Sinop's "enjoyable" waterfalls

In the hills 32 kilometers behind Sinop, a mountain stream and the province's unique geology have collaborated to create a splendid progression of waterfalls--28 to be exact! Cascading down stratified rock layers, the Tatlıca Şelaleleri (that-luh-jah sheh-lah-leh-lehr-ee), or "Enjoyable Falls," in Erfelek truly live up to their name.

Roads to the falls from downtown Sinop are decent and well marked. Arriving at the falls, visitors are greeted with a choice. Because of the rock layers, one can climb the falls for a close-up view. This can be fairly risky in places, not least when hopping stones across the water, but the close-up experience of the falls is spectacular. If you go in summer, hiking sandals that can get wet are definitely the way to go. Alternatively, visitors can stay on the patio trail constructed by the park authority two years ago. The constructed trail which takes visitors past many of the falls runs high along the hill above the falls, so views are somewhat obstructed. Observation platforms along the way, however, offer visitors a more close-up experience.

At the end of the patio trail is a small tesis (teh-sees), or rest area, called the Gözde Değirmen (gerz-deh deh-eer-men) Cafe. A tree-covered tea garden, the cafe embodies the essence of Black Sea culture. Arriving at the cafe, you're likely to find Elmas Hanım at the wood-fired stove brushing butter over freshly crisping gözleme (gerz-leh-meh), paper thin layers of dough stuffed with feta or potatoes. Each day, Elmas makes the three kilometer hike from her village of 18 people down to the cafe. It takes her just about an hour. There she joins her nephew and some other helpers and spends the morning making preparations for the day's visitors. If you're early enough, enjoy a refreshing ayran (aye-rahn), Turkey's famous yoghurt beverage, poured from the yayık (yah-yuck), a wooden barrel churn used for making ayran. Of course tea and Turkish coffee are also available, as are jars of a wide variety of Elmas' homemade jams and molasses made from quinces, apples, mulberries, and plums. As you venture out to head back down the falls, be sure to buy a jar to take with you!