I just read an article about a lighthouse, that’s also a library, that focuses on lighthouses. The Sivrice Deniz Feneri Kütüphanesi (Sivrice Lighthouse Library) is collecting all the books about lighthouses ever published, and it’s publishing some of its own. Amazing.
I’m in love with lighthouses. I grew up sailing on the Connecticut coast, and the slow movement across the water gave me a deep appreciation for the rhythmic sweep of a lighthouse’s beam at night. Reading the light itself and deciphering the symbols on a chart places me and keeps me off the rocks. White, white, white, red, in a thirty second cycle, means I’m looking at New London Ledge Light in the middle of the Thames River. Cross-referencing it with the red flash of Race Rock Lighthouse every ten seconds points me safely down Fishers Island Sound, towards Avery Point and Latimer Reef lights.
When I’m away from the water, I tend to read about lighthouses: stories of keepers, stories of builders, stories about the Coast Guard selling the houses to private organizations who can maintain the structures. There’s something inspiring about the people who live a harsh and solitary life for the safety of others and those who maintain maritime history.
So now, I want to travel to a cape about halfway between the Dardanelles and Izmir – totally out of the way – to go read books about one of my favorite topics.
When: Summer only – the library is closed in winter
Where: about 10 miles east of Babakale, Turkey
How: Drive about 8.5 hours from Istanbul (via Izmit, Bursa, Balikesir, Edremit) or 5.5 hours north from Izmir along the coast. Bus available to Babakale, ferry ports nearby.
Have you read anything recently that has inspired a new addition to your travel list?
I’m in love with lighthouses. I grew up sailing on the Connecticut coast, and the slow movement across the water gave me a deep appreciation for the rhythmic sweep of a lighthouse’s beam at night. Reading the light itself and deciphering the symbols on a chart places me and keeps me off the rocks. White, white, white, red, in a thirty second cycle, means I’m looking at New London Ledge Light in the middle of the Thames River. Cross-referencing it with the red flash of Race Rock Lighthouse every ten seconds points me safely down Fishers Island Sound, towards Avery Point and Latimer Reef lights.
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| Race Rock Lighthouse, Fishers Island Sound, NY |
So now, I want to travel to a cape about halfway between the Dardanelles and Izmir – totally out of the way – to go read books about one of my favorite topics.
When: Summer only – the library is closed in winter
Where: about 10 miles east of Babakale, Turkey
How: Drive about 8.5 hours from Istanbul (via Izmit, Bursa, Balikesir, Edremit) or 5.5 hours north from Izmir along the coast. Bus available to Babakale, ferry ports nearby.
Have you read anything recently that has inspired a new addition to your travel list?
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