Hello Everyone,
This week Carol and I are headed to Turkey’s Black Sea region. After a few nights in Bucharest, Romania, we’ll fly to Istanbul and eventually settle in at Safranbolu and Trabzon, before returning home.
Seventeen years ago we traveled to Romania to see its wonders. Bucharest was not on our agenda then, but, while in Romania, we had a long train layover in Bucharest. Walking around there, we were surprised by its grandeur and made a note to return there on a future trip to explore it. The time has finally come. Things could have changed dramatically over 17 years, but we will take a look and report what we find. We’re especially looking forward to tasting their famous desert, Papanasi – Romanian Cheese Doughnuts. As you probably know, I’m always on the lookout for a tasty new desert to try.
Istanbul has been a favorite stopover many times over the years, but not very recently. It’s one of the world’s most historical cities, reaching all the way back to Constantinople and is the major city separating Europe from Asia across the Bosporus River. We’re hoping to reacquaint ourselves with its charm and significance.
Safranbolu will be new to us and takes its name from the Saffron trade it was famous for on the “Silk Road” trade route during the Ottoman Empire. The Saffron blooms in the fall with tiny blue flowers, but I don’t know yet if we will be late enough in the season to see them.
Trabzon is where the Black Sea meets Turkey, close to the Georgian border. It’s a popular beach location. However, we are not “beach” people, so we are more interested in its historical and cultural treasures. I’m especially looking forward to seeing the Sumela Monastery, which hugs the side of a cliff above a forrest.
And, of course there is the Cuisine that always draws us to foreign lands. With a little travelers luck, we should be able to report back what we find.
Carol has posted her first blog about this trip, related to the idea of visiting places that are not so popular, and therefore not too crowded to enjoy. You can find her blog at:
https://carolapucci-tips.blogspot.com/2024/08/tired-of-crowds-and-high-prices-try.html
Later………………….. Your Favorite Travelers, Tom and Carol
By the way, for those of you who have not been following us since way back in 2015, I recently added our trip to The Baltics [Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia] and The Amalfi Coast in Italy, to my web site. You can check it out here or in the Travelog List on the web site if you are interested.
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