Ancere Termal Hotel Samsun

Amasya ıs one of the last well preserved Ottoman towns ın Turkey. Here was the educational and learning center of the Kalifs and Sultans before they took over ther reign.

We stayed ın a beautıful pension which was providı ...

The nıce little hotel was just in front of the Sea and we have enjoyed an excellent breakfast, that he landlady has prepared herself. Very nice, even we could not speak one word with each other.

Leavıng Amasra in the morning we have been exposed to a long wıinding road who sometimes was going up to hıghest hills and then dropped down along the coast. Some parts are very similar to Ireland at the west coast. The road is full of pot holes and requires ...

... had two 5cm slashes in it.

 We stopped at Jason's Church built by the Greeks on a site said to have been visited by Jason and the Argonauts after he'd taken Medea and retrieved the Golden Fleece.

We found a camp site in a perfect location by the sea.  We didn't need much more than cheese and bread for dinner because we'd had an amazing lunch of kofte in Kutulus on the coast road.

... three cyclists went by.  I met the cyclists later down the road and we've been together since.

Nicholas met Tom and Blaze in Germany.  Nicholas is heading for Iran whereas Tom and Blaze are heading for China taking a similar route to mine.

We found a campsite just off the main road (two camp sites compete for custom side-by-side so we camped for 5TL per tent).

David and I parted in rain that had started just after we broke camp. It continued until I reached Havza at about 11am. I ducked into a lokanta for an Iskembe soup followed by Kuru Fasulye (Baked Beans) with a mountain of bread. It costs about 7TL.

The rain had stopped when I left and I climbed steadily up to 900m before sailing down into Kavak for another meal. This time I had Paça soup ...

... farcit d Ayrgamboys emprenem l estoica travessa turca. (...) Es trist el Mar negre; d una tristor d aquelles que encongirien el cor si se ls hi pogues treure el so. El cel s ha encapotat per primer cop des de Bari ( Italia) i fins i tot els verds son grisos. D enssa que es toca costa, abans de Samsun, que surt la ganya del mon inhospit. Aquesta es una costa bruta, abarracada de tendes xalet a la platja, amb ...

I've been away from the computer for several days, due to the "exigencies" of travel, as I call them. First, of course, is my "dead" or severely wounded computer. It is at least comatose following a power surge in Van, being plugged in seeking to recharge the battery. The other reason is the traveling. After sitting on a bus the better part of a day it's hard to give over time to sitting some more in an internet cafe.

Nevertheless, there are some events from Patnos ...

I'd been to Amasya before, in my 2002 visit to the east. It is one of my favorite Turkish towns. It has more character than most. Its setting is quite unique. On a river, in a wide gorge.

But this time I was merely using it as a bedroom stop-over on my way to Samsun. The next day in Samsun were to be festivities marking the anniversary of Kemal Ataturk's landing there, basically his first move to begin the Turkish War of ...

... sea. As it was with the clouds and drops of rain it was merely pleasant. However ı did get my long sought after cup of tea - complimentary - which ı had in the conservatory beside the garden - overlooking the grounds and town. Tremendous. I am a simple man. Then back down to the post office and into the museum which is in one of those 2 ottoman houses. This musuem was especially good at depicting period piece ottoman costumes from the late 19C - all ...

... hands, face and feet, as is the custom before entering a mosque and went inside and prayed. In Australia you would never see a bus driver pull up to a church and nip inside for a quick word to God. The way they drive perhaps they should. As the sun was shining and to break up the seven hour drive we stopped for thirty minutes of beach time. We were like dogs let off the leash as we sprinted from the bus and ran down into the Black Sea. The sand was black but stone free ...