Istanbul – Amasra Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Weather – sunny with strong afternoon breezes

Temperature – early twenties and 18 degrees at 6.30pm

Today we all met at 8am in the lobby to load our cases on the bus for an efficient getaway of 8.15am.  The bus holds approximately twenty-five passengers so there is some room for the fifteen people on board to spread out.

We drove for about seven hours today although it didn’t feel like this as we stop every two hours.  Interestingly, the buses are fitted with a computer chip which records the hours driving and rest time for the driver and the rules are governed strictly.  As Istanbul has an estimated population of 15 million people you can imagine how spread out the city is.  It took us one and a quarter hours to leave the city limits and feel we had left this sprawling metropolis behind.

The countryside opened up to some farming land and small towns however the area is predominantly forest with evidence of logging.  The towns we went through were very neat and the people obviously have pride in their areas.  We could see very little graffiti which was also the case in Istanbul.

Our first stop for morning tea and for some of the ladies in the group it was their first introduction to squatting toilets and no flush.  The jug is left filled for the next person.  I’m sure the area is clean however I think it will take some time for me to be used to the wet floors in the toilet area.

We stopped for lunch at a large service station attached to a department store selling just about everything.  We could pick up Turkish-made men’s shirts for fifteen Turkish lira (about $8 Australian)……we did joke that we had now found an authentic Turkish souvenir however none of us bought any!

I chose chicken soup for lunch as I’m rather tired of overeating!  The soup was delicious so I’ll be looking out for more of it if I can.

We arrived at around 4pm at Amasra  which is a delightful coastal town on the Black Sea.  It has a fortified area and castle which has been added to over the many centuries by the Romans and Byzantines.  The castle reflects the importance of the area during the middle ages and there were remnants of the seals left in the walls of conquerors of the area. 

Photo:  Looking over to the delightful coastal village of Amasra.

Photo:  lots of souvenir shops and local wares particularly the silver and copper embroidery famous in this area.

We followed our guide around the village, inspected the beautiful views from the bridge to the island and then we walked a little way to take in the sunset over the town.  We were served Turkish cay (tea) or Turkish coffee from a little van on the hill.  It was then onwards and upwards to circle the island and take in the sunset over the township.  The breeze was very strong and we were feeling the cold – a big difference in temperature for all of us and we were contemplating just how much colder it was going to get on the trip.  This is the last Peregrine trip for the year....there may be a reason for this!

Photo:  one of the many wooden homes in the area.  Traditionally, animals were kept in the first floor with a double flooring above it and then two smaller floors above.

Photo:  part of the large fortress wall built over many centuries.

Photo:  one of the gardens on our walk through the village.

Photo:  view from the top - a great part of the day taking in Amasra.

Amasra is popular beachside holiday spot for the Turks and boasts many alleyways devoted to souvenirs.  Many of the shops sold local embroidery which has been stitched in real silver and copper.

After our early evening break we met up for dinner and enjoyed an Amasra Salad which is served with twenty-five ingredients.  This was a welcome break in our diet to have fresh salad.  Accompanying this was a platter of freshly cooked and battered fish followed by yoghurt and honey.  We aren’t too far out yet as we were able to order a bottle of red!

Photo:  Amasra Salad - known for its twenty five ingredients.

It was then home to shower and get ourselves organised as breakfast is at 7am and the bus leaves at 8am.