Blogs from Trabzon, Black Sea, Turkey, Middle East

Přesun autobusem z Karsu do Trabzonu nám trval celej den. Večer jsme dorazili na autobusák a zavolali Bünyaminovi u kterýho jsme měli bydlet. Sehnat ubytování v Trabzonu nebyla vůbec žádná legrace, protože je to univerzitní město a to znamená, že na konci června jedou všichni domů. Náš hostitel naštěstí přes léto pracoval na místním letišti a proto výjímečně nikam neodjel. Cesta k němu vedla do strmýho kopce, hornatostí to připomínalo San Francisco. Ale kromě hornatosti tedy už ničím jiným. Nikde žádná stará tramvaj, o číňana by tu člověk nezakopnul a žádná automobilová honička s autama co skáčou jak ping pongový míčky se tu taky nekonala. Benjamin se naučil jazyky dílem ve škole a dílem v německu. Německo se na něm dost podepsalo paříklad tím, že byl tanečníkem disco. Údajně si odskočil z Reichu na jednu noc ... read more

There are some places for everyone which you feel a belonging without knowing really why and Black Sea region of Turkey is somewhere like that for me. Ok my father is from this region and when I seek my ancestory,which ever branch I look for at my fathers side, I always end up somewhere in eastern Black Sea but still I spent a very little time of my life in this region and I was in my end twenties when I first have been to eastern Black Sea. However I always felt a feeling of belonging and longing both to this region and colourful people of it. Maybe there is really something like a genetic memory. I had one week holiday left for 2008 and I really felt tired. Last few weeks the humid air of ... read more

Am begınnıng to realıse that ı may have to scratch travel wrıter from my lıst of possıble career choıces and feelıng horrıfıcally guılty for not havıng made an entry for so long!! Romanıa After Sıghısoara we spent a nıght campıng ın Rosnov after lookıng round the castle. Thıs was our fırst free camp and we could see the carpathıan mountaıns from our campsıte. That Nıght was really cold and ı was glad to leave the next day. We went straıght from there to Brasov where we stayed ın a hotel that was an amazıng contrast to the campsıte! There was a house whıch four people stayed ın and behınd that a huge games room wıth bedrooms off and behınd that a summer house where me and Carolyn stayed. It was a lovely place to wake up ... read more

The bustling border crossing at Hopa was nothing like the sleepy, rural, countryside post I had crossed to enter Georgia two days earlier. Tractor trailers, vacationing Russians, and a much more official (border-ish) mood filled the air, and made it rather unpleasant. To the left, handsome tall green Turkish mountains rose up to towering heights. To the right, the Black Sea stretched out coldly under an ominous, cloudy, late evening sky. We were routed between barbed wire and chain-link fencing, as the crossing is under heavy construction. Presumably, this means trade between Turkey and the Caucasus countries - 2 outta 3, that is - is enjoying healthy growth, and that the border is being expanded to accommodate the resulting traffic. It was a push-your-way-to-the-makeshift-kiosk type of queue for immigration. With a few questions in Turkish and ... read more

Litt utpå formiddagen den 14. mai dukket noen velkjente fjell opp i horisonten. Knausen som er bedre kjent som Tyrkia steg fram over vannet. Furet, værbitt, anyone? Da det velkjente bønnegaulet fra nærmeste moske blandet seg med havnestøyen og bilglammet, var bildet perfekt: Vi hadde forlatt slavernes velordnede verden, og ankommet tyrkernes brautende og blide anarki. Deilig. Faktisk oppleves kontrasten mellom Russland og Tyrkia sterkere enn da vi kom hjemmefra... Vi bevilget oss et par dager i Trabzon, og vasket klær og sykler (sistnevnte operasjon framprovoserte atter en gang at vi ble påspandert kruttsterk te) og sjekket litt logistikk for hjemreisen fra Georgia. På fridag nr. to la vi inn et besøk ved den mest omtalte turistattraksjonen i området. Området rundt Trabzon har litt til felles med Asterix og vennene hans fra Gallia: de holdt ... read more

Monday March 19. I left Ordu at 7.45 am. As part of the upgrading of the roads they have put in new tunnels and have not yet put in any lighting. It was very nearly my undoing. I checked that there was no traffic and set off furiously to get to the other end. It became absolutely dark and my front light was useless. I was following the white line in the middle of the tunnel with my front light. I heard truck approaching at speed so I went for the side but couldn’t see a thing. I hit a concrete retaining wall, went over and into a culvert in the pitch darkness. I landed across another wall on my right side .At first I thought that I had broken ribs. It took some time ... read more