Hüseyin Afacan and his wife, Ayşe Afacan, both in their 70s, have been living a remote life on the island of Çiçek for over 15 years. Away from modern life, the couple restored a ruined Greek house and started raising chickens, ducks and sheep and adopted a dog.
They meet their electricity needs with wind turbines they built and transport water from a well on the island. Waking up early every day, they feed their animals and stroll around the island. They never get bored because their relatives often come to visit them.
“I love this life so much and don’t get bored of it. I don’t have any problems here. We grow vegetables. We guard the island. We produce beans, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, parsley and mint. We raise our lambs. On the island, life becomes more difficult in the winter and we get stranded for days. But I am happier on the island. When I go to the city, I can’t stay; I get bored and go back to the island as quickly as I can.”
You can read the complete story at www.hurriyetdailynews.com.
Gorgeous. May they live long, healthy lives and follow in the footsteps of Baucis and Philemon.