, İstanbul’dan İzmir’e haftanın her günü karşılıklı sefer düzenliyor. Şirince, havaalanına yaklaşık 60 kilometre uzaklıkta.
  Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to Izmir and back daily. Şirince is 60 kilometers from the airport.

  Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to İsparta and back three days a week. The lake, 28 kilometers from Eğirdir, is accessible by car.
  Situated in an unspoiled Aegean landscape, Şirince takes on a provocative freshness in spring. The vineyard and peach orchard-covered hills of this village perched on the sides of a wide bowl-like valley where historic houses rise on terraces bring to mind the romantic villages of Tuscany. And the mini-market selling handmade crocheting, olive oil and goat cheese is one of its added boons.

IN SEARCH OF QUIET
  Lake Kovada, which combines spring’s ravishing rite with utter solitude, is situated inside a national park untouched by human hands in the heart of the Taurus. Not a single concrete structure, not even an overhead power line, is to be seen on the shores of this lake surrounded by countless, well-marked hiking trails. You can swim as well on the small sand beaches of this lake with wooden viewing piers.