Trabzon - A Black Sea Surprise

---

After visiting Sumela Monastery, we drove back to Trabzon and it was early afternoon so we decided to use the car to see Aya Sophia before returning it. On the map, it looked like Aya Sophia was further away than it really was. It is actually in the city, just 3km from the city center. It sits on a hill overlooking the sea and is pretty easy to spot. We found free parking close by, totally by accident, and walked up the hill. We had to walk around to the back to get in (3TL). Aya Sophia was built between 1238-1263 and its original name, Hagia Sophia, means Church of Divine Wisdom. This church-turned-mosque is well-preserved and has beautiful frescoes and a mosaic on the floor that was once stunning, but has clearly had pieces removed. It is a beautiful building from the outside as well. After we saw Aya Sophia, we took a break at their cafe and ordered kuymak (melted cheese mixed with cornmeal) served with bread. It was okay, but I wouldn't order it again. I ate a little, Megan ate a lot, and probably half of it was left.

We returned the rental car at the airport with no problem and took the havaş (airport bus into the city) which dropped us off very near our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Anıl, which was pretty nice and we had air con in our room. We werenn't really hungry, so we went for a walk in search of ice cream and ended up with a chocolate shake from Burger King, of all places. I haven't had one of those in years. We each bought a pair of shoes and decided we'd better go back to the hotel before we spent any more money.

The next day we had breakfast and then decided to walk the 5km to Atatürk's Villa. We made a worthwhile stop at the Trabzon Museum (3TL) on the way there. It is an old mansion with the original Italian tile floors. They have two floors of period furniture, and some great kilims and carpets. And then we started our walk to the villa. However, we didn't look that closely at the guidebook and we didn't realize his villa was actually 5km away once you got outside the city center. Oops. And it was all uphill. And it was a little bit hot and humid. We must have walked for at least and hour and a half. Uphill. But we finally reached our destination and agreed we had definitely earned an ice cream AND baklava. We saw a lot of tour buses, but three of them left right after we arrived and it really wasn't crowded at all. The story in the Lonely Planet of how Atatürk came to own this villa is not correct, by the way. The plaque at the villa tells a more detailed version of the story, and LP clearly left out an important detail. This house was built between 1890 and 1903 for a wealthy banking family. LP says it was given to Atatürk when he visited the city in 1924. It doesn't say why. It's because the government had actually taken it from the wealthy family and didn't really do anything with it until Atatürk came and said he liked it. Why did the government take it? The family was forced into exile when the hostilities with the Greeks escalated. It is well worth a visit (2TL) just to see the house and the gardens. There are also a lot of photos of the man himself with various important people and celebrities.

We were too tired to walk back down the hill, so we took the bus, which doesn't take cash. They sell the transport cards at the villa, but they ran out and said we could get one on the bus. Not so. So the driver let us ride for free, but he was pretty grumpy about it. We had a great dinner for 7TL and baklava, went back to the hotel for a nap, then went out for a walk and a much deserved ice cream and a bit more shopping. We had a Magnum ice cream - vanilla ice cream with a black mulberry and blackberry jelly surrounding it and all dipped in chocolate. Never tried it? You must. It is divine.

The next day was our last in Trabzon and we were not too ambitious. We really didn't need to stay this day, but we didn't know that before we arrived. We walked around the city a bit and took some photos, did some shopping, ate more ice cream, and then it was time for Megan to get the shuttle to the airport. After she left, I went to an Internet cafe and used my Turkish Airlines miles to book a flight from Kars to Ankara. Cost me all of 14 dollars in taxes. Then I went for Iskender kebap that was excellent and then I went to the hotel to sleep in the lobby a bit before getting on the bus to Kars. I got the bus around midnight and was off to Kars and Ani.

---

Photos

Mosaics
Pieces had clearly been taken, not just worn away