Alis Pension on Lake Egirdir

http://www.alispension.com/index.html

Hi All,

  We left Marmaris Monday July 4th and we’re having the time of our lives.  Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but maybe not.  In just 3 days we have loads of stories to tell and hundreds of photos.  and we’ve just begun this trip.  We planned to travel inland to Isparta, Konya, Anatalya, and along the coast back to Marmaris.  We didn’t plan to come here to Egirdir but are so glad that we did.  Turkey’s lake district is beautiful with blue blue lakes surrounded by stark mountains.

Isparta is known for its rose cultivation and the production of rose water and rose oil.  We are here after the main production season that ended in June but thought we might see something of it.  By incredible luck we met wonderful people and the result was we were sent from Isparta to Guneykent where the mayor rolled out the red carpet for us with a tour of the fields, a visit to a village rose still where the water and oil are made and then lunch back in Guneykent.  Words can’t describe what warmth and hospitality we were shown.  I will write up the story for our blog when we are back on the boat with photos of all of the people who made our day in Isparta and then Guneykent so special.  In the meantime, look at the websites.  Google should translate the pages for you.  Thank you Bulent Akbas in Isparta and Mayor Fahretdin Gozgun, Emre Yaunkaya (hope that is spelled right) and Ahmed and the village family in Guneykent.  We want to share you with all of our friends and hope some may be lucky enough to meet you one day. 

http://www.guneykent.bel.tr/baskaninmesaji/index.php      Click on Resimler  for photos of the town and rose industry.  If for some reason this doesn’t work search guneykent and gul  and this link should be a choice.  Gul means rose.