I collect my realized dreams like precious treasures inside my heart...
20 days of the longest trip in Turkey in my #TheLongestTrip... Another dream came true. I saw a completely different Turkey, which I called Georgian Turkey...
I saw the third sea of the Turkish land - the Black Sea. I tasted the famous Trabzon bread! Someday I will certainly write a separate post about each wonderful place, about each unique house that we visited during this trip, but today let's quickly, from the very beginning, walk with me step by step through this crazy walk through the Turkish land, which was the reason for my long absence here. Catch my emotions!
I have written before: I feel the greatest happiness when I get behind the wheel of my car and go somewhere far away, where I have never been before! Some inexplicable excitement and delight overwhelms me when I fly swiftly in my car among unfamiliar mountains, pass through serpentines between these amazing stones covered with coniferous trees... Just yesterday I was swimming in my favorite canyon of Kemer, among high rocks and pine trees. And now I see other mountains of central Turkey, low, wide, almost bald, but also beautiful. Covered with wild herbs and fragrant flowers, and single cypress and juniper trees...
And now there are 900 km of the road left behind, an overnight stay in Aksaray and we are back in Hasancelebi, making a pleasant stop for a rest. Fate really gives us unpredictable surprises hidden among this prickly harsh beauty. We meet such cute mountain dwellers...
Here people are mainly engaged in animal husbandry, so on the road we meet large herds of cows and sheep. Once a couple of turtles crossed our path, and we watched for a long time how they cutely crossed the road :)
As for sheep, this is a special passion of my daughters. This is an incredible snow-white moving bunch of cute living creatures that move quickly among the mountain pastures and jingle with their bells around their necks.
We asked the shepherd to give us one little sheep to hold in our arms. A cute, trusting creature :)
Water in the Malatya region is a rare phenomenon. Therefore, if we come across a mountain stream, we are happy and go to wash our feet. And one day we were lucky.
Our Turkish friends showed us a small waterfall. And there was a bath, where we could even take a dip!
However, it was difficult to drive there in my car, because my car is not adapted to such mountain roads. You need a jeep :)
These mountains are very similar to the mountains in the Kazantip nature reserve on the Sea of Azov, which I visited a long time ago in Ukraine. The stones are covered with multi-colored lichen, they really look like a work of art. And the fragrant air, filled with the smell of yellow St. John's wort and mint, will forever remain in my soul as a memory of this walk...
Thanks to our friend 
We continued our journey, 600 km ahead to Rize, where we rented our Airbnb apartment.
We drove most of the way in the dark. But the sunsets were so beautiful!
There is a very interesting story: my daughter 
But for me and 
We arrived at night and we saw this Surprise! It was a house on the bank of a mountain river! There was no internet. That's probably why the price was lower. But it was great. For two days we didn't look at our phones in the evening and slept to the sound of the river!
And in the morning I went outside. It was raining. I stood with my feet in this fast, powerful river under the rain. It was happiness! I didn't know then: in the Trabzon region it rains constantly, watering the abundantly overgrown tea bushes on the mountain slopes. It was like I was in another country!
It was in the very place where our house stood that people started their rafting. We watched and wanted too. Later we dared and also have this experience! But there will be a separate post about that...
The next day we went to see the Black Sea. We found a cozy cafe on the seashore, where the food was quite nice and the prices were much cheaper than in Kemer.
I liked swimming in the Black Sea. The water is very soft. The salt content is much lower than in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. After swimming in the Black Sea, I feel comfortable, my body does not want to wash off this salt under the shower. But my girls do not like black water. Only I swam with pleasure. But Darynka did keep me company after much persuasion 😊
Before the trip, I searched Google for the most popular places in Rize that are worth visiting. And finally we arrived at such a place. This is probably the first time: my impressions were more powerful from what I saw than what I saw online! Timisvat bridge over the majestic Firtina River - these pictures take your breath away. I was amazed by the arched structure of this authentic stone bridge, which impresses with its unique shape against the backdrop of the turbulent river and green tea hills! This place has become a symbol of the region.
The bridge is truly a work of art, created by the masters of the Ottoman Empire. There are many restaurants on both sides of the river, where tourists can enjoy the views. Firtina Valley, Rize is a must-see!
We wanted to stay a few more days longer in this rainy, cool part of Turkey. Imagine, in Kemer it is now 40 degrees Celsius, it feels like 50 degrees, and not a single drop of rain. And here... We seemed to have arrived in Thailand during the rainy season :) But unfortunately our apartment was unavailable for the following dates. And we found another apartment, with panoramic windows, a view of a mountain stream, and a jacuzzi bath. Exotic!
We carefully checked everything: the availability of WiFi, a kitchen... We were assured: everything is there! And so we, intending to relax in the jacuzzi bath, to walk for two whole days on the tea hills, enjoy the silence, rest before the long road, arrived at the next house. The road was steeply uphill, over a cliff. Of course it was raining, it was a little scary to drive... Finally, 5 km from the main road, we arrived at two beautiful wooden bungalows.
Unfortunately: the information we received in the apartment description on the airbnb website did not correspond to reality. The bungalow did not have a kitchen area, there was no hot water in the house. So it was impossible to take a jacuzzi bath! And there was no WiFi. Unfortunately, this often happens in Turkey 😢
We went into town and contacted Airbnb support to ask for compensation for the inconsistency in the information provided! We have a good reputation, having booked accommodation through Airbnb about 70 times during our trip. However, we are disappointed that there is no way to verify whether the listed amenities are true...
Our host arrived late in the evening, fixed the jacuzzi bath, and turned on the WiFi. So we still got to know this to sit in the еxotic jacuzzi bath and relax, listening to the sound of the mountain stream outside the window... But the next day we left, giving up the second day.
While waiting to move into the next house, we walked a little further in the rain along the steep road up, along the cliff where a mountain stream flowed, and from afar we looked at a beautiful waterfall to which there was no road.
We wanted to spend the last two days in the Trabzon region in peace and happiness. And we were lucky: we rented a wonderful eco wooden house in a neighboring village for the last two days. Finally, it was perfect accommodation. This will be a separate publication, because it looked like a cozy paradise!
Locals advised us to see a very beautiful waterfall and we went to this place, which is located 20 km from Ardaşen. Ayder Plateau is a corner of unique nature, which is called Turkish Switzerland. High mountains, covered with beech and fir forests. Deep gorges, where there are waterfalls of crazy height! This beauty is difficult to describe in words. You have to see it!
And the last highlight of our trip is the Sumela Monastery. This temple on the top of the mountain is the immortalized spirit of the monks. The presence of centuries is felt here. The faces of the saints, which are painted on the rocks, seem to guard the silence. A powerfully fascinating shrine, which left vivid impressions in my soul...
We were approaching Antalya, full of bright emotions from our journey! It is an incredible happiness to drive towards the mountains, which are so different and have their own unique face. Here they are covered with fir trees, and then 100 km from here, in Kemer, the mountains are covered with pine trees... Our Earth is so beautiful. I opened the windows of my car and drove, enjoying the amazing coniferous air...
I thank the Creator for this exciting journey Kemer - Rize - Kemer, which was more than 3000 km... and appreciate the opportunity to share with you the adventures of our #TheLongestTrip