Travel Bug

It's been a while since I have actually stayed in Istanbul over the weekend. I actually figured out that one whole month would pass by the time I am not traveling over a weekend and am actually in Istanbul over a Friday and Saturday. I left for Florence on April 5th and will be returning from Izmir on May 5th, the weekend following my trip to Izmir I will finally stay put in Istanbul where I will remain until flying out for my travels after finals end. This upcoming weekend I am traveling East in Turkey to the town of Trabzon along the coast of the Black Sea nestled in the Pontic Mountains. This trip is the final CIEE group trip indicating the close approaching end of semester. Trabzon will be the farthest East I have/will travel in Turkey and am really excited to see the cultural and environmental differences.

I talked to a few of my Turkish friends about my upcoming trip and they included me in on a Turkish inside joke about people from the Black Sea region. Similar to how the United States holds the misconception that people from the South are dumb hill-billies, Turkey holds the misconception that people from the Black Sea are dumb and backwards thinkers. My mentor Ufuk sarcastically said "rather than having street signs that say 'the nearest gas station in 3 km' their street signs would read 'the nearest gas station 3 km back' because people from the Black Sea are known to be illogical." I didn't think the joke was that funny but his broken English attempt still made me laugh.

Trip Itinerary

25 Nisan Perşembe

20:00                     Bus leaves from bus stop at Koç. (Do not be late as we can’t miss flight!!!)

22:25                     Anadolujet Flight TK7230 leaves from Sabiha Gökçen airport to Trabzon

00:05                     Flight arrives in Trabzon. Transfer to Çoşandere Hotel in Maçka:

                               Hotel: Çoşandere Hotel, Sümela Yolu Üzeri, Maçka

                               Ph: +90 (462) 531.1190 www.cosandere.com

                              

26 Nisan Cuma

08:30                     Breakfast at Çoşandere hotel

09:30                     Bus leaves for Sümela Monastary

10:00-12:00        Visit Sümela Monastary (this involves a 1km trek uphill)

12:30                     Group lunch at Çoşandere Hotel

13:30                     Bus leaves for Çamlıhemşin

15:30                     Arrival in Çamlıhemşin.

                               Hotel: Otel Doğa, Şenyuva Köyü

                               Ph: +90 (464) 651.7455

Evening               Group dinner and relaxation at hotel. Chat by the fireside with Apo Aydin (local muhtar) and Uğur Biryol (local guide).

27 Nisan Cumartesi

08:00                     Breakfast at hotel

09:00                     Leave hotel for day-long trek around local villages

12:30                     Group lunch in traditional village house in Ortan Köyü

17:00                     Return to hotel

Evening               Group dinner and relaxation.

28 Nisan Pazar

08:00                     Breakfast at hotel and check out

09:30                     Bus leaves for Trabzon

11:30                     Arrive in Trabzon. Meet guide İsmail Köse for city tour.

12:00                     Visit 13^th century Haghia Sophia Church

13:30                     Group lunch in Akçabat (small coastal town near Trabzon)

15:30                     Visit Atatürk Köşk and walk in center of Trabzon with guide

17:30                     Free time. (We will not meet for dinner so grab something if you like).

19:00                     Meet bus for transfer to airport

20:30                     Anadolujet flight TK7299 leaves for Istanbul (snack will be served on plane)

22:15                     Arrival at Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Transfer to Koç

00:30                     Arrival at Koç. İyi geceler!