It Was In March

It was in March when my husband’s friends from the Alpine Garden Society came on a tour to explore some flowers that are in blossom at that time of the year and in certain areas of Turkey. I had the luck to have the opportunity to join them in this adventure I would never imagine I would do. It was a short trip of 4 days out of Istanbul, to Uludag, a famous ski center in Turkey. 

In Eskisehir we met Arda Takan. Arda is a very nice young man, an engineer, and a flora enthusiast and he met Bob and Rannweig online where they shared their passion for the wildflowers. Arda showed us around, took us to his favorite spot to see the most beautiful flowers and specie of Fritillary which excited Bob & Rannveig a lot. At the end of this awesome day, we went for a fantastic dinner in Eskişehir downtown, which is a very lively and charming place.

In Abant, we stayed at a beautiful hotel surrounded by the forest, comfortable and cozy rooms with fireplaces and of course next morning enjoy a delicious and abundant Turkish breakfast, perfect to recharge energy to continue the hiking. 

Besides Abant being my favorite, the entire trip, the weather was perfect; it wasn’t too hot and humid which made the hiking a very pleasant one.  Every sighting was a joy, every flower had its own space, they were there all together like in an enchanted forest. Alper was taking beautiful pictures of every one of them and the setting couldn’t be better.

A few times we made some stops in the dark old forests to have a picnic and to admire the view. These short breaks provided a great opportunity for pleasant conversations and made me appreciate how enjoyable it is to be in nature.