The James Bond Bridge of Adana

There’s a word in Turkish that doesn’t have a precise correlative in English. It is the word gezmek. While some might translate it directly as “site-seeing,” in reality it means so much more. A quick look at Tureng shows this word as having over 30 possible meanings, depending on the context. It can refer to traveling, seeing, exploring, and wandering all at once. Cities in Turkey are often talked about in reference to their most “gez-able” features, such as parks, memorials, historical sites, natural wonders, etc.

One such “gez-able” place around Adana is the Varda Bridge, located about an hour and 15 minute drive from the city center. It is sometimes referred to as the Alman Köprüsü, or German bridge, because it was built by Germans in the early 20th century. The Ottoman Empire had an agreement with Germany to build a railway across Anatolia that would eventually connect Berlin with Baghdad. This particular section of the railway proved to be the most difficult, as they had to tunnel and bridge through the Taurus mountain range. The bridge is truly an amazing feat of engineering. It is 322 feet high and 564 feet long, and spans a gaping ravine in the mountains. It remains in use today.

Besides making for really cool pictures, the bridge’s other claim to fame is that it was used in the making of the 2012 James Bond film “Skyfall.” In the opening sequence Bond ends up fighting his opponent on top of a moving train. As the train crosses over the Varda Bridge, Bond is shot and falls dramatically into the ravine below. In the movie he drops into deep, rushing water, but when we went, there was barely a trickle at the bottom of the ravine. I guess the filmmakers couldn’t have it all!

The road to the bridge runs alongside the railway right up to the ravine’s edge, at which point the railway continues across the gap, and the road turns, hugging the side of the mountain. We pulled over and got out to see the view. Though the weather was cloudy, and drizzling rain, we had fun climbing around the rocks and taking pictures of the bridge and the mountains. Also nearby was a little stand selling sıkma, a popular treat in this part of the country. It is made from homemade thin-rolled dough, wrapped around a potato or cheese filling, and then grilled until crispy. Of course we partook of the goods, and thoroughly enjoyed! All in all our trip out made for a good day of “gez-ing,” and we would recommend a visit to the Varda Bridge.