Trabzon and Rize Day Two

Day Two!

Day two wasn't quite as long as the first, but I think it took a lot out of us, even though it continued to be quite amazing in itself. We started with a fabulous free breakfast at our hotel, finally got some food into our boy and had a leisurely 9 a.m. departure. We (being our family) were following the group itinerary, but it was amorphous and we were not always updated about where we were going, or more important for me, when we were going to stop for food. It all worked out great, but we had to ask several times where it was we were heading.

After loading up in the van again, we headed back into the mountains, albeit on a different road. It was a lot of the same beautiful green and lush green we'd seen the day before. Soon, the traffic died out almost completely and the mountain continued to rise and rise and get drier and hotter. We had entered the rain shadow. Our first stop was Karaca Cave. It was...unique and rather compact, and while the area around it was beautiful, I didn't think the fifteen minutes we were there warranted driving two hours to get there. Also, the boy freaked out at the darkness of it and the cool air and could not be coerced into entering. After that there was hope. Because, first, there was köfte and lamb to be had. I was starting to get burned out on the köfte, but this was some of the best I've had. It was extra crispy and not greasy at all. After that came Sumela Monastery.

On the way to Karaca Cave. I put this picture (with window glare and billboard) here on purpose because of the billboard. We were in an area of a lot of tea production, hence the teapot on the right, and that dish on the left, which consists of flour and melted cheese, is to die for. Or from.

There was a very windy road to get up to the cave, which was pretty much at the top of the mountain.

This charming village greeted us on the way up the mountain. It was so hot and dry, I didn't remember it being this green. I guess that's why we have cameras.

Sumela Monastery dates from the fourth century, although most structures are much newer. It is a fabulous place to visit because of its beauty, location and how you get there. Again, you drive up windy roads, pay a small fee for vehicle entrance and then cross your fingers for somewhere to park. This place was VERY popular. After exiting our van, we were faced with two options, walk the 3 km trail to the top or pay 6 TL for a round trip ride to the top. I opted for the ride. It was money well spent. Once at the top, there is a 300 meter rocky trail to navigate, which was somewhat tricky for me with a heavy boy on my back. He was feeling very happy to be out of the van, albeit locked in the backpack, but also a little feisty as well. There was loads of attention paid to him and he was almost flippant in his responses to people smiling at him.

Once you reach the top, there is another small fee to pay (unless you have the much appreciated Muze Kart, thank you!) which is the equivalent of about five dollars. Climb one more set of stairs and behold! This place is amazing! It is like a small city tucked into the side of a mountain. It is incredible. I can't imagine how inspiring and lonely it must have been to have lived here so long ago. There is a myriad of different buildings with different functions. I particularly enjoyed the library, which had a window that looked out way down the cliff face and across to the hillside opposite. There was a very nice and intimate dining room and a bakery with very low doorways. The rock chapel was obviously the most hallowed spot and it was awash in frescoes on almost every surface and was literally carved into the rock of the cliff. There was even a nice courtyard to give you a sense of openness after being in all the tiny rooms. There's nothing that I can compare it to. It really is just stunning.

Intrepid travelers all.

Happy family.

Looking up from where we entered.

Inside the Rock Chapel. 

The frescoes are uncovered and an arm length away. So many of the frescoes had been vandalized. What was surprising was that some of the vandals marked the year of their destruction, some dated to 1809, and there were many different languages etched into them, Greek, Georgian, some Cyrillic.

After retracing our way back to a van that would bring us back to OUR van, the boy was presented with a complimentary ice cream cone. He's still working on how to eat them. Note large glob of ice cream in Mlle's hair.

One last Trabzon note:

The area around Trabzon is fiercely proud of their little corner of the world. And they love their football team, which is remarkably successful for being based in a town of only 300,000. They are quite competitive with the larger clubs from Istanbul. That said, there is quite a bit of decoration on buildings around town in the team's colors of claret and sky blue.

Here they are on a factory outside of town.

And on a bus shelter.