What a lovely city Amasya is!

Saturday, 10 May 2014

Hello!

I’ve decided to write a bit earlier today (it’s just after noon) as we’ve done so much already, and I don’t want to forget anything!

As it turns out, last night around 9:30 p.m. we started getting music and pounding from the hotel/restaurant next door.  And there wasn’t anything to be done about it!  It did stop when they said it would  (at midnight) but boy – very annoying, to say the least!  I did put my earplugs in and managed to fall asleep around 10:30 p.m.  The hotel people volunteered to move us to a quieter room – but as R pointed out, we are already in the room furthest away from the noise…so…we’ll see how tonight goes (which I’m assuming will be the same as last night…)  Don’t really want to leave early, as the hotel itself is quite lovely!  Oh well!

Double click and read carefully!

So…up around 6:30 a.m. to a truly stunning day – blue sky, sunshine and a few fluffy white clouds!  Very happy to see it, that’s for sure!  As I had serious doubts about our super shower, Robert did the very generous thing and went first – even considering he wasn’t scheduled for a shower today!  So, in he went … well, to be honest, while he found out how to turn on lights and the built-in radio, he didn’t manage to make all the funky jets go off!  Very disappointing!  Oh!  And a few other notes about our bathroom here.  You know those public washrooms where you have to wave your hands in front of the tap to get water?  Well, I can NEVER manage to turn them on!   But that’s what they have here!  SO odd!  The problem I have now is that, as there is very little real storage shelf space in the bathroom, I keep trying to put things into the sink – at which time, the water goes on…and on!  And as Robert says, he just walked near to the sink and water started coming out!  Phew!  Additionally, the toilet flush is in two parts, as is usual in Europe.  However, here, the small flush doesn’t seem to be connected to anything, which forces you to use the full flush!  Hmmmm…So, back to the shower.  Very nice shower, actually, even without anything dramatic!  Would be fun to see it really work though…

Heading into tunnel to Pontic tombs

Down to breakfast about 7:30.  Normal Turkish breakfast, with the addition of a potato-filled puff pastry, which was excellent!  I did try some of their homemade jams, which were wonderful!  Nescafe only for Robert, and water for me.  No juice!  Not even Tang!

View from the tombs looking down into town

View looking in other direction

Out about 8 and heading toward the Pontic rock tombs and a real climb for the day!  As it was still early, and while the sun was shining, and the wind was blowing, it wasn’t nearly as hot a climb as it could have been!  We weren’t exactly sure where to begin, but a local could tell that we were looking for something, and basically pointed us in the right direction.  Very friendly and helpful people here!  The only real difficulty was that the stone steps had been polished slick over the centuries by the feet of thousands of tourists, and the surface was very, very slick and very, very uneven.  We made it up to the tombs, which we had to ourselves.  There is nothing left in them – they’re just empty chambers, but the outsides are interesting and the views overlooking the town are fabulous.  From there, we walked up and over to the kafeterya, which was at a wonderful overlook area.  I had Coke, R had Turkish coffee.  This time, his coffee came with sugar already in it, and a small glass of water for a chaser!  I think I’ll let those photographs speak for themselves!

View from cafe

Robert's Turkish coffee ... before

Then we picked our way carefully back down (we neither of us want a repeat of R’s adventure in Aigues Mortes, although it did cross my mind briefly while we were at the top, as to how many Turkish firemen it would take to get R down from the top!) 

Robert drinking Turkish coffee

[Funny, but I was thinking along much the same line! – R] Reached the bottom uneventfully, and crossed the bridge over the river into the “modern” part of town.  

Robert's Turkish coffee after!

Had to find a bank (there are SO many different branches, one is NEVER at a loss for an ATM in Turkey!) and spent some time walking around the shopping area of town.  Saw some wonderful jewelry stores, and lots and lots of GOLD – bangle bracelets mostly, but lots of them.  Don’t understand how it works, but the jewelry here in Turkey is either more sparkly and shiny than normal, or the lighting in the shops is fantastic.  At any rate, with a sigh, headed toward the museum!

More Pontic tombs -- they are everywhere!

Who can resist a jewelry store window?

Bronze Hittite statue of Teshub

Hittite pitcher w/built in strainer

Interesting museum, but I have to admit, after the fabulous museums we have been visiting, this was a bit of a disappointment!  Only a few Hittite artifacts – although the bronze casting of Teshub, the Storm God was incredible! – and it seemed to me that, rather than presenting things in a chronological order, many things were lumped together – Chalcolithic with Hittite and Phrygian, Roman with Byzantine.  Ran into a large girls school group (the group was large, not the girls) and two of the girls (probably mid-teenagers) asked if we would mind if they took a picture with us!  (This also happened with a young man outside of the Pontic tombs!)  So, pictures of three people – Robert, me and girl duly taken.  Rather odd, I think, but kind of nice!  They were all very, very polite (although the girls do tend to giggle!)  The museum also had a nice area outside with pieces – steles, grave stones, bases, capitals, etc. well sited among rose bushes.  Good for a rest!

Robert with cherries and erik!

As it was now a bit past noon, we were thinking rest.  So, back to the hotel for a bit!  But first!!  Robert stopped at a grocery store to pick up cherries and erik (small, crunchy, tart green plums) – the same plums that he had been given last night by the manager when he went down to complain about the music!  He says they are nice and sour, and he loves them!  (Note:  I just tried them, and they’re actually pretty good!!)  We also stopped at a place right across the street from the hotel.  It’s some sort of craft-y type place, where the folks make glass in various forms, as well as jewelry and really cute dolls, all done by hand!  One of those dolls actually followed me home, and I know just the little girl she’ll be going to!  Sometimes shopping is so much fun!  

The breezes blowing through our French doors and windows are superb, and R is already fast asleep!  I’m headed there shortly!

More later!

m

xxx

PS – We have been asked to provide a few prices now and then, for comparison purposes.  So…R has calculated the price of diesel works out to approximately $8.51/gallon (gulp!).  Additionally, dinner last night – two starters, two mains, two glasses of wine and a large bottle of water was approximately 70 TL (Turkish Lira) which equals approximately $35 total.  Robert’s moral of the story?  It’s better to eat than drive!

m