Bozcaada is a relaxing alternative to busier islands elsewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean. Photo / Getty Images
Bozcaada is a relaxing alternative to busier islands elsewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean. Photo / Getty Images
As Turkey rebuilds from a devastating earthquake, Bozcaada Island is open to visitors. Combine a sojourn with a poignant Anzac pilgrimage to the nearby Gallipoli Peninsula, writes Brett Atkinson.
What to see
Just half an hour from the Turkish mainland, Bozcaada has a long Aegean Sea history dating back to antiquity. Past conquerors and colonisers leaving their cultural and culinary mark include the Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans, and the sun-kissed and low-slung island was even mentioned in Homer’s Greek epic the Iliad. Uncover layers of history around Bozcaada Town, anchored on its eastern edges by the leviathan Bozcaada Castle. Originally built in Byzantine times, it’s also experienced Grand Designs makeovers by the Venetians, Genoese and Ottomans. Ferries arriving nearby are dwarfed by its towering walls and defensive moat, and from the castle, cobblestoned streets garlanded with flowers lead to Bozcaada’s Greek Quarter. The Church of St Mary is one of two Greek Orthodox churches remaining on the island, and cafes and restaurants enliven the area’s backstreets from lunchtime through to late night.
View over Bozcaada township from its namesake castle. Photo / Getty Images
At just 38sq km – less than half the size of Waiheke – Bozcaada is the smallest of the islands of Turkey’s Aegean Coast. Grapes have been grown here since antiquity, and wine and olive oil was exported when the island was part of the Greek and Roman empires. In more recent contemporary times, the island was known as Tenedos and was central to fighting between Greece and the Ottoman Empire from 1912 to 1921. During the Gallipoli campaign in World War I, it was a staging post for the British Royal Navy. Following its return to the modern state of Turkey in 1922, the island’s Greek winemaking heritage was abandoned, and only in recent decades has this legacy been revived. Winemakers – showcased at vineyards around the island or in Bozcaada Town – include Corvus, owned by well-known Turkish architect Resit Soley, and Amadeus with a relaxed cellar door in a rural valley. From the Corvus cellar door, it’s a short drive to the twin sandy coves of Akvaryum Plaji (Aquarium Beach) on Bozcaada’s southern coast. The shallow and sheltered Sulubahce Plaji is recommended for west coast sunsets.
At 38 sq km, Bozcaada Island is less than half the size of Waiheke Island. Photo / Getty Images
Where to eat
Venture to the venerable Cicek Pastanesi, first established in 1959, to try sweet and savoury treats including tenedos kurabiye, delicate Bozcaada-style almond biscuits, and pogacas, gossamer-light breakfast rolls stuffed with olives and feta cheese. Bozcaada’s restaurants can be relatively expensive, especially around the harbour, so head to the good-value Boboz for lunch. This modern spin on a sandwich shop features crunchy loaves crammed with surprising flavour combos. Try the Bambam, number 10 on the menu, and combining bacon with walnut butter and gouda cheese. Wine and beer are available, along with the mooching company of a few island cats sleeping outside. Social felines are usually also a feature at Hasan Tefik, a relaxed eatery shaded by a grape arbour, and decorated with historic black and white photos of Bozcaada. Choose from a dizzying array of mezze – the cicek dolmasi (stuffed zucchini flowers) are excellent - and if the octopus is available, you know what to do.
Discover relaxed laneways and eateries in Bozcaada, Turkey. Photo / Getty Images
Begin the day at Kahverengi, a coolly cosmopolitan spot that wouldn’t be out of place in Wellington or Melbourne. Of course, bracing Turkish coffee is available, but there are also excellent lattes and flat whites. Sit outside in the shaded alley and also check out the onsite store selling local jams and gourmet produce. The best place to try wines from Bozcaada’s Camlibag winery is the Tenedion Winehouse. Secure a spot under the bar’s colourful street art and team local cheese with Camlibag’s vasilaki, a dry and refreshing wine native to Bozcaada. A nine-wine-tasting flight including Bozcaada cabernet sauvignon and merlot is around NZ$8. Around twilight, the action often moves to Salhane, a former waterfront abattoir, but now offering castle views from its own jetty at the northern end of the harbour. Back in the old town, Sapa dispenses late-night cocktails from their hole-in-the-wall corner location. A few creative concoctions harness the aniseed notes of raki, Turkey’s traditional aperitif.
Drinks harness the aniseed notes of raki, Turkey’s traditional aperitif. Photo / Getty Images
Where to stay
On the northern edge of Bozcaada Town’s Greek Quarter, the whitewashed Esinti Otel has stylish and spotless rooms with ocean views. For a more rural stay near vineyards, they also run the Esinti Bag Evi (Esinti Wine House). See bozcaadaesinti.com.
Getting there
Fly to Istanbul via Dubai with Emirates or via Doha on Qatar Airways. Car ferries to Bozcaada leave from Geyikli, five hours’ drive southwest of Istanbul.
Getting around
Having your own transport on Bozcaada definitely makes it easier to explore beaches and vineyards.
Visiting Gallipoli Peninsula
A recommended strategy for New Zealand travellers is to catch a bus from Istanbul to Canakkale (four hours), and then rent a car in Canakkale to explore the Anzac history of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Driving south from Canakkale to Geyikli is around an hour, with the opportunity to visit the superb Museum of Troy en route.
From Geyikli, catch the Geyikli-Bozcaada Feribot ferry to Bozcaada Island. Taking approximately 35 minutes.
Anzac Cove: As the landing site of the Anzac when they first arrived on April 25, 1915, a visit to this small cove is a poignant reminder that it was once the main base for more than 27,000 Australian and New Zealand troops during the eight-month Battle of Gallipoli.
Lone Pine Cemetery: The site of trenches and one of the bloodiest battles of the Gallipoli campaign, Lone Pine now hosts the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Chunuk Bair: Every Anzac Day, the New Zealand memorial service is held at Chanuk Bair. As the second-highest peak of the Sari Bair mountain range, New Zealand troops successfully managed to take control on August 8, 1915; the acquisition was monumental, albeit later lost to the Turks.
Shrapnel Valley: Both beautiful and haunting, Shrapnel Valley is a peaceful Anzac memorial site and cemetery with a striking Judas tree at its centre. Once the main route for Allied troops transporting essential supplies to the front line, heavy fire resulted in mass casualties.
Lone Pine was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Gallipoli campaign.
Photo / Getty Images
For more things to see and do in Turkey, visit goturkiye.com
