Sunday, May 13, 2007

Turkey: Trabzon

Kars May 13th.....65 degrees....Brilliantly sunny with snow in the hills

I am in the city of Pamuk's Snow and the time in Turkey has been earthshakingly interesting for me. Trabzon is quite messy and ugly, but the hotel was good. The Sumela Monastery about 2okm inland in deep green mountains with spring cascades everywhere is a stunner...14th C.... now being beautifully restored from its Greek roots bythe government.

As we drive along the Black Sea coast, we are on a new four lane highway which is made on reclaimed land and is very ugly which is such a pity becaues the coast is lovely. We turn off frequently up long valleys to alpine-like stettings with lakes and wooden chalets. Quite unexpected. The people here are mostly Laz, which is a kind of nationality which has Georgian roots but which chose Islam. We arrive at the rather scraggly border town of Hoppa for overnight in a hotel decorated off of a run-down tourist town in middle America.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home