Trabzon in Turkey

   Trabzon really sounds great. I'm even a Turkish guy, I'm really getting excited about this trip. I've heard a lot things about there. Now it's time to visit there for 3 nights. I just bought my ticket to Trabzon from Baku. It was 80 manat by bus. I'll be free for one week about Novruz holiday. I prefer to see another place not Istanbul. Yes everything seems well and let's get started. I just had a small lunch for the road. I don't like to eat outside. Routine things and We're on the way. We just leaved at big bus station at 11:00 am. We only stopped once in Kürdemir where is rest place. We arrived at Azerbaijan border almost 19:00 pm because of people leave Baku to rest somewhere and there's traffic on the border. We almost waited there one hour. After one hour we just crossed the border. To be honestly I didn't notice any interesting in Georgia while going to Trabzon.

   I'm finally there and it's such a good feeling. I need to come back my hometown as soon as I can. It was 06:00 AM in Trabzon, that's why so many shops were closed. I'm just walking on the street randomly and I've arrived city center. I went to a cafe to have a breakfast. I ate squab pie (kıymalı börek in Turkish) with tea one portion and paid 9 Lira.

   I'm in İskenderpaşa Mahellesi in Ortahisar (Iskandarpasha Quarter in Ortahisar). It's center of city. There're so many museums, monasteries, mosques etc. It's a good destination to start your trip. I'm first starting to visit Ataturk Pavilion. I take a dolmush (mini bus for city center)  from center of city and pay 3.5 Lira. Mini buses are under the bridge, they're white and they look like Ford Transit. I'm on my way.

   When Mustafa  Kemal Atatürk who is founder Republic of Turkey visited Trabzon in September of 1924 for the first time, He stayed here.It's really worth to visit there. A great atmosphere welcomes you. I guarantee that.

   Ticket is 7 lira for students 3.5 Lira. You would like to also have a pavilion like this. You'll see stuffs about good old days. You take an information paper about there when you pay the money. Don't worry about language, you can also read articles, short description in English.There's a gift shop out of Ataturk Pavilion and you take a dolmush to go city center front of the shop. I just paid 3.5 Lira for dolmush  and I'm front of Trabzon Şehir Müzesi (Trabzon City Museum)

   A nice couple welcome you in the museum. Museum is extremely modern and explanation in Turkish and You find something in English. There're three floor and including a lot thing about Trabzon people, culture, food, map, exhibition, history etc. To be honestly it really helped me to schedule my program. You see a digital table where you should go in Trabzon and why.

   If you're not sure where you need to start I highly recommend you go there. It's possible to see everything (including other necessary places to see) about Trabzon. You continue travelling around there. It's located city of center if you ask someone you can find there easily. It's near Ziraat Bank.

Trabzon daily words in Turkish. How People speak each other.

Good old money, coins...

   If you're interested in soccer there's also kind of soccer museum when you get out of museum and turn right.

   By the way There's near Kızlar Manastırı and Tarih Müzesi (Girls Monastery and History Museum) but they're in restoration work and it's not able to see there.

   When I was done there (Trabzon City Museum), I asked personnel, How I can get Ayasofya Müzesi (Hagia Sophia) from here,she said that, you get out of here and turn left you just see Zorlu hotel after 150 metre. There're mini buses which go to Hagia Sophia. Before there I went to Ziraat Bank and took some cash, yes I'm feeling better now :). Dolmush (mini bus) leaved me front of the museum. Trabzon is a tourism city. That's why people help you easily and understand where you want to go. It's not like Istanbul ways.It's easier to go somewhere.It's safer.

How it looks like before get inside ?

   It's free of charge to go inside. I just want to say that, a colorful history already stands in the present. There's a description in Turkish and English. Sometimes you want to talk about what mostly you like for every detail, but I'm only saying that go there, have a lunch in the cafe and see all Black See from there.

There're great wall paintings.

After took a break I offered et kavurması (meat roast) with tea. It was 18 Lira.There's a mini cafe in the museum.

   I'm feeling wonderful now and let's go to another place. When I was going down on the street, I saw the sweet shop. I ate traditional dessert which name is Fındıklı Sütlaç. Every Trabzon guy eats it below the photo.It's made by sugar,milk,rice, a piece of salt, hazelnut and a little secret I don't know it yet. It was 3.5 Lira.

   I'm leaving the dessert shop and going to Gulbahar Mosque from there by feet. Black sea is left of me and I just go even I don't ask there to someone. I'm now listening to my heart. And yes I'm seeing Trabzon castle parts, I'm on the right way. Maybe 1 km later I see Gulbahar Mosque in Ata park. There's WiFi in the park a nice atmosphere welcomes you. I'm going to mosque to clean myself and use toilet. There's shadirvan (where muslims take abdest and use toilet) there.

   It was built in 1514 by Yavuz Sultan Selim in honour of his mother Ayşe Gülbahar Sultan and was restored in 1885. It's a small mosque but historical. If you visit there,you'll see a mosque which stands over 500 years around there. I just took some rest there and when I was ready to leave here, I went to Zağnos Vadisi Parkı. It's near there and a big park to have barbecue, take some rest, drink cup of tea.

   I'm going directly İskenderpaşa Mahallesi (Iskandarpasha Quarter in Ortahisar). It's time to look at a hotel. I recommend you look at the hotels after 12:00 pm. They just take that night. When you pass the Zağnos Vadisi Parkı, you can see Tabakhane Mosque and a small but strong Fatih bridge if you're interested in them. You can ask someone for them from that park.

   I'm back where I started in the morning. I actually didn't recognize that in the morning there're so many hotels in İskenderpaşa Mahallesi (Iskandarpasha Quarter in Ortahisar). I just found Benli Hotel which is the cheapest hotel there (it's actually peaceful with my wallet :)). The night price is only 30 Lira but don't expect so comfortable or more luxury. It's behind of İskenderpaşa Mosque. Plus is location enough good and you see Black sea out of the window.

It looks like this, just one room for one person.The toilet and bathroom are same floor.

   I'm finishing my day with a great Turkish dinner which is called Çiğköfte (chighkofte). It's cheap and interesting a taste.I ate it with shalgam (a special drink cool and hot).It was 9 Lira. See you tomorrow guys.I'm really tired of discovering in the world.

   Today is my second day and I even woke up before the alarm. There's a near mosque which might disturb you. I'm a Muslim Turkish and it's okay for me but if you go to hotel where I stayed, I'm just warning you. Anyway I have a smile on my face because I'll go to one of the most popular lakes in Turkey which name is "Uzungöl". I can't go there without having breakfast. There're near restaurants where you can taste traditional food.

   I'm in one of them. I offered kuymak. Of course My mother also cooks it but it's different when you taste it in the right place. It was 18 Lira with tea. As you see in the below photo it's enough to rise up and say What am I waiting for :)

   I'm just checking up stuffs before Uzungöl yes everything seems good. I'm ready here we go. I'm now going a company tour. You should make a reservation for the lake before one day to make sure. Anyway company tour is located in center of city and I want to say that you can find cheaper tours at the weekends. But I bought a ticket 50 Lira in the weekdays. It starts 10:00 AM and finish there like 17:00 and it takes 2 hours (it depends traffic and how much you take a break on the way when you come back to city center).While on the way there were Iran and Saudi Arabia guys in the mini bus. I'm easy going with tourists and We made a good connection each other and told them anything about Trabzon and Istanbul. 

   I highly recommend you to go with tours because you can also see interesting things on the way. If I would go there alone, I probably wouldn't see them. Let me tell you what they are. First we stop a tea factory. They offer you almost 20 different tea and it's free of charge. Can you imagine me when I see something free of charge :) I'm just kidding and I tasted 2 tea and bought 1 kg tea. It's organic, you can see how they make tea in the factory if you ask them politely and price is normal. and you'll see tea gardens right side while going to Uzungöl. 

   We again stop a Turkish delight shop. If you're interested in tasting sweets they offer you to taste it and coffee.   

Now I'm on Kiremitli Köprü (Kiremitli Bridge)

I suggest you to take a photo before people get there. The bridge is made by wood.

   We finally arrived there. The lake originally was formed among the mountains. There's a great fresh air and view for Instagram.

You can take a walk around the lake and go to top to see panoramic.

Hahaha it's me. I'm looking well today.Hey girls, where are you ?

   I'm actually starving and going to restaurant with friends. We have over 4 hours. I'm relaxed no in rush. I offered Akçabat Köftesi (Akchabat Meatballs). It was satisfying and almost 30 Lira with drink. There's no alcohol in the restaurants. 

   After lunch We started walking around and there're so many hotels there.When it became a popular place to visit, almost all houses turned hotels.But there are some local people who live there. In the winter hotels are 100 Lira for per night but in the summer it's astronomic price and clients are almost from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. There're also electric bicycles but I don't recommend them if you have no health problem. Feel the natural air, places.

   There're hotels,restaurants,gift shops,local people,bicycles and two mosque in this photo as I remember.

   I don't want to cut this short but there's no entertainment venue and it's just a great natural place to visit. Before people build things a lot, go there. I spent walking my time around there and it's time to leave here. Time is 17:00 and we're on the way. I arrived hotel about 19:00 and to be honestly  I was really tired and sleep.

   Today is my third day. To be honestly, I'm a student and I'm not able to buy stuffs where I study. I almost spent my time on the streets and buy something. I mean, I'm flexible today there's only one place to visit. I'm starting my day with a delicious breakfast as you see in the below photo. It's called Kıymalı Pide in Turkish. It was 20 Lira with tea. Of course you can also find anything cheaper for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the streets.

   As I told you above I'm buying new clothes, necessary things before leave this beautiful city. When I'm done, I learned how to get Boztepe Tea Garden. There're mini buses in the center of city one guy is 3,5 Lira. Yes I'm there now.

   I'm still alone but I can do this, I'm challenging you baby to drink. It was 8 - 10 glasses. It holds hot for a while. They don't sell one glass. So I paid it 20 Lira. Maybe it's most expensive tea I've ever drank. But it really deserves and go there after 14:00 Pm. You see almost city center from there and I memorized how to get there by mini bus and I came back to city center by walking. 

   Now I'm really starving and I'm in a fish mini restaurant. Don't look at me like that, I really love eating Turkish cuisine.

   It's called Mezgit it comes with appetizer and it was all 20 Lira and including tea and water. I don't know what to say now I just had again a good day and today is my last day. I'm just walking randomly on the streets and my stomach is already full, I won't sleep easily but what does matter ? I'm in the room preparing for tomorrow I'll leave early here. 

  I woke up at 05:00 AM and I'm just skipping quickly because it was holiday in Azerbaijan there was traffic on the borders. There's nothing I can tell you about how to get Baku. So I don't want to bother you unnecessary things and I'm home. 

I would like to tell you something about it.

1) Well during I was travelling there, unfortunately Sumala Monastery, Girls Monastery and Historical Museum were closed. As I learned from local guys Sumala Monastery'll be opened on August 2019. It's really terrible because so many tourist go first there.

2) But If you're interested in having time in the plateau you should go after on May with tours.

3) Trabzon is a tourist city and there're so many tours to go places to visit. You can find one of them easily.

4) Bus Terminal and Airport is close to city center. There're places where you can find WiFi.

5) If you go to Turkey now days with Dollar or Euro, it's going to be great for you. Exchange is good.

   When I was in Trabzon I tried to write every detail my notebook about my trip. If you see something doesn't make sense please send me what it is, I'll reply as soon as I can.

   I want you to know that English isn't my mother tongue and I created this blog from a friend advice. I'm actually new but I guarantee that, as I did something well before I'll be clearer on my blog and give you more useful experience. 

I hope to see you next blog. Have a nice day !