Trabzon, City by the Sea

The waters shimmer form the bright sunshine. The city is decorated with statues of copper boats and dolphins joyously splashing in the gushing waters. A unique city, even among Turkish cities, Trabzon is a combination of the airs of old Turkish cities with cobbled streets and ancient walls left behind after centuries of conquests, and a a modern city of bustling traffic and fast food chains.

It was one of the first cities where after staying for a few days, I was jealous. Jealous of not living in a city by the sea with views of the Black Sea from the classrooms. Comparing a city like Trabzon to Duzce is like trying to compare New York and Gainesville. There are pluses in both cities, but there is no real comparison when it comes to culture, music, art and immersion. Famous for its Black Sea setting, fish and the Sumela Monastery, Trabzon dazzled me! We stayed with John Klingler a great Fulbrighter living there. When we arrived by plane on Friday night, the twinkling lights burning brightly in the homes of Trabzonians greeted us immediately.  After chowing down, we had a relaxed evening and slept early that night, prepping for our intense day of sight-seeing on Saturday.

Saturday morning was epic. We ate breakfast on a quaint bit of bright green grass and gravel adjacent to the Hagia Sophia museum of Trabzon. We had an al-fresco lunch overlooking the glazed blue waters of the Black Sea. We tried several regional specialties including koymak- a concoction of corn flower, butter and cheese that you must spoon in a particular way to achieve the desired consistency. Also famous for butter (yes, butter!) we tried the famous butter with ayva (quince) fruit jam. Apparently this fruit is not found in America but we have attributed an English name to this exotic fruit. It looks like a combination between an apple and a pear but has a bite to it. We relaxed and basked in the new rays of spring sunshine in the fresh beginning of the season. The gloriousness of the weather usurped the rest of the day. It reigned it all its regal beauty.

the Hagia Sophia Museum in Trabzon

the Bell Tower

famous Trabzon butter 

famous kuymak- the corn meal breakfast dish!

a deliciously fluffy omlet called "kaygana" that tastes almost as sweet as waffles! 

Me and Ash 

the frescoes restored 

the inside of the museum

the view of the Black Sea

Springtime!

Bosphorus Cruise

On Saturday, my two best friends, Ashlyn and Becky andmyself took a Bosphorus Cruise Tour. Leaving from the European side of Istanbulat Eminonou for only 25TL, you get a 4-hour ferry ride and a 3 hour romp on alittle village next to the Black Sea. Other companies do the tour for cheaper,but it is much shorter as well. Plan to spend a full day adventure, about 6/7hours. Our ferry left at 10:30am with the tickets selling out by 9:50!

The boat ride is rather magnificent. With both coveredsections and sections of the boat exposed to the elements, we were lucky enough to sitoutside and enjoy the warm sunshine, basking in the bright light and views ofthe shoreline. Everything from tiny boathouses and summer villas to loomingcastles are within plain view. The seagulls follow the boat, swooping up anddown with the currents of the wind, waiting to tail-dive to catch a piece ofbread thrown by the children. The children whoop with laughter, delighted theseagulls take an interest in their little sport of throwing bread. Men walkaround the ship selling tea, simit (little circle shaped, sesame coveredbreads) and fresh yogurt from the world famous yogurt village! Called MesurKanlica Yogurt, this famous yogurt boasts a thick layer of cream coating thetop of the yogurt. And just to top it all of, they provide little packets of powdered sugar to sweeten the deal! A huge yogurt cup for only 2TL! (Just do it!) 

We disembarked at Anadolu Kavagi, the last stop on the boattour and our destination. Having done this tour two years prior, on my firstvisit to Istanbul, I had repeat deja-vu the entire trip. I have a photographicmemory, and for that reason can easily navigate any city I’ve previously beento, if I’ve seen that place. Navigating the little side streets of the tinyvillage was a breeze. The houses leaning against the shores of the water, withhidden little boathouses underneath the house it self brought me immediatelyback. Dozens of fresh fish restaurants lined the streets and their vendorscalled out to their newly arrived ferry riders. Local craftsmen sold strings ofhand carved necklaces and works of art were proudly displayed in brightlycolored wooden cases, painted warm summer colors of topaz, royal blue, plum andcoral. We bought beautiful pieces of jewelry and proceeded to indulge in somelunch. Having balik ekmek (fish bread) in Istanbul is a MUST for any visitor.The fish vendors grill up the fish in front of you and flick the bones out inless than twenty seconds. They slop on some onions, salad and seasoning, andyou’ve got yourself a sandwich! 

We made our way up to the castle sitting atop the hill overlooking the Black Sea. It is my favorite view of Istanbul. A panoramic view of the mouth of the Black Sea and the villages of Istanbul trailing all the way until the Black Sea- the view cannot be beat. A backdrop of an old castle, which you can climb, buffers the view of the crystal blue sky, the lusciously green hills and the sparkling crystalline waters of the Bosphorus. We sat atop the the crumbling wall of surrounding the castle and drank in the beauty of the view before us. It was one of those moments in life where nothing is anything but perfect. Life is all a tapestry of beautifully painted colors, emotions and experiences. At the moment, life was blissful. 

Our sail back to Eminonou was one of laughter and memories.The suns rays coated the boat like a layer of frosting, enveloping us in thelong awaited warmth of spring. An hour and a half later, we disembarked againand began another adventure around Sultanahmet. If you have a full day while inIstanbul, I highly recommend a Bosphorus cruise- it is always the highlight ofmy time in Istanbul. There is something mystically entrancing about sailingalong the shores of thousands of years of history and slowly gliding by.  

Dolmabahce Palace, waterfront view 

making our way up the Boshporus

Fishing villages line the coasts

a Stunning view of the Black Sea 

Turkish flag waving proudly 

my other halves- even if you can only have one... I  have three.

the ruined castle

Duzce by Camera

Our little apartment

The Purple Palace

my room

the lakes of Duzce

a village in the mountains

the waterfalls

view of Duzce, surrounded by mountains

The tiny town of Kerpe, Turkey

Palamut, a Black Sea fish

Ünal Lokatnta: A restaurant where there is no menu. Where the locals eat and smoke by the sea. A place that only serves four different kinds of fish, and they do it darn well. I plopped down into this restaurant along the stormy shoreline, nestled into a small cove, to begin my feast. The restaurant literally hung over the cliff. The mighty waves crashed along the deck with such force you wondered if the rickety place would hold. After being presented 4 different fish, and no menu to choose from, I chose Palamut- a fish I've heard wonders about, and a salad. When the salad came, they poured grape molasses and oil on it- a uniquely Turkish custom. I sat and wondered- read- relaxed. They brought a huge plate of fish all for me. I ate the whole whopping fish platter and ended the meal with tea. I stayed just long enough to hear a local guitar player serenade a couple of young lovers with his deeply luscious chords emanating from his wooden instrument. I wandered back to my hotel, Gokhan Hotel, where I sat fireside with the sweet staff- 2 girls of 20 who study at University. We sat and sipped chai until a group of about thirty men appeared from nowhere to have dinner.  [Keep in mind this is after seeing a total of 15 people since I had been there.] I exited, being the only woman, and decided to indulge in a date night with myself. Let me tell you, one small bottle of dry red wine from Ankara, a tid-bit of dark chocolate and a new book makes for a relaxed evening of bliss. It was a windy day and eerie creeks of wooden doors opening and closely echoed around the hotel as I lay reading my latest Ken Follet thriller. I was forced to pray for solitude, and thought out a plan of attack, just in case. For heaven sakes, no one was going to attack me but a girl traveling by herself can never be too careful.

the cliffs of Kerpe

ATVing around Kerpe

The next morning I awoke to smells of the Black Sea and headed down for breakfast where I met Mustafa, a nice guy who worked at the hotel and was very patient with my Turkish. We spoke for over an hour- only in Turkish. It was a huge confidence booster, and throughout the day, very few, if any, words of English left my mouth. I told Mustafa I was going to walk around the city, so he showed me the hotels secret ATVs. I was lucky enough to get a tour around the city on ATVs. It was a blast! We stopped at the famous Kerpe cliffs/caves. (In the photo) It was breathtaking! Caves in a little alcove-waves berating the shore- words don't do this little slice of paradise justice. After the cliffs we rode around the town for a while, parked and went to meet some of his friends for coffee. I was again the only woman, and the men were my waiters and diners I had seen the night before. It is such a small town. There were seven men and me, and they were extremely generous- they brought baklava in from the town over (because there were no sweet shops in the this town), served me freshly brewed coffee and took me on a field trip to the fig groves; where we picked tons of fresh figs, blackberries, another fruit I'd never seen before and walnuts from a giant walnut tree. After tiring of fruit picking, the men took me back to the hotel and I chatted with the owner of the hotel and Mustafa, continuing my devotion to only speaking Turkish. It was time to head home, so I packed my bags and caught the next bus to catch three more buses to get home. It was the perfect holiday. Go to Kerpe if you have the chance, you won't have any regrets.

To do in Kerpe:
1. See the cliffs of Kerpe and climb through them! (bring good shoes)
2. Wander by the waterfront on foot
3. ATV through the back roads and forests
4. Lounge on the beach
5. Eat lots of delicious fish

Note *If traveling by bus, have patience. You will have to take several buses to eventually reach Kerpe. My route Duzce>Adapazari>Random no name bus station>Kandira>Kerpe. From Istanbul, go to either Izmit or Adapazari to Kandira then hitch a minibus to Kerpe from there.