We had walked downwardly the historic ruins of Ephesus, gorged on mouth-watering doners inwards the Selcuk town marketplace together with sipped on warm apple tree çay (apple tea). After having spent v days inwards the lovely piddling town of Selcuk inwards the Izmir share of Western Turkey, nosotros wanted a flavour of the ‘slow hamlet life’. The best house for this (as nosotros were told past times locals together with most guide books) was Sirince!
A little hamlet virtually 8 kilometres off the Selcuk town centre, Sirince has only virtually 600 inhabitants. It is a quiet, quaint hamlet together with most of the buildings in that location appointment dorsum to the 19th century. While the hamlet instantly thrives on tourism together with i mightiness tell it is getting a fleck likewise touristy – its principal attraction is all the same the former the world charm. Walk away from the marketplace street into the little by-lanes lined past times shops & houses, spotter sheep grazing past times the strange meadow or walk uphill to teach a sentiment of the hamlet from the church building boundary.
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| The quaint principal foursquare |
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| Flowers inwards bloom at Sirince |
We were staying at the Selcuk town together with took a dolmus (mini bus) from the Selcuk Otogar (bus station). 25 mins together with three Turkish liras took us upward a comfortable ride to Sirince village.
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| The dolmus (mini van) that shuttles passengers betwixt Selcuk & Sirince |
The Dolmus dropped us at a little hamlet foursquare where a piddling chocolate-brown board announced that this foursquare was the dolmus station for the village. From here, nosotros could walk roughly Sirince (walking is the primary fashion of carry for tourists – although locals maneuver their ain cars or tractors thru the narrow lanes). It was almost sunny amongst a mutual depression temperature nip inwards the air – made the perfect weather condition for a walk.
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| The 'dolmus station' at the hamlet sqaure |
We walked past times the principal hamlet marketplace street where nosotros browsed through shops that sold wines, herbal soaps, wooden handmade toys together with artefacts. It was a colorful sight!
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| A diverseness of locally brewed wines made for a colorful sight inwards the Sirince market |
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| Souvenirs inwards the marketplace amongst the Turkish evil oculus 'nazar' |
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| Wooden Toys - most of them similar Pinochios |
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| Handpainted tiles, Herbal Soaps together with Pickles & Vinegar - all sold at the hamlet market |
When the vino sellers together with souvenir shopkeepers got likewise touristy for us, nosotros took off on i of the by-lanes flanked past times 19th century houses – some swanky, some dilapidated. We walked uphill past times the local mosque to cross a little meadow amongst sheep grazing to their hearts content.
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| Scenes equally nosotros walk past times the bylanes of Sirince - the hamlet mosque, a tastefully done upward solid & sheep grazing inwards a meadow correct behind it |
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| Scenes from the hamlet - a homo cutting forest for making woodfired kebaps, a farmer maneuvering his tractor thru the & a lady selling local spices together with pickles |
Further on, nosotros reached St John the Baptist Church – a 5th Century church building which looked similar it had seen ameliorate days, The (what were once) beautiful frescos were damaged but thankfully undergoing structured restoration. We lit a candle at the altar together with said a placidity prayer. The church building path was lined amongst vendors selling mitt made lace shawls, soaps together with fifty-fifty freshly baked bread.
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| St John the Baptist Church - the facade, the altar together with the 'what were i time artistic' frescos |
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| A lady selling handmade lace shawls & capes |
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| An former lady was selling freshly baked breadstuff exterior the church building gate - which she had covered amongst a blanket to drib dead along them fresh together with warm |
The walk made us hungry together with nosotros went to a eating theater called Ocakbaşı (meaning ‘fireplace’ inwards Turkish). This was an opened upward air eating theater overlooking the valley serving upward hot gozlemes (stuffed crepes), wood-fired kebaps, meat stuffed vine leaves together with non forget the staple apple tree çay (apple tea).
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| The Ocakbasi eating theater overlooking the valley served upward hot woodfired kebaps made past times local village-women & meat stuffed vine leaves |
A eating theater possessor scrubbing the walls clean
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| Locals & Tourists grab upward over some Apple Cay at the hamlet sqaure. The conversation eventually broke out into a peppy Turkish song |
After a hearty repast that made us warm together with cosy, nosotros walked dorsum to the marketplace together with browsed through some to a greater extent than souvenirs earlier catching a dolmus dorsum to Selcuk.
There are several legends on how Sirince (pronounced Shi-rin-jé) got its lift – including i that says this hamlet was gear upward past times freed Greek slaves who named it Çirkince (meaning "Ugly" inwards Turkish) to deter others from next them. The village's lift was afterwards changed to Şirince (meaning "Charming") inwards 1926 past times the together with thence governor of Izmir. We indeed works life the hamlet thence charming together with a bang-up agency to pass a brilliant sunny morning!
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Useful Info:
Getting There:
Sirince is ideally a 24-hour interval trip from Selcuk town inwards Western Turkey.
Selcuk town is virtually an hour’s campaign from the Adnan Menderes Airport inwards Izmir (Western Turkey). Izmir is good connected amongst daily domestic flights from Istanbul.
Selcuk town is virtually an hour’s campaign from the Adnan Menderes Airport inwards Izmir (Western Turkey). Izmir is good connected amongst daily domestic flights from Istanbul.
Selcuk to Sirince: Take a Dolmus (Minibus) from the Selcuk Otogar to Sirince – 25 mins, three Liras per person. The Dolmus leaves from Selcuk every one-half hr during summertime together with drops you lot at the Sirince principal hamlet square. When you lot teach off, brand certain to inquire the driver for furnish dolmus timings (especially the terminal autobus back) thence that you lot tin fourth dimension your return.
Child Friendliness Quotient: Very High. Children volition dearest walking through the hamlet (with really piddling traffic), spotter sheep/ cows/ donkeys/ roosters roughly the village, sit down on the i of tractors (which most owners are okay with) or lead hold a horseback ride roughly the village.Most of Sirince is cobble-stoned though, thence makes for a slightly fossil oil pram ride if you lot lead hold infants.
Vegetarian Tips:
Most restaurants serve a diverseness of vegetarian Turkish meals – elbow grease the vegetable stuffed vine leaves, cottage cheese stuffed gozlemes together with caprine animal cheese stuffed baked capsicum.