Beginning Sinop

My breakfast view this morning

I woke up late this morning and had breakfast in one of the restaurants right by the sea. I was very happy with my tea because it was really hot unlike the usually half warm half hot tea that's served everywhere. We Turks have unbelievable amounts of black tea every day. At home I have about 8-10 at breakfast only but today I only had 4.

I sat on the other plastic purple chair. This city likes purple. The walls of my hotel room also are purple. One can find these fish-and-alcohol restaurants in any city by the sea. The most colorful character of the area was this dog who barked and played with the locals carrying a small (and empty) raki (Turkish ouzo) bottle in his mouth.

Visiting my second "new" city I now know that I also have the "foreign" phobia to some extent: When I arrived at Sinop yesterday, I didn't like it one bit. I felt uncomfortable and regretted I ever came here. I was angry at myself that I followed my impulse too quickly to come here: I thought the only thing in Sinop worth seeing was the museum and that was closed all Monday and half day Tuesday, so coming here on Sunday night I thought I wasted all my Monday. I planned and even bought tickets to go to Bafra to go see the newly uncovered historic site Ikiztepe, but that was a 2 hour ride East on the same terrible road I rode yesterday. I was so very angry at myself for riding 3 hours West to come to Sinop only to realize that I need to ride 2 hours back and forth East on the same road. I was way too lazy and sleepy this morning to catch the early bus, so I decided I'll stay in my room all day to start this blog. 

After breakfast I said to myself I will take a very short walk just to see where this shore line is going and then will go back to my room quickly to start writing my blog. After a series of sea side cafes that again one can find in any city by the sea, I found myself on this beautiful scene with the fishing boats and the Black Sea on my left and the seemingly unending Sinop Fortress on my right.

When I arrived yesterday I was sent to find a hotel in inner "kale" and all I saw was one small (and seemingly independent) old wall. I didn't get what the big deal was about this Sinop Kale. "Kale" means both "castle" and "fortress" in Turkish and I thought Sinop had one small castle until my awe grew with each step I took. It was a fortress, after all, and it simply didn't end. It was on the right, then inside the city, then under the city, under the sea, on the other side... basically the entire modern Sinop is founded on and in this fortress and completely mingled with it. I will post some more awesome, sad, confusing and beautiful images of that mingling.

Shimmering beauty Black Sea. But don't be fooled. Black Sea is known as a unruly waters. You need to know it before daring to go on or in it.

This red fishing boat is specific to this region and called a "taka". I watched it leave and it has such a charisma when it moves.

Waiting to be re-painted...