Last week, the entire nation of Turkey celebrated Bayram. Despite the many questions I asked, I still know shockingly little about the origins of this holiday and what exactly it celebrates. However, for Seth and me it meant one thing: travel.
We began with a night bus to Trabzon, Turkey. After rolling in around 9 a.m., we purchased our return tickets, making friends with the Metro Turizm patron who helped us secure a trip to Sumela Monastery. This 4th century Greek Orthodox monastery is built on a steep cliff overlooking the Altındere valley. I am sure the sound of the rushing river that winds through the pine trees speckled against the backdrop of snow covered peaks made it easy for these early Christians to focus their thoughts on God. The most impressive aspect of the Sumela Monastery was the early 18th century frescoes of scenes from the Bible narrative. Although severely damaged, these paintings are artistically, historically, and symbolically fascinating.
- The Sumela Monastery hanging from the cliff on the left.
Me in front of the Sumela Monastery frescoes.
The second night was again spent on a bus. This time our destination was Tbilisi, Georgia. Some of you may remember Tbilisi from 2008 when Russian flexed its muscles by rolling tanks into the capital of this former Soviet state. I found Tbilisi an incredibly charming city. We stayed in a hostel just off Freedom Square, giving us easy access to the many sites: Trinity Church Cathedral, Sioni Cathedral, Metekhi, Rustaveli Avenue, Narikala Fortress, and the Sulfur Bath Houses (think hamam part two).
- Freedom Square
Holy Trinity Cathedral
In a three day whirlwind, we saw it all. The only time we stopped to slow down was for long lunches of delicious Georgian cuisine and the even more exquisite wine. To understand why we took our time with such food, here is the view from one of our preferred eateries:
- Old Town Tbilisi
Although many parts of Tbilisi were nice and well developed, there were some areas in which the seedy Soviet underbelly still shined through. As we made our way east back across the country, this became even more apparent. By the time we reached our third destination, Batumi, there was no need for history books, the failures and Communism were alive right before our eyes. Streets looked like mine fields with massive craters and piles of rubble. The pouring rain turned everything to mud and filled the holes in the ground, making many sections of streets impassible. Seth and I discovered that entire sections of the city frequently lose access to gas. Considering that the temperature in Batumi was below freezing, the lack of heating was difficult to bear.
Regardless of the shortcomings of the cities we visited, one thing continually present was the kindness of the people. The taxi drivers we encountered were honest, the citizens eager to show us to the correct bus stop, and the staff of the hostels warm and welcoming. In Batumi, this was especially true. Despite the many obstacles we encountered in Batumi—the deluge, construction, gas outages, and cold,—the family we stayed with went out of their way to ensure we arrived safely and were well taken care of. I only hope that the hospitality we were shown abroad is matched in the U.S. by people who encounter foreigners in their hometowns.
