Amasra and Safranbolu

Last weekend, my friend from Vietnam, my friend from Taiwan/Singapore, and I woke up early Saturday morning and traveled to Amasra, Turkey. Amasra is located right on the Black Sea. I was very excited to travel to the Black Sea as I have always wanted to see it.

After taking 1 dolmus (small buses), then a 4 hour bus ride with one of the main bus companies in Turkey, and finally 2 more dolmus rides from the city of Bartin, through the hills of Turkey, we finally reached Amasra. While waiting for the dolmus in Bartin, we were remarking at how warm and sunny it was. Bartin is only about 30 minutes from Amasra. We were all told that the Black Sea is very windy, cloudy, and usually rainy, so we were very confused as to why it was such a perfect day. Well, 30 minutes later, upon arriving in Amasra, it was a totally different story! The temperature must have dropped 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit once we got to the coast, and the wind was relentless. It felt like we had been transported to another world instead of just taking a 30 minute bus ride. We wandered around the small town looking for our hotel, and instead we found the Black Sea. I was just about jumping for joy! You see these places on the world map for so long that when you finally get to see them with your own eyes, it is really unbelievable. I love that feeling! After following the winding street, we came upon our hotel quite by accident. Isn't it nice when everything goes smoothly?

Well, our hotel was more like an apartment, complete with living room, kitchen, eating area, and two bedrooms. It was glorious! Very clean and comfortable with a nice hostess.

After getting our coats, hats, and gloves on, we ventured out to explore Amasra. So far, Amasra is my favorite place in Turkey. It is a small seaside town that is surrounded by hills and cliffs, secluding it from the outside world. It really feels like a getaway. It has the classic narrow streets and a castle up on a hill that is a UNESCO heritage building. Amasra also has an island that is connected to the mainland by a Roman bridge. The entrance through this bridge and gate is very skinny that I don't think all types of cars would fit through. The island is even more quaint than the mainland. Climbing to the top of the hill on the island gives you an expansive view of the Black Sea. For us, walking through the town and up to the top of the hill was an adventure and a workout, as the wind was knocking us over. At the top of the hill on the island, we had to sit down to keep from being knocked around and off the edge. But the clouds and the sunshine made for some great pictures of the town and the surrounding areas. It is very picturesque.

The streets of Amasra

The Roman gate to the island in Amasra

The view from the hill on the island in Amasra

After walking around for about 3 hours in the relentless wind, we wanted to find a place to have cay, Turkish tea, to warm ourselves up. We ventured back down to the main part of town on the mainland and found a cafe on the beachfront and had cay. Best cay of my life! It is the best feeling to drink something warm when you are chilled to the bone, allowing it to warm you from the inside out. And it was only 1 Lira! We ventured on to try and find the museum, and we did find it, however, it was undergoing renovations, so we got to see the outside of it. They had many stone statues and things out on the grass. Hopefully they won't get ruined by the weather! We continued on to try and watch the sun set, but we could not get far enough west, so we just watched the sky change colors a bit and then decided to do the unthinkable: take our shoes off and step into the Black Sea. Well, two of us did it while the third took pictures. It was very cold, but that might have been due to the cold weather surrounding us as well. I imagine in the summer time it would be refreshing. But for March, it was a bit crazy. I can now say that I have stepped into the Black Sea.

The Museum in Amasra

We then found a seafood restaurant and ordered these small fish. I cannot remember what kind they were, but they were delicious. And you know that they were freshly caught since we were on the sea. We had two more cups of cay to try to help us warm up. We then did the second crazy thing for the day: two of us were craving ice cream, so we found a store and bought ice cream bars for our dessert. Yes, in the bitter cold, I want ice cream. But I love ice cream, so it's fine. We arrived back at our hotel/apartment, had a relaxing evening of looking through pictures, a bit of homework, and writing in journals.

The next morning we woke up early and found that it was a perfect sunny day in Amasra! We walked along the coast again and it was absolutely glorious. We found out later that during the afternoons in Amasra, the wind picks up, but the mornings are calm and peaceful. But we wanted time to go see another city, so we reluctantly said goodbye to our getaway and boarded our dolmus to take us back to Bartin. We then boarded another dolmus that traveled on the country roads south to Safranbolu, our second destination. The countryside of Turkey is so lovely. The rolling hills dotted with houses reminds me of West Virginia, with the road hugging the hillside.











Safranbolu is a UNESCO world heritage city thanks to its large amount of traditional ottoman houses. It is very similar to Beypazari from last week, but larger, with more houses, and more touristy, not just for international travelers, but for Turkish travelers as well. We wandered through the streets, admiring the architecture, and found a cafe to have lunch. While we were waiting for our food, a couple of young students approached us with their father and asked us if we could answer a few questions. They had a list of questions written in English and wanted to practice their language skills. So each of us were interviewed: where we were from, our age, where we have traveled in Turkey, where our favorite place in Turkey is, and if we like Safranbolu. I don't think that they understood our answers, but at least they are trying to learn English. Their father videotaped each interview. It was very cute. We got pictures with our interviewers and said goodbye.

My Interviewer

Safranbolu

We saw the outside of the ottoman mosque that is right in downtown Safranbolu and then climbed the large hill in order to get a scenic overlook of the town. It is a very nice town, and I am glad that it will be preserved for generations to come, thanks to UNESCO. I guess this weekend was also a tour of UNESCO sites. We then found the bus station and returned to Ankara. It was a wonderful two days. Note for all future travelers: If you have the chance, go to the Black Sea, particularly Amasra, Turkey.

Amasra, Turkey