Turkey: Enigmatic Trabzon

From Sivas, we headed north toward the Black Sea, on our way to Georgia. We opted for the 6-hour bus ride from Sivas to Trabzon, instead of the 5-hour train to Samsun plus another 5-hour bus to Trabzon. The bus ride itself was rather scenic.

Trabzon is a much touted destination by all the guidebooks. We don't quite understand. Maybe it's because we skipped the number one attraction, Sumela Monastery. After much investigation, we decided against going 1)the minibus doesn't allow enough time 2)the admission price is too high 3)the weather didn't seem too clear.

We stayed in town for the two days we were there. While Trabzon itself does have some tourist attractions, the newly built Boztepe Skywalk high up on the hill was a highlight. The thing is a whole kilometer long. It seems so extravagant - how many municipalities around the world would build such a thing? I loved walking on it, as everyone else around. Trabzon could really use a seafront promenade, where they have an expressway now. It looks like they are building a new road higher up on the hill. Maybe Trabzon will have a seafront promenade. This is just an example of how Turkey is developing to make cities better for the people.

We visited the Santa Maria Catholic Church (active) and the ex Hagia Sophia church, now a mosque. In both cases there are young muslims poking showing intellectual curiosity, something we didn't not see in the Arab countries. From what I read, Trabzon is supposed to be a conservative city. We happened to learn that the small hotel we stayed at the other 10 rooms were all Saudis. Do they feel more at home in Trabzon? Everything I read about Turkey mentions how the country is becoming more conservative. To me, it seems way more secular than Israel. For that matter, is Turkey or the US more secular?

On the Turay bus, with a 1 x 2 seat config, from Sivas to Trabzon.






The requisite rest stop wash down. ;-)




On the free shuttle bus from Trabzon Bus Station to the Maidan (city center).


Trabzon was a nice 3-night stop for us. Our hotel room had a balcony with a view of the Black Sea, and we found a very "vegetarian friendly" restaurant, Kalender Lokanta ve Kafe, on our first night in town.








Some shots from up on the Boztepe Skywalk.












Santa Maria Church




Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia). Formerly a church, now a mosque.






Some shots along the Black Sea waterfront, from port to amphitheatre.






And a few more pics from around the downtown.








The beautiful Gulbahar Hatun Mosque.