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Published: August 29th 2011
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Sumela Monastery
This Greek Orthodox Monastery was built in the fourth century and, yes, we went up to it. Welcome to Bill and Carol's Senior Years Abroad, blog about our explorations in and around Turkey in 2010 - 2012. As our second year in Turkey began in May 2011, we abandoned--for a few months--our efforts at being semi-serious travelers, taking a break in our volunteering and Turkish language study. With Seattle visitors (Janet and Bill Corriston and later Catherine Crain) in Turkey to tempt us toward wall-to-wall fun, we fell into a wonderfully shameless pattern of colorful excursions, sandwiched among dips in the Sea, afternoon naps, and some truly unforgettable meals.
Early in the Corristons' time with us, we fulfilled a dream of taking a Blue Cruise, an informal exploration of the Mediterranean Coast by gulet--a small wooden boat. We (just the two couples) hired a sweet, smallish gulet belonging to a friend of a friend, and--for four days and four nights--bobbed along in the turquoise Sea close to the gorgeous coastline. It was even quite inexpensive! The Turkish captain and his wife were relaxed, charming and competent, pampering us with fine meals, a leisurely pace, and joined us for some swims and for some unusual walks among remote ruins when the boat docked. There were three cabins below,
but we slept on the deck under the stars--except when it rained. Bill Roach says the best part was waking up in the morning and just rolling off the deck into the Sea for his first swim of the day! I think Bill Corriston would vote for our looong after-dinner card games under the boat's canopy on rainy nights. From the gulet, we saw castles, fish, long-haired goats, lots of Lycian tombs, an ancient sunken city, and thousands of stars. Best of all, we saw lots of each other.
The four of us returned "home" for a gathering of sixteen or so Antalya friends to celebrate Bill's 70th birthday. It was also nearly Janet's birthday and just past the one-year marker of our time in Turkey--so there was a lot to toast.
Our time with Janet and Bill continued through several more weeks of great beauty, quirky adventure, and hilarity. We'll let the photos--some from the Corristons' camera--offer a taste of those excursions because words just don't do it justice.
When Catherine Crain arrived in late June, Antalya was moving quickly toward the serious heat/humidity of high summer. By pre-arrangement, Catherine's visit was more local and low
Janet and Bill Corriston
They are enjoying some Turkish stew in ceramic pots brought to the table and and broken open key, with lots of time swimming in the Sea and hanging out with our Antalya friends. We took a number of colorful daytrips--including to the opera "Tosca" at the outdoor Roman-era theatre Aspendos, and to the Karain Cave, where neolithic remains have been found. An accomplished tango dancer, Catherine unearthed the local tango scene and did a fair amount of dancing. It was another exceptional and enjoyable visit!
By mid-July, with the Mediterranean heat becoming intense, we headed for the northern Black Sea coast of Turkey--where the temperatures are reliably much cooler. Last October, during Antalya's international film festival, we had seen some intriguing Turkish films that had been shot in the high, misty mountains along the Black Sea, and we were determined to see it all for ourselves.
The most immediately noticeable features of the Karadeniz (Black Sea) region of Turkey are the villages and agriculture located extremely high on towering green, green mountains that are frequently enshrouded in clouds. Every spring, villagers traditionally move their families, tools, and livestock from winter quarters in the valleys to these small, high mountain settlements (called "yaylas") where they grow their crops and tend their animals.
Way up in
Bill's 70th Birthday
He is responding to questions from his friends the "yaylas" in the summer, there are also cultural festivals with festive folk dances, including one called the Horon. We had seen documentaries of Horon dancers in brilliant costumes and really wanted to see them in person. The tourist office provided a schedule of various festivals, and we chose one at the top of a mountain not too far away. On the day the festival was scheduled to begin, we headed our little rental car up a steep mountain road with lots of hairpin turns, our visibility compromised in the clouds as we neared the settlement at the top. When we arrived, a few folks were setting up tents and slaughtering animals in a big clearing, but then we asked about the festival. It would be later that week, we were told. Could we come back in 3 or 4 days? (Ah...we remembered then. We were still in Turkey!) But by then, the weather was getting quite bad: heavy rain, thunder, lightning. Getting back down the hairpin curves in the storm didn't seem like a good idea, so we spent the night under scratchy wool blankets in a little corrugated metal building that said "hotel" on the outside. (We tried
Breakfast in Antalya
Catherine having Turkish breakfast on our balcony with some of our Antalya friends. not to focus too much on the wisdom of taking shelter from an electrical storm in a metal building, but we did survive to tell the story.) The next morning was clear, and we drove down easily, but by then we had become attached to the idea of seeing the Horon danced--so attached, that FOUR DAYS LATER, as instructed, we again drove up the winding mountain road to the same yayla. It was perfect weather for a festival, and we were hopeful as we entered the settlement again. But, alas, the clearing at the top was empty except for mountains of litter. The Horon festival had ended the night before!
So, as in other parts of Turkey, the people Black Sea region do not excel in planning. But they do excel in hospitality toward strangers. Over and over--well at least five or six times-- we would go to pay the bill for a snack (chai, ice cream, etc.) and learn that it had been paid by someone else--another patron or sometimes the waiter! Once in the largish town of Trabzon, we stopped to ask directions of a woman walking on the sidewalk. She understood where we wanted to go
Black Seacoast of Turkey
Midway up the mountain above a steep meadow and knew how to get there, but seemed unsure about how to give us good directions--so she just climbed in the back seat and shouted "left," "right," and "straight" from there. We had taken her far from where she was going, but she was glad to help! It's humbling.
Toward the eastern end of the coast near the border with Georgia, the towering hills are almost all planted in dense wavy rows: it's the tea-growing area. We were there in tea-picking season, and the steep fields were full of local people harvesting the tea leaves, wrapping it in huge plastic bags, and taking it to road-side stations to be weighed. Sometimes the mountains are so high that the pickers send the bundles down on via a pulley system. Tea picking seems to be quite entreprenurial work. Anyone--including teenagers--who wants to make some money just shows up and starts picking.
We loved our time on Turkey's Black Sea coast and would love to see more. But it was time to move on to Hungary, Austria, and Slovenia, where our next blog will pick up. If you like photos, keep scrolling below in this entry to see the Faces and
Woman from the Black Sea Mountains
Her headscarf identifies her as from the Hemsin culture. Places section. As always, thanks so much for following along on our travels. It means so much to be able to hear from you. May your adventures, too, come with challenges and lots of fun!
With affection,
Carol and Bill Roach
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vince
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the good life
You two seem to be making the most of your Turkey sojourn. It's fun to hear and see it if only electronically. When do you leave to come home to the US?