Trabzon in the morning and Aya Sofia
The last three mornings I have been exploring differnt pockets of the seaside city. This morning I did less walking around than the other two mornings simply because I woke up at 5 am, even before the call the prayer sounded. Since sleep was beyond any realm of possiblity, I decided to watch the sunrise.
These give you an idea of what Trabzon looks like.
If you look closely, you can see lots of clothes hanging out to dry. Nobody here owns a dryer. I wonder what they do in the winter.
Later this afternoon, Emma took John and I to the Aya Sofia of Trabzon. It was, of course, much smaller than the one in Istanbul, but none the less beautiful. It was built in the 1400s and was first a cathedral, then a mosque, at some point a military hospital, a mosque again, and then abandoned. Only recently has it been restored. Most of the frescoes have been scraped off, but some remained. What is still visible is breathtaking.
Next to the museum was a tea garden in which we ate the most delicious food. Here is a Trabzon specialty, kuymak. Only three ingredients are needed to make this custardy tasting dish: corn flour, butter, and cheese. It is served warm and has a smooth consistency to it. Contrary to how it looks, it is quite yummy.
Aya Sofia is almost on the shore. In fact, it used to be right on the shore. The Black Sea has changed the coastline dramatically in even the few years that Emma has been here (about 4). Somebody recently had the brilliant idea to take chunks of nearby mountains and re-extend the shoreline and they are now attempting to build a highway that goes all along the Black Sea coast. The road has faced strong opposition from many fronts, geologists and locals alike. I’m not sure why they are contiuning with the project as the road is very highly likely to be washed away. Even so, construction is taking place with hopes of connecting a highway from İstanbul to Armenia.
You can’t see it in the photo, but there are sheep grazing underneath the bridge.
Sorry if some of the photos are too big in the post. Some of them I felt had to be larger so you could see the details better. Enjoy!
These give you an idea of what Trabzon looks like.
If you look closely, you can see lots of clothes hanging out to dry. Nobody here owns a dryer. I wonder what they do in the winter.
Later this afternoon, Emma took John and I to the Aya Sofia of Trabzon. It was, of course, much smaller than the one in Istanbul, but none the less beautiful. It was built in the 1400s and was first a cathedral, then a mosque, at some point a military hospital, a mosque again, and then abandoned. Only recently has it been restored. Most of the frescoes have been scraped off, but some remained. What is still visible is breathtaking.
Next to the museum was a tea garden in which we ate the most delicious food. Here is a Trabzon specialty, kuymak. Only three ingredients are needed to make this custardy tasting dish: corn flour, butter, and cheese. It is served warm and has a smooth consistency to it. Contrary to how it looks, it is quite yummy.
Aya Sofia is almost on the shore. In fact, it used to be right on the shore. The Black Sea has changed the coastline dramatically in even the few years that Emma has been here (about 4). Somebody recently had the brilliant idea to take chunks of nearby mountains and re-extend the shoreline and they are now attempting to build a highway that goes all along the Black Sea coast. The road has faced strong opposition from many fronts, geologists and locals alike. I’m not sure why they are contiuning with the project as the road is very highly likely to be washed away. Even so, construction is taking place with hopes of connecting a highway from İstanbul to Armenia.
You can’t see it in the photo, but there are sheep grazing underneath the bridge.
Sorry if some of the photos are too big in the post. Some of them I felt had to be larger so you could see the details better. Enjoy!
posted by nicole @ 11:52 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home