Merhaba,
Safranbolu was our final stop before heading back to Ankara for our flight home. It’s a UNESCO Heritage City with lots to see, so give it a few days. We spent one day, just enough to get the flavor of it the scent of the local perfumes made from Saffron.
Ru
From Tom Frosnahan, travel writer….
Ottoman culture is alive and well in Safranbolu, a real museum of a town 225 km (140 miles) north of Ankara filled with graceful Ottoman houses and artisans working at traditional Turkish crafts.
Industrialization came to neighboring Karabük, a steel-making town 10 km (6 miles) to the south, but it spared Safranbolu. In the 1970s Turkish artists and photographers began to notice this historic gem of a town.
In the 1980s tourism authorities saw its value, and the government pledged to preserve it. Modern structures were prohibited in its historic neighborhoods, and traditional artisans were encouraged to ply their crafts in restored workshops. Costumed staff in cafes and restaurants serve Ottoman cuisine.
Luckily, it’s not at all Disneyfied. The local people are real people, not performers, and they love their historic town.
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/CentralAnatolia/Safranbolu/
Safranbolu Baglar Saray Hotel where we spent the night. |
White walls, wood furniture, lace curtains…all features of Ottoman houses. |
This painting in the lobby reminded me of the carpet restorers we saw on our Cappadocia trip. |
I got up early to walk for about an hour into the newer part of Safranbolu. |
Typical Turkish breakfast spread very welcome after my walk down and up the hill from the hotel. |
I love these and had bought some during our trip which I shared with everyone and a few stray dogs. They are a less buttery, more confectionary sugary, and dryer than shortbread. They are very crumbly and light and I’ll have to buy some again just to find read the ingredients. |
| Our morning in Safranbolu was spent out in the countryside visiting the Bulak Mencilis Mağarası, a cave up in the hills.
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“Deep in the Gὕrleyik hills 10km northwest of Safranbolu, this impressive cave network opened to the public a decade ago, although troglodytes may have lived here many millennia before that. You can walk through 400 meters of the 6km-long network, enough to reveal a fine array of stalactites and stalagmites with inevitable anthropomorphic nicknames.” Lonely Planet Turkey Guide |
Starting up the stairs that led up to the cave
The rest of the way up |
Entering the cave It’s actually pretty dark, but I used my photo program to add light so you could see what we saw. |
There were lights along the way but this is still a “light-enhanced” photo |
There was a metal walkway part of the way and dirt part of the way |
| Stalactites
Beautiful and fanciful, think Arthur Rackham illustrations. |
Complimentary tea from the Cave Guard. When we had arrived at 9, opening time, the wooden cave door was locked tight. Taṣ called the posted number and was told there had been car problems. But by 9:15 we were walking through the cave, so all was well. |
At the base of the hill near the parking area… There is a small underground river, waterfall and some lakes but we didn’t see them or even if access is still available. “At Byzantine and Ottoman times a branch of this cave was the source or waterway leading to the city center. “ Safranbolu Museum City Travel Guide from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism |
Dave had wanted a photo of this small, stone/timber “vacation” home that we had seen on our way to the cave. |
I wanted to walk the path, but the cave was only our first stop of the day, so we had to move along. |
