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CHAPTER 6 : From Georgia to the heart of Turkey




This month, I took a few days off to unwind. Off to the seaside I went, accompanied by my partner in crime: Jaco.

Day 1 : Batumi

We left Tbilisi at 9 a.m. Five hours later, the landscape slowly began to change, until it gave way to something I hadn’t seen in six months: the sea.

Seeing it again was one of my main goals for this trip. Living in Rustavi made me realize how much I miss the ocean. There’s something soothing about the salty air, the cries of seagulls, and the sound of the waves.

In Batumi, it was raining, steady rain that gave the city a slightly melancholic atmosphere. In the evening, we continued on to Sarpi, right on the Turkish border. A stop along the way.




Day 2 : Trabzon

The next morning, we set off early, heading to Turkey. We rented a car in Sarp since we had a specific route in mind, and took turns driving. We followed the Black Sea coast, and it felt incredibly relaxing. The weather was better here the sun was finally out. 

Our first stop was in Rize, where I tried baklava for the first time, a traditional Middle Eastern pastry. We then continued on to Trabzon, where we spent the night. In the afternoon, we took time to explore the city, wandering through the streets without any particular destination. I entered a mosque for the first time ; Hanife Hatun Camii. I was surprised by the silence inside. I’m used to visiting churches, where sound seems to echo throughout the space. But in the mosque, there was nothing, no sound, just stillness. I found it deeply calming, especially in contrast with the noise of the city outside.







Day 3 : Leaving the coast behind

We hit the road again. Our destination was clear: Cappadocia, in the heart of Turkey. It was a long drive, so we decided to make one last stop by the sea for lunch before heading inland. A quiet pause before leaving the coast behind. As we moved further away from the Black Sea, the landscape slowly began to change. By the end of the day, we reached ร‡orum, where we stopped for the night.



Day 4 : Cappadocia

We arrived in ร‡avuลŸin around 1 p.m., where we would be staying for two nights. In the afternoon, we decided to head to Rose Valley, named after the pinkish hues the rocks take on at sunset.







Day 5 : Kaymaklฤฑ Underground City

In the morning, breakfast was served: an omelet, tea, four different types of honey, cold cuts, cheese, tapenade, olives, pastries, bread… and even fries! A very generous breakfast. Let’s just say my stomach was more than ready for the day.
The stomach full, we headed to Kaymaklฤฑ Underground City, where we spent most of the morning.

The underground cities of Cappadocia were carved out as early as antiquity by local populations to protect themselves from repeated invasions and raids. Over the centuries, they were expanded and used by different civilizations. They served as temporary shelters but could host thousands of people, with a surprisingly complex organization: stables, kitchens, cellars, storage rooms, wineries, churches, tunnels, millstones, ventilation shafts… allowing for a nearly self-sufficient life underground. Their defensive architecture; hidden entrances, secret passages, and communication systems, reflects both human ingenuity and centuries of adaptation to threat and survival. The city could accommodate up to 30,000 people. It was truly fascinating to explore.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the area, discovering troglodyte villages and ancient fortresses.









Day 6 : Hamsikรถy

We had a 7 hour drive ahead of us to reach Hamsikรถy.

Along the way, we passed through a variety of landscapes and climates : sunshine, rain, and even snowy plains. We left behind the warm, spring-like weather of Cappadocia and gradually found ourselves surrounded by mountains.

I was surprised to see so much snow. We crossed the province of Sivas, which I think, felt like the highest point of the journey.




Day 7 : 
Sรผmela Monastery & Back to Batumi

The next day, we set off to visit Sรผmela Monastery.
Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the monastery is said according to legend to have been founded in the 4th century, after an icon was discovered in a cave on the Black Mountain.
It was expanded and restored several times over the centuries, notably under Emperor Justinian and during the Empire of Trebizond. It grew in importance before being transformed during the Ottoman period, and eventually abandoned in 1923 during the population exchange.
Today, it is a museum and stands as a powerful testimony to its rich religious and architectural history, with chapels, frescoes, living quarters, and structures built around a cave church carved into the rock.

However, I left a bit disappointed. The visit was very short, and a large part of the site was under renovation, so there wasn’t much to see. From up close, it felt underwhelming. But from a distance, the monastery is far more impressive. In the end, it was still worth the detour.

Afterwards, we returned to Trabzon for lunch: pide and baklava, before hitting the road again, dropping off the car, and heading back toward the border.





Day 8 : Back to Tbilissi 

The journey comes to an end, and Rustavi is waiting for us. We get back on the road, this time by bus, heading toward Tbilisi.

I would have liked to stay a bit longer in Turkey. If I had more time for this trip, I would have gone all the way down to the Mediterranean coast and eaten even more Turkish delights. But who knows, maybe next time?

For now, Georgia is calling me back, reminding me that I still have a lot of its territory left to explore.


Ciao, in the flow !










 

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