A 3-Day Trip to the Black Sea Region

Under the invitation of our friend and colleague Mustafa, we joined about 20 teachers from the Enka School in Istanbul on a 3-day trip to the towns of Safranbolu and Amasra in the western Black Sea region of Turkey. It was a chance to meet some teachers at another school, to explore a new region, and to observe Turks on vacation. The Turkish teachers were friendly and fun-loving. They love Turkish folk songs, and sung them with enthusiasm all weekend.

Safranbolu, City of Ottoman Houses

Safranbolu is a historic Ottoman town in the western Black Sea region about a 5-hour-drive East of Istanbul. It has protected historical status on UNESCO's World Heritage List. There are over 1100 old wooden houses from the Ottoman period which are restored or being restored. Tourists come here to catch a glimpse of life in Ottoman times.

A wonderful square by an ancient mosque in the center of Safranbolu. On the right, a wooden Ottoman house.

Safranbolu is built in a deep valley. The bus let us off in a charming square with cafes, an ancient mosque, and a fountain. We wandered through the narrow streets, past vendors selling yummy lokum (also known as turkish delight), and into one of the Ottoman houses which is open as a museum. The house was all wooden, with beautiful carved ceilings and built-in wooden cupboards. We learned that the house was owned by an Ottoman colonel, and that there were two sides to the house, one for men and one for women.

Next, we climbed up to the top of the fortified hill above the town, for a great view of the town below. This town really is special: we have seen that Turkey has very few wooden houses, and most housing is the same concrete, no-frills construction. This town gives a glimpse at Ottoman housing. We also learned that this town was inportant town, closely connected with the Sultan's palace and an education center for the Ottoman princes.

Our nighttime busride to our hotel was interrupted when the Turkish teachers saw a wedding celebration taking place in a tiny rural Black Sea town. We jumped off the bus and joined the entire town in dancing. Although we were clearly outsiders, the bride, groom and entire town had no problem with our joining in the joy for a few minutes. We realized that this would not happen in the US. What a welcoming culture!

Amasra, Black Sea Village

A day and a half in Amasra gave us a taste of life on the coast of the Black Sea. The village is built on a peninsula and connected island that jut out into the Black Sea from the green and mountainous coast. Its history is very old, named after a Persian princess, Amastris. It is a nice seaside village with fishing boats in the harbor and friendly brick streets with cafes on the water. We got the sense that not that many foreign tourists make it here.

On the first day we drove into the hills above the town.	Here you can see the town of Amasra on the peninsula.	Later we climbed out to the hill at the end of the peninsula and looked back.
Like everywhere in Turkey, political party banners (for the Nov. 3 election) festoon the streets.	Colorful wooden fishing boats up and down the beach.	Our last day yielded glorious sunshine.

The Black Sea region is very different than many other parts of Turkey; the topography and moist cool climate reminded us a bit of the US Pacific Northwest. Unlike much of Turkey, the land is almost completely wooded; the trees were turning colors, reminding us of our own New England. The day-time drive back to Istanbul was beautiful. We were glad that we had come along with our new Enka friends.