As I continue detailing our journey through Kırklareli, I can't help but hope that you will travel to this city that you perhaps haven't even heard of to see it for yourself, if not for anything else but for the sake of the sunflowers.
After the floodplain forests in Kırklareli, you can see Iğneada Lighthouse and continue on your way a little further to stop by the village of Beğendik.
Although Beğendik is a border village, it does not have a border gate.
You can wave to the Bulgarian village of Rezovo on the opposite side of the coast and see the flags of two different countries waving very close to each other. Those who want to cross into Bulgaria from here can use the Dereköy border gate, the closest border gate, which is about 2 1/2 hours away.
The village of Beğendik has a long beach on the coastline of the Black Sea. It is possible to swim in the sea when the fierce waves of the Black Sea allow it.
The road to the beach ends with a military sign, but you can reach the beach by continuing to the right. This military sign and the wires extend further along the border between Bulgaria and Turkey.
You should come to Beğendik Beach having prepared something to eat and drink. You can find toast, ayran and water in makeshift huts, but that's it. It is best to swim when the sea is calm and without waves. The beach is very long and is also ideal for those looking for a quiet place. It is forbidden to pitch a tent on the beach, but there are great places for tents and camping nearby.
Even if you don't dip your toes in the sea, you can also throw your chairs on the beach and have a drink here, accompanied by the fierce waves of the Black Sea.
Another historical address you can stop by on your way back is Demirköy Fatih Foundry.
This is considered the first war industrial center of the Ottoman Empire.
The foundry where the şahi cannons – or the Great Turkish Bombard whose initial designs were made by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II and were used to breach the Byzantine walls during the conquest of Istanbul – were cast, is currently being restored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Dupnisa Cave can be your last stop, which you can visit after the foundry and from which you can go to Kırklareli Center.
You can visit Dupnisa Cave, the first and only cave of Thrace opened to tourism, between eight in the morning and five in the afternoon.
The cave houses a continuously flowing underground river alongside stone formations. The white, red and brown stalactites, stalagmites and columns, some of which are giant, both inspire admiration and shudders at the same time.
The atmosphere of the cave varies a lot over short distances. It is also useful to bring something with long sleeves with you when entering the cave, which is quite humid and cool in some parts.
You can easily tour the cave, which has a 450-meter (1,345-feet) walking pier and lighting.
The cave is also the breeding ground for many different bat species.
The dry part of the cave, which in its entirety consists of two floors and three sections, is kept closed at certain times of the year for the breeding bats, which usually falls between Nov. 15 and May 15. The dry cave section is also a conservation area for bat species.
You can easily visit these places, which are very close to each other, in two or three days by planning a sensible route. In addition, you can also include Kıyıköy's Monastery of Saint Nicholas, Cehennem (Hell) Waterfalls and the Vize Castle, which are all close to this destination.
At the same time, you can include in your route a place where you can feel the city air after such a natural environment: The town of Lüleburgaz, which is about an hour away from the center of Kırklareli. You can have soup in one of the famous soup shops of Lüleburgaz and take a walk on the famous Istanbul Street.
Those who consider historical textures indispensable in their travels can visit the Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Complex and Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Bridge, which are spread over a very wide area.
Sometimes cities you have never heard of can provide you with an unexpected and unforgettable travel experience. Therefore, make a note of the name "Kırklareli."
At the same time, definitely make this trip in July. Because in July, sunflowers, which are one of the livelihoods of Thrace, start to bloom. On the way to Thrace, you will see yellow fields on both sides along the way. These are the fields of sunflowers.
Here they call sunflowers "sun-turned," or "sun-seeker." Each of these flowers for some reason seems to me to have a different expression. It's like they're all different characters and they're going to talk to me. Some are laughing, some are frowning, some are sad, some are curious. If I stopped to take a photo on the way, I always want to take a photo with each of them separately. I'm sure you'll want to stop more than once and take lots of pictures with these delicate blondes.
There is a legend about these beautiful flowers.
The god of art, music and the sun, Apollo, was fascinated by the melody of a song he heard while walking on the shores of Pytya.
He followed the sound and saw a young woman picking up pearls on the shore.
Apollo watches the woman for a long time and is very impressed by her. He finally shows himself, and they meet. The young woman's name is Klytie, and she is not a princess or a fairy as Apollo had thought, just a mortal country girl who takes care of her sick father by selling pearls.
Apollo immediately heals the girl's father.
The two lovers spend a long time together filled with love.
However, Apollo knows that as an immortal god, he cannot stay bound to Klytie forever, and he loses his heart to another woman. He persuades Klytie to visit her father, whom she hasn't seen for a long time.
Apollo leaves Klytie there and never returns.
Every day, Klytie waits for the next day to rise, in case Apollo will come.
Days pass and Klytie dies heartbroken.
She confronts Zeus. Zeus says to her: "You sacrificed yourself for Apollo. Do you love him that much?"
The young woman says without hesitation, "I would fall in love with him again if I descended to Earth again."
Zeus is very impressed by what he hears and makes a decision.
"I will send you to earth as a sunflower.
"When Apollo appears in the sky, face him until the sun goes down."
Thus, Klytie's body first withers and turns into a twig.
A flower covered with yellow petals blooms from her head.
She becomes the first sunflower, a bloom that constantly turns its head toward the sun and bends its neck when the sun goes down.
Afterward, even a rhyme was created for the sunflower: "Sunflower, sun-worshipper, scorched with love fled to black smoke" – admittedly the rhyme does not translate that great in English.
I don't know, maybe this legend shaped my perspective on sunflowers, but I do this route every July just to see the sunflowers.
When you embark on this trip, your journey that started in the arms of the yellow fields filled with beautiful and loving flowers will continue at the foot of the Strandzha Mountains.
I believe this journey among the green, streams, forests and basically in the lap of nature with its wonderful views along the way and its civilized, cultured and happy people, will be very good for you.
