Don't you want to get away from heavy traffic, long lines for a cup of coffee and the unhealthy air of the big cities? Well, if you would like to return to nature in Wordsworthian style, there is a little haven in Turkey's Bilecik that offers visitors a small slice of village life.
A couple from Istanbul decided to act on every urban dweller's dream and founded their own farm in Bilecik's Kınık village. The Organic Life Farm now offers what the couple once only dreamed about: A getaway from city life.
Didem Baran Ergül, 33, an architect, and her husband Çağrı Ergül, 35, an engineer, were having a hard time getting their hands on organic food in Istanbul. In time, they became fed up with workplace stress and decided to turn their family land into a small organic farm with bungalow houses to host people like them who want to relax by getting their hands dirty.
They set up a farm and erected a total of six bungalows. Now, the couple welcomes guests from neighboring cities who want to be close to nature for the weekend. The guests wake up with the crowing of roosters and have breakfast with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers that they collect from the farm themselves. They enjoy lurking around the farm, tasting the fruit and helping with the chores. The farm can host 18 people at a time.Kemal Can, who came to the farm from Istanbul with his family, said the natural beauty of the farm lured them to Bilecik for the weekend. "Children do not have the opportunity to spend time in nature. We stayed for the night and woke up to birds chirping. We ate what we collected from the gardens. It's tastier this way."
Nazile Can had visited the farm before with her friends, so this is her second time around. "I came once before with my colleagues. It is a very wonderful place. We picked strawberries with my grandson and drew water from the well. It's nice to be here," Can added. "It is a peaceful and quite place," said Mustafa Doğan, who came to the farm to get away from the chaotic city. "The nature is nice and there are other places around the farm to spend time. This is the perfect place to get away from the stress of work and the chaos of the city's everyday struggle."
