We drove to the parking of the Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Theotokos located near Trabzon in the Karadağ Mountains, part of the Pontic Mountains. From there is mandatory to take the minibus to the monastery (🚌 18 TRY/return, 🎫125 TRY). Sümela Monastery, founded by Greeks in...
Trabzon lies on a wide bay of the Black Sea, backed by high ranges of the Pontic Mountains. Trapezus, one of the most easterly of ancient Greek settlements, was probably founded in 756 BC by traders from Miletus. It has been handballed down the years between Cimmerians, Medes, Hellenes...
Our second stop at the Black Sea coast was Ordu, a center for hazelnut processing and exporting (1 kg / 140 TRY). It lies at the mouth of the Melet River on the eastern slopes of Boztepe (550 m), a high hill that protects it against storms from the northwest. Ordu was the site of ancient...
We drove slowly through the Pontic Mountains to reach the Black Sea coast. We arrived late in the busy town of Ünye, and we couldn’t find any suitable parking place near the center. It was getting dark, so we decided to overnight at Shell. The history of Ünye goes back to the Hittite...
Tokat is located in north-central Turkey along a tributary of the Yeşil River. Surrounded by orchards and gardens, Tokat lies on a plain beneath steep hills crowned by a ruined citadel, often identified as the ancient fortress Dazimon. Tokat stands near the site of ancient Comana of...
Amasya is located in northern Turkey in the narrow and rocky valley of Yeşil River. Towering above the minarets and the medreses are pockmarks of Pontic tombs (🎫 10 TRY), etched into the highrise bluff and guarded by a lofty citadel. Amasya’s setting may evoke high drama, but life...
We arrived late, so we parked in front of Hotel Aşıkoğlu in Boğazkale, where we took dinner (Tomato soup – 30 TRY, French fries – 60 TRY, Chicken skewer – 110 TRY, Tea – 10 TRY). The following day we visited remainings of the Hittite capital of Hattuşa (🎫 20 TRY). In the Bronze Age, the...
Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is situated in the northwestern part of the country. The country’s capital has made remarkable progress from a dusty Anatolian backwater to today’s sophisticated arena for international affairs. Turkey’s economic success is reflected in the...
On our way to Ankara, we made a short stop at the second largest lake located in the Central Anatolia Region. Lake Tuz, occupying a tectonic depression in the central plateau of Turkey, is fed by two major streams, groundwater, and surface water, but has no outlet. Most of the year, it is...
You can hardly find a place in the world with so many balloons taking over the sky so often, and that’s why Capadoccia is so magical. Over 150 balloons are flying simultaneously in Cappadocia every morning. We tried several times to get tickets for a famous hot-air balloon flight...