Our last excursion within Turkey took place on June 8 through 10, a long weekend with Orhan and Berna Dengiz. Orhan had made the arrangements and they were excellent. Safranbolu is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a town whose central area consists almost wholly of Ottoman era structures. The streets are narrow and cobblestoned and entire place is charming and rather haunting. It is also a popular tourist place for Turks, some westerners and the ubiquitous Japanese.
We opted to drive the back way to Safranbolu as it is not that far from Ankara (about 2 1/2 hours via the quick route). This consisted of the old highway to Istanbul going north and turning off on a very scenic two lane road northeast then resuming north again on a medium sized road. It was a beautiful drive and we stopped near Safranbolu at Eskipazar to see what was advertised as Hadrianoupolis, an ancient city. The directions on the signs (at least there were quite a few signs) were confusing but we eventually found the place about eight or so kilometers off of the main road. It will be glorious some day but for now there is not much to see. The main attraction are mosaics, which from the sign are plentiful and beautiful. However, they are all covered with a layer of sand for protection until the government can build enclosing structures. We did meet a friendly shepherd with his cow herd (with one lone sheep) who explained this to Orhan who translated for me. The site is beautifully situated with views onto Switzerland-like hills and farms.
 |
| The plan and pictures of the mosaics at Hadrianouplis |
 |
| The tent is presumably part of the ongoing archeological work |
 |
| The basilica foundations |
 |
| Lone sheep and poppy at basilica |
 |
| Orhan gets the story of the ruins from the friendly shepherd |
 |
| The shepherd showed us this bit of mosaic under its protective tarp |
 |
| The shepherd had a herd of some eight or so cows with this sweet lone sheep |
 |
| The sheep was orphaned and the owner did not want to care for it so the shepherd's family was given this cutie |
 |
| Orhan and new friend |
 |
| Alice with her new friend, the sheep with watchful cow in the background |
 |
| View from Hadrianoupolis |
In Safranbolu we needed to call our hotel hosts to lead us up a narrow cobbled lane to the hotel. This hotel, the Asya Konak, or Asya Mansion, is well located at the end of the old town so it has a lovely and very large garden. The house is huge but has only eight rooms. Our two rooms were on the top floor and we were lucky that the top floor also had a large living area and small sun room for our use. The night we arrived (Saturday) the hotel was full with other tourists - Turkish and European. But we were the only guests on Sunday night. The hotel was great from the standpoint of being an authentic 275 year old mansion and for the pleasures of the garden (and there was a parking lot - an extreme rarity in Safranbolu). It was less wonderful for its creature comforts and professionalism. The owners were obliging but have some things to learn about running a hotel.
 |
| Asya Konak in Safranbolu |
 |
| Our room was on the top floor in this corner - closest to the mosque and its noisy imam |
 |
| Built in cabinets in our room with authentic Ottoman fittings |
 |
| The bed was not big but it was comfortable and the bathroom was built into a cupboard at the end of the bed. The bathroom was fully modern but tiny |
 |
| The huge living area on the third floor |
 |
| The sunroom (what did Ottomans call these rooms?) also on the third floor |
In any case, we settled in and made use of the excellent WIFI connection while drinking some Turkish red wine and eating nuts. Later we drove to a restaurant just outside of town which was recommended by a friend of Tahir's who lives in Safranbolu. This place specializes in koyu kebab (lamb put into a clay chamber underground and roasted) and etli etmek (literally bread with meat - an enclosed pide with slices of lamb). Yes, it was a meat feast. The food was quite good and we went away very full.
 |
| Berna and Orhan at dinner. It was a bit chilly |
 |
| Alice and Randy wait to start on their meat coma |
 |
| The local version of pide - etli etmek |
 |
| Kuyu kebab - very tender lamb chunks |
A problem with the location of the Asya Konak is that a mosque is a few doors down. This is out of sight of the hotel but well within earshot as we were to learn at 4:30 AM when the morning call to prayer went out. It sounded like the imam was in the room with us. We did go back to sleep luckily.
After a leisurely breakfast in the garden we drove and parked in the center of the old town and walked around. There are many shops and vendors with good prices and we bought some textile goods and some saffron (yes, they do grow their namesake on farms outside of town). Safranbolu is touristic but that does not detract much from its charm and appeal. We had tea in the rose garden of the local historic house museum (we did not visit the museum since we had seen similar elsewhere) and then met Tahir's friend who works for the local government. He showed us the uphill walk along tricky cobblestones to the top of a hill where a great view can be seen.
 |
| View from the breakfast table in the garden |
 |
| A friendly cat ate our breakfast lunch meat gladly |
 |
| A happy kitty |
 |
| Randy and his almost ever present ipad |
 |
| Berna wakes up at breakfast |
 |
| Orhan digs in |
 |
| Lilly in downtown Safranbolu |
 |
| Some of the old town buildings |
 |
| We bought a lot at this shop with its talkative owner |
 |
| She sold Berna some saffron bulbs |
 |
| Alice bought two types of saffron - the saffron is grown and picked by the lady's father in law, photographed here |
 |
| The center of town has a large han, now a hotel |
 |
| The many chimneys of the han |
 |
| A typical street in old Safrabolu, which means lots of saffron |
 |
| These young gentlemen wished their photo taken and posted to Facebook. They are only getting this blog - sorry guys! |
 |
| A cobblestone street |
 |
| Detail of cobblestone |
 |
| Orhan views the implements in the Ottoman house museum |
 |
| The beams were bent from one piece of wood to add extra strength under the ovens or fireplaces |
 |
| Tea in the garden |
 |
| The weather was fantastic |
 |
| Orhan got Turkish coffee with all the trimmings - water, shot of cherry juice and a piece of lokum (Turkish delight) |
 |
| Alice, Randy and Berna had the local drink of saffron tea |
 |
| The saffron is mixed with hot water, honey, lemon and a clove - tasty and healthful |
 |
| View on the walk up |
 |
| View over the tiled roofs of Safranbolu |
 |
| Our hotel, Asya Konak, is seen at top right with our room clearly visible | |
 |
| Alice used her newly learned panoramic skills to shoot all of the old center of Safranbolu |
 |
| Another view shows the yellow old city hall and currently ethnographic museum on the far hill |
 |
| Another view which more clearly shows the yellow museum. The white mosque, visible just beyond, was the previous Greek Church |
 |
| While Safranbolu is touristic it is also a place where ordinary Turkish people of all incomes live |
 |
| The Selcuk tomb at the park on the hill top |
 |
| A good view of the han in the center of town |
 |
| Another view of Asya Konak in the distance |
 |
| Another panorama of this world heritage site |
Upon descent we took our car to another hill in town to view the city ethnographic museum. This was notable primarily because of its large room devoted to aged computers and peripherals, mostly Apple. It seems that some of this unusual collection is quite valuable and, of course, Orhan was in geek heaven. Next, we met a family known to Tahir's friend whose daughter is studying at Troy University in Alabama. They were a conservative family with an opinionated father so we were not all natural soul mates.
 |
| The old city hall, now a town museum, which Berna said reminded her of her grade school at Trabzon many years ago |
 |
| Orhan relishes the assortment of computers of past decades |
 |
| An Apple II, which Orhan said is quite valuable. Tim Cook, you need to visit this museum to see this treasure and others from Apple's history |
 |
| Another exhibit showed the ubiquitous building material - the sun dried mud brick |
Leaving them, we drove outside of town to find a historic aqueduct and "crystal terrace." Unfortunately we took a wrong turn (silly us, we followed the sign which was turned the wrong way). This road was not good and took us up a mountain through great scenery and forests. Eventually we met some loggers (who were actually blocking the road) and they informed us of our error and said this road only led to some yaylas (traditional summer houses high in the remote mountains). We retraced our steps and found the right road. As our time was running short we did not view the aqueduct but we did enjoy the crystal terrace immensely in a half scared way.
 |
| Our Megane needed both a new headlight light bulb and a patched tire on this trip. Orhan helped us achieve both with relative ease |
 |
| The crystal terrace which overlooks a deep canyon outside of Safranbolu |
 |
| Orhan views the drop below |
 |
| Randy hangs on to the corner |
 |
| Alice seems far from relaxed with nothing between her and eternity besides some plexiglass |
 |
| Berna stuck to walking and standing on the beams only |
 |
| Randy and Alice get used to living on the edge |
 |
| Berna is still on her beam but Orhan lives dangerously |
 |
| The canyon is verdant and pretty |
 |
| Randy goes for it all and sits over the drop |
We were to meet the Uludags, parents of Onur who is a doctoral student at Auburn University Industrial and Systems Engineering. This we did but were too late for their planned full lunch. Instead we had tasty pide at a place in the newer part of Safranbolu (where they live). They were so welcoming and sweet and we were very glad we were able to meet them. Our next quest was Amasra - a town located on the Black Sea about 90 minutes drive from Safranbolu.
 |
| Find yummy pide here in Safranbolu |
 |
| The Uludags, the Dengizs and the Smiths get acquainted |
 |
| Ibrahim Bey and Orhan |
 |
| Alice and Leyla Hanim |
 |
| Ibrahim shared his pide with Orhan |
 |
| The gracious Uludags - thanks for making our visit to Safranbolu more special |
The drive was beautiful (the Black Sea area is so green and lush and unspoiled) and we enjoyed it a lot. At Bartin, the city near Amasra, we got our tire fixed as it has taken a nail. This patch cost all of 10 lira (about $5.50). The entry to Amasra was dramatic along the western approach where the road is not as good as the eastern approach but the views were much better. This road also had an unexpected surprise for us. In May the government had opened Kuskayasi or Bird Rock, a Roman road monument, the only such one in Anatolia. This was amazing! One of the best things we have seen in Turkey. You climb a bunch of wooden steps through the woods that include ferns and lizards to reach a Roman road in great condition. Carved into the stone hillside is a human figure in a toga and a powerful eagle atop a column. These are not pristine but are in good enough condition to be almost breathtaking. A sign nearby also carved into the hillside presumably gives welcome and directions. You can also clearly see the carving marks where the Roman engineers (love those guys!) removed part of the hillside to make room for the road. Wonderful!
 |
| View of the Black Sea from the west route into Amasra |
 |
| The amazing Kuskayasi - this is a must see if you are in the area |
 |
| The monument seen from below |
 |
| Getting closer |
 |
| The forest is well rained on and has numerous ferns |
 |
| Randy enjoyed the climb and the view |
 |
| Orhan and Berna moved slower up the hillside |
 |
| Looking up at the eagle |
 |
| Randy starts down the Roman road |
 |
| The eagle on its pedestal and the toga'ed figure |
 |
| The Roman road - built to last |
 |
| The road leads up the mountain and through the woods |
 |
| A road sign in Latin on the mountain end of Kuskayasi |
 |
| This rock hillside was carved out by Roman hands to make way for the road |
 |
| Alice was thrilled by this unexpected gem |
 |
| Toga - Animal House anyone? |
 |
| The impressive eagle |
 |
| Berna made it to the monument |
 |
| Alice was in her element here |
 |
| Detail of eagle wing carving |
 |
| Another view of this nearly 2000 year old wonder |
 |
| The best part - the robust and majestic eagle - commanding even without its head |
We also stopped at an overlook of the town where village ladies were selling all matter of jams, vegetables, pickles and more. Driving into town we found a parking place on the street (most tourists were gone or leaving to drive back to their city lives in Istanbul or Ankara on this Sunday evening). Amasra was a bit tawdry but physically beautiful and with an unspoiled atmosphere. We liked it immensely. Tahir's friend had recommend a fish restaurant (Canli Balik or Live Fish) which was located on the bigger of the two harbors. This restaurant had a pleasant terrace and served wine and beer (and raki for those who wished it). The fish was good though not quite up to the standards Alice had at Ordu. We enjoyed a magnificent sunset and were all very glad we made the drive to Amasra. Randy drove home through the dark roads without incident and we were happy to get into our snug Ottoman bedrooms.
 |
| View of Amasra showing the right (bigger) harbor and the left (smaller) harbor |
 |
| Another view which clearly shows the greenery of the Black Sea coast |
 |
| A village lady explains her wares to Orhan |
 |
| Our now repaired Megane on the streets of Amasra |
 |
| There were many cats in this fishing town and they looked pretty well fed |
 |
| Randy needs to put his toes in the Black Sea |
 |
| He is almost there |
 |
| Success - the beach was nice and sandy, unlike the one we experienced in Tekirova |
 |
| This is both a touristic town and a working fishing village |
 |
| Orhan and Randy wait for their beers and fish |
 |
| Dusk from the Canli Balik restaurant |
 |
| Randy and Alice enjoyed this seaside excursion |
 |
| Stuffed mussels and a big salad. This region serves beets in the salad which is a delicious addition |
 |
| Randy tries to open a mussel |
 |
| Orhan demonstrates the proper technique which he has perfected after many evenings of drinking finished off with mussels |
 |
| Orhan did inform us after we ate some that this food is dangerous as mussels are caught in dirty water. Despite the warning none of us suffered any adverse effect |
 |
| Berna also has good technique - when were her nights of drinking and stuffed mussel eating? |
 |
| The beer finally arrives - serefe! |
 |
| The sunset was perfect |
 |
| Another view of upper Amasra at dusk |
 |
| Calamari is de rigueur at such places |
 |
| We had two types of fresh Black Sea fish - the smaller (and more delicious) ones here |
 |
| These were bigger and also tasty - Alice asked that our leftovers be fed to the cats and the waiter assured us they always feed the leftover fish to the local cats. He threw our fish remnants to the cats at the conclusion of our meal |
Yes, the imam called us again at 4:30 AM but we did sleep more. Breakfast was once again in the sunny garden with perfect weather. We had to leave early (9:30 AM) so Berna could make a meeting at 1 PM at her university. We took the quick route back to Ankara which is also pretty and with good roads. What a nice long weekend! History, scenery, excellent local foods, atmospheric hotel and, the best part, quality time with our old and very good friends, Berna and Orhan.
 |
| Berna found two boats at the harbor - one named Dengiz and one named Berna - it must be fate, or kismet as they say in Turkey |
 |
| A parting shot of this special corner of Turkey |
No comments:
Post a Comment