From Artvin to Kars: Journey through one of Turkey's Most Beautiful and Rugged Landscape

The city of Artvin is actually quite worth a visit. Located very high up some steep cliff tops, and the surroundings are actually very pretty. For those interested in trekking and mountain sports, it is a nice place to spend a week or so and explore the nearby valleys and hills, or visit quaint riverside villages such as Yusefeli. 

In the morning, I set off from Artvin and travelled to Kars with Yesil Artvin bus company. The bus to Kars does not stop at the bus station of Artvin, but from a roadside stop next to the road to Erzurum and Kars.

The Journey along the Black Sea Coast (Part3): from Giresun to Artvin

From Giresun, there are hourly buses to Trabzon. I had been thinking for a while whether I should stay overnight in Trabzon and visit the Sumela Monastery, and continue my journey towards Kars via Erzurum, or if I by-pass Trabzon, and head straight to the lush green valleys of Rize and the Kackar Mountains. 

I was not particularly in favour of staying overnight at Trabzon, in part because of the lack of reasonably priced hotel accommodations suitable for a lone traveller. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many women from across the border entered Turkey and engage in trade as well as part-time prostitution. Nowadays Trabzon has become infamous as Black Sea's capital of human trafficking and prostitution. To cater for the growing demand for hourly rental, many small hotels now function as unofficial brothels. Numerous unregulated cheap hotels and 'guest houses' also sprung up all over Trabzon's inner city. It has become increasingly difficult for ordinary visitors to find a decent hotel at affordable prices: notable hotels which refuse entry to prostitutes charge more than 70 Euro a night for a room without breakfast. 

After some deliberation, I decided to travel by bus straight to Hopa, right next to Turkey's border with Georgia. The bus from Giresun to Hopa also stop enroute at Trabzon, Rize and several other small towns on the coast. As the bus drove into the centre of Trabzon, I was great I did not choose to stay overnight there, as the whole city centre is a bustling place full of seedy-looking make-shift cheap hotels with tightly closed windowns and very narrow entrance. Some even have pictures of scantily-clad Russian women on the door. It is obvious what these places are up to.

After leaving Trabzon, the view opens up again to gentle sloping hills on one side and blue open sea on the other. The region between Trabzon and Rize is the tea country of Turkey. Tea planations line the hills of the valleys, while almost every town en route has a Caykur tea processing factory. The Turks love their tea, while tea grown in the province of Rize is prized for its deep amber colour and smooth, aromatic taste.

When the bus finally arrived at Hopa, it was already dark and I was disappointed by the sight of the town before me. The whole place was a big construction site, with new highways being built and half-completed ugly concrete blocks springing up all over the place. And the air was dusty and smells of engine oil. Immediately I dropped the idea of staying overnight in Hopa. The whole place looks and feels like a border-town-in-transition, as the population has increased almost ten-fold in the previous few years, following the re-opening of the border cross to Batumi, Georgia's most important harbour and an important shipping centre on the Eastern Black Sea coast. The rapid increase in cross-border trade between Hopa and Batumi is evident in the long line of trucks waiting up at the side of the highway leading to the border checkpoint. Sometimes the wait for customs clearance could take several days, even weeks.
I have nothing against border towns, but Hopa feels seedy. The few hotels available in the town either look outright like unofficial brothels, or they look so hastily built of the cheapest materials possible, without proper fire-resistant materials or safety installations.

The Journey along Turkey's Black Sea Coast (Part 2): from Sinop to Giresun

Although Sinop seems to be such a far flung and isolated place to reach from Western Anatolia, the town is actually quite well served by buses heading east along the Black Sea Coast towards Samsun, Ordu, Giresun and Trabzon.

After spending two leisurely days in Sinop, I jumped on the bus again and head towards Giresun, the Black Sea port city famous for its hazelnuts. As there are no daily direct bus between Sinop and Giresun, I first travelled by  a mid-size bus to Samsun, before continuing my journey along the Black Sea coast to Giresun.

Between Sinop and Samsun, there were again several road works sites, but at least this time the bus's air-conditioning system was working properly, and the whole carriage was not filled with dust and fumes from outside. It was easy to realise when exactly the bus had entered the city limit of Samsun, as all of a sudden, roads and schools and public buildings begin to appear which bear the name '19 Mayis' (19th of May), a date which is central to the national consciousness of the modern Turkish republic. The date commemorates the landing of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at Samsun on 19th May, 1919 and marked the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence (May 19, 1919 - October 29, 1923).

As soon as the bus arrived at Samsun's main bus station outside the city centre, the bus to Giresun was waiting and I bought a ticket on board the bus. En route to Giresun the bus passed by Ordu and Unye, a beautiful seaside resort town with one of the most attractive stretches of sandy beach in the whole of Turkey. The atmosphere of Unye reminds me a bit of San Sebastian in Spain. It was a pity I did not anticipate Unye to be such an appealing place, otherwise I would certainly have stayed at least a night there and enjoy the beautiful views of the Black Sea from one of Unye's numerous seaside tea gardens.

Between Ordu and Giresun is Turkey's famous hazelnut plantation region, which produce some 625,000 tons of hazelnuts annually, accounting for 75% of the world's hazelnut production. The bus journey from Samsun to Giresun took about four hours. By the time I arrived at Giresun's town centre, it was already getting dark. Fortunately the bus stopped right in the middle of Giresun's town centre, near the harbour and the hotel I intended to stay at.

Founded by colonists from Sinop in 2nd century B.C., there aren't really much to see in Giresun. in spite of the long history. The town has one main shopping street leading all the way up a steep hill, in addition to the main road  along the coast which links Giresun to Ordu and Samsun in the west and Trazbon in the east. From my hotel room, one can see the Giresun Castle and part of the campus of recently founded Giresun University.

Sinop: Historical Outpost on the Black Sea

In modern history, Sinop is best known as the site of the Battle of Sinop. 

On 30th November 1853, an Imperial Russian fleet attacked some Ottoman patrol frigates and corvettes stationed in the harbour of Sinop without provocation, annihilated them all except for one steam frigate which eluded the Russians and escape to Istanbul. Although the Battle of Sinop took barely an hour from the start to the end, the event did have momentous consequences on the European politics, as the conflict provided the British and the France with the opportunity to delcare war on Imperial Russia and trigger what came to be known as the Crimean War (1854-1856).

Prior to the Battle of Sinop, both the Imperial Russian and the Ottoman Empire had been at odds over Russia's expansionist ambitions vis-a-vis Ottoman territories in the Caucasus, the Black Sea coast and Asia Minor. The unprovoked attack on Ottoman fleets in Sinop harbor and the ensuing Crimean War accelerated the decline of the Ottoman Empire, allowing major European powers to actively interfere with Ottoman Empire's political affairs.

Hotel Bossinop, Sinop: Nice New Hotel, Excellent Location, and Friendly Service

There are several hotels in Sinop, offering decent accommodation at reasonable prices. The one I stayed at uring my visit in October 2009 was Bossinop Hotel. It is located right at the roundabout in the centre of the town; all rooms have partial views of the sea and the garden opposite the harbour.

Hotel Bossinop is the tall silver-grey building second from the left in the photo above, the whole building is newly furnished with a nice coffee bar-restaurant on the second floor. Room are spacious and comfortable, all equipped with modern shower and toilet facilities, high speed wireless internet, fridge and plasma TV.

Sinop: the City of Turkey's Most Notorious Prison (Part 2)

After spending a few hours in Sinop, I can very well understand why the Ottoman authorities, as well as the Justice Department of the modern Turkish Republic, all chose to set up their maximium security prison in Sinop. Unlike other harbour towns on the Aegean, where the air could get very dry and thin during the winter months, the air around Sinop is extremely humid and dense all year round, one could virtually smell that heavy saltiness all over the place. In addition, Sinop is situated on an isolated headland located at the northern-most point of Turkey, with only one route leading out of the promontory. Such unhealthy clime, which is detrimental to the health of the inmates in the long run - the authorities probably would prefer to have some of the political dissident inmates to rot away in the salty air -, coupled with the geogrpahical isolation of Sinop, makes it difficult fo convicts to escape.

If you ever try to reach Sinop by public transport, you would soon realise that this area is one of most inaccesible in the whole of Turkey. The road from Kastamonu to Sinop passed by countless road construction sites (a highway which cuts across numerous mountain valleys was being built), before ascending up a serpentine road that winds its way through steep hills and bending curves for at least 2 hours in the rugged countryside. Often the average speed of the bus does not exceed 50km/h due to the never ending construction works along the way.

Sinop: The Town of Diogenes the Doggish Cynic, Sinope the Mythical Beauty, and Turkey's Most Infamous Prison (Part I)

Sinop has been on my 'must-see' list for several years. Although Sinop does not rank among the top 10 of Turkey's tourist attractions, the town is interesting for many other things:

1. It was the birthplace of the Greek philosopher Diogenes the Dog, a.k.a. Diogenes the Cynic, who preached a very unpretentious, natural form of philosophy.

2. In Greek mythology, Sinop was supposedly the place to which the beautiful daughter of King Asopus, Sinope, was abducted by Zeus. To demonstrate his love, Zeus promised Sinope he would grant whatever wish her heart desires, and the intelligent Sinope told Zeus she would like to have eternal virginity. Outwitted by Sinope, Zeus let her live in peace for the rest of her life on a promontory on the Black Sea. The city of Sinop is believed to have been named after this intelligent lady who had successfully eluded Zeus' advance.

Kastamonu: Unpexpected Encounter with a Pretty Northern Anatolian Town

The journey from Cide to Kastamonu passed by some stunning sceneries: beautiful forest full of autumn colours, meandering mountain streams, greenish Alpine valleys dotted with traditional wooden Black Sea village houses. It is definitely not the typical image of Turkey one conceives from postcards and tourism promotion booklets.

Needless to say, like almost every other city and town in Turkey's Black Sea region, Kastamonu also has  several thousand years of history behind its back. The city was founded as early as 18th century BC, and was part of the Byzantine Empire until the Muslim conquest of Anatolia. In modern history, the city of Kastamonu is probably best known for being the place where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk made his famous speech about the hat and dress reform in 1925.

Several interesting sights in the old town of Kastamonu are certainly worth a visit. First of all, the Byzantine-era Citadel, on top of a hill overlooking the whole city centre, is a good place to capture some photo shots of Kastamonu's old quarters.

The Journey along Turkey's Black Sea Coast (Part 1): From Amasra to Cide

My original plan was to travel from Amasra by public bus to Sinop, then continue onwards to exotic sounding places such as Ordu, Giresun, Rize, Hopa etc. As soon as I arrived at Amasra, however, I found out to my disappointment that there are no direct bus links between Amasra and Sinop, although there is a coastal road that links both towns. Friendly locals told me to get a bus to Cide, about halfway between Amasra and Sinop, and try my luck at Cide and see if there is any bus that would travel all the way to Sinop.

Fuelled by a sense of adventure, I decided to wait for the once-a-day bus from Amasra to Cide and see if I can catch the connecting bus from there to Sinop. The Amasra-Cide bus departs from the front of Amasra's post office and cost 10TL (October 2009) for the 3.5 hour drive through beautiful valleys and small fishing villages.

For some reason, this route is relatively unknown among foreign tourists, despite the abundance of beautiful green valleys, impressive coastal cliffs with clean, unspoilt coves, and miles of soft white sandy beaches, not to mention the numerous Pontic Greek historical ruins of note along the route. The scenery en route reminds me at times of parts of southwestern Ireland.

Amasra, Amasra: My First Encounter with the Pontic Black Sea

Amasra is a beautiful town situated on a peninsula on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. Like many other towns in Turkey's Black Sea region, Amasra is also a Greek town by origin and has a long history which dates all the way back to pre-Christian times. Being one of the Ionian colonies on the Black Sea coast, Amasra became part of the Pontic Greek Kingdom in 3rd Century B.C.; in the 13th century, the town was taken over by the Genovese who sought to obtain a monopoly over the Black Sea trade. Genovese rule came to an end when the entire Anatolian Black Sea coast were conquered by Sultan Mehmed II, thereby bringing Amasra into the realm of the expanding Ottoman Empire.

Buyukada: Rubbing Your Shoulders with 10,000 other Istanbul Residents

Buyukada is the biggest of the groups of islands and islets in the Marmara Sea, collectively known as the  Princes' Islands or the Red Islands.
If possible, try not to visit Buyukada on weekends. It seems at least 10,000 other Istanbulites are with you on this small island, about 30 minutes journey by IDO fast ferry from Istanbul's Kabatas Ferry Pier. If the weather is good and the sky is blue, you might be rubbing shoulders with several thousand people on the steep streets of this pedestrian and cyclists - only island. Due to the promoxity to some of Istanbul's biggest residential areas, the Buyukada is a popular destination for Istanbulites looking for a sunny picnic and a swim in the Marmara.

Shopping in Istanbul: Beyond the Usual Tourist Haunts

This is not about shopping in the Grand Bazaar or in the Sultanahmet areas, but a discussion of some of the up-market shopping areas in Istanbul where fashionistas of both sexes can torture their credit cards to their hearts' desire and don themselves with the latest fashion from Milan, Paris and New York. Welcome to High-End Shopping in Istanbul!!

Asmali Konak Otel, Safranbolu

Normally I do not recommend specific hotels in my personal blog, unless I found them to be unique or is good value for money. Asmali Konak, a small family-run hotel in the old town of Safranbolu, fits into the 'good value for money' category.

Located at the centre of Safranbolu's Old Town, near the town square and the Cinci Haman turkish bath complex, Asmali Konak is a restored old Ottoman house with a spacious garden. When the weather is warm enough, traditional turkish breakfast is served in the garden.