Safranbolu

Trip Start Oct 30, 2005

Trip End Jun 19, 2006

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Flag of Turkey Safranbolu, Turkey
Thursday, May 18, 2006

No, not an unusual but highly specific game involving a John Safran-lookalike and a long stick, Safranbolu is in fact one of the hidden gems of Turkey. A Rip van Winkle town, nestled along a picturesque canyon, Safranbolu has not only the best-preserved Ottoman architecture in Turkey, but also some fantastic lokum - the famous Turkish Delight. We're talking Pavlovian response stuff here, folks!
It's like stepping back in time arriving here. As I stepped off the bus, I had to turn around to make sure I hadn't just arrived in a DeLorian, and a quick passport check reassured me that my name wasn't Marty McFly. After the vivacity of Istanbul, a couple of back-water days sounded very appealing, and Skye and I settled in nicely.
Like anywhere in Turkey though, it wasn't entirely out of the way. Walking down the street, the remarkable ability of the Turks to pick your nationality again amazed me, as a proud "Kia ora bro!" rang out across the quiet way. Turning around, a long-haired pottery artist was beckoning me over to inspect his wares. "Yeni Zelanda good!" he beamed, exhaling a massive cloud of smoke, a dog-end gripped in the corner of his mouth.

Ah, Turkey!