Several days ago, I flew from Lisbon to Istanbul for the second leg of my trip. This one involves a 9 day road trip with the Turkish guide I met last May when I toured Cappadocia. Ata greeted me at the airport and I spent the first night at the And Otel in Istanbul. This is a small boutique hotel very close to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque There is a rooftop restaurant with views not only of those two famous landmarks but also of the Bosphorus. We dined there that evening.
When I was in Azeitao staying with my friends, I would sometimes wake up to the sound of birds. Not here! At 5:45, I was woken up to the very loud "call to prayer" coming from the speakers on the minaret at the Hagia Sophia and, given my room was on a corner facing that mosque, it was more than just a call to prayer; it was a shockingly loud wake-up call! Here is some of it
By 9:30 the next morning, we were on the road. As Istanbul has over 15 million people and the associated traffic volume, it took us probably close to an hour before we were out of the city. Even so, the congestion continued, particularly around Istanbul's industrial port of Haidar, where we could see a large number of big freighters in the Sea of Marmara as we headed north. Our destination was the Black Sea coast. We will be spending 9 days driving almost to the Georgian border and back. Since we have been on the road, the hotels' WiFi has been a challenge and my ability to post blogs has been seriously impaired. Sorry. I will do what I can.We passed through numerous towns and villages until we reached finally the sea. And, when we did, the scenery was spectacular it was sort of an "Oh my God"moment! Ata has asked me to video him as his company's website is being updated and he wants to have messages from him posted on it. So, peppered through the posts I am going to write while I am in Turkey, I will include these videos.
Our first destination was the beachside town of Amasra and it did not disappoint. Our hotel was quite a distance from the town itself but our rooms had views of the sea which was a bonus. Besides, a taxi into the town cost only around 100 Turkish lira or about $5 CAD. The first night, we ate a restaurant overlooking the bay and it was very surprising how cheap the food and drinks were here compared to Istanbul. My dinner in the city which included wine and a lamb shish kebab cost nearly $100. Here, my wine was about $7 and my meal about $15 - a shrimp dish with chips. What a difference! The sunset was stunning
We stayed in Amasra two nights so we could visit some of the landmarks around here. The next day we drove to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Safronbolu, famous as a stop on the trade route between the Orient and Europe. Its Ottoman architecture includes the old Casri district with hundreds of
preserved, red-roofed Ottoman houses on cobblestone streets. Cinci Han is a 17th caravansary
with rooftop views over the town. Near
to it, Tarihi Cinci is a restored 17th century bathhouse still in
operation. It is because of these buildings and the historic importance of the town that it was given the designation by UNESCO.
After we finished wandering around the cobblestone streets, our next stop was the Tokatli canyon and the nearby aqueduct.
We made a quick stop to see the lava columns at Guzelehisar (cliffs not dissimilar to the ones you see in Ireland at the Giant’s Causeway). They were impressive but the sun’s angle prevented any good photos. The beach was lovely.
By then, it was time to head back to Amasra so Ata could visit his aunt who lives close by. Tomorrow, we will continue our journey east
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