The City at the Black Sea

Aloha my friends,

You guys know how i always speak about Trabzon the city in Turkey which i relocated almost one year ago. I'm kinda' obsessed with it and feel so proud and people asking me where are you from . Okay i'm from Transilvanya but now i'm also from Trabzon.

The story about how i meet my boyfriend during Erasmus it will be soon on my blog , until then i will tell you the story of how i moved to Trabzon and what this city has to offer.

After Erasmus Portugal i decided to follow my boyfriend in life , whatever crazy that sounds, and relocate to Turkey. He is a student in Black Sea University in Trabzon. Said and done after to months sitting at home in Romania time came to pack my life and move on the other side of the Black Sea .

To arrive in Trabzon from everywhere you need a flight conection to Istanbul . So i took the Bucharest -Istanbul-Trabzon , Pegasus Company flight. From Istanbul to Trabzon is about 1 hour more or less.

I came back to Turkey after almost 5 years since my first Erasmus experience in Diyarbakir. So i already had a clue about Turkey has to offer , after arriving in airport i got a flash about last time i was in this amazing country. I remembered my experiences , the people , the food , the culture and suddently i felt so happy to return .

Trabzon is not small and not big city in Turkey , is situated at the Black Sea in the North of the country . Population around half of milion with plenty of students . Traditions and culture are different from other cities in Turkey . Let's say people here are a bit more european and a lot more crazy . I know what i'm talking about y'all.

Before going to a city as i said in my Batumi article i like to google it and get all the info's i need about a new place , things to see, restaurants to taste. Said and done , arrived in Trabzon with my bucket list done .

For those who don't know, Turkey is not part of European Union and as a member of UE i cannot stay in Turkey more that 3 months in a 6 months round.

Next day prior my arrival i was up and all about the city , started the tour until the first Shopping Mall i encountered.

the city center

So funny because 5-7 years ago when i visited a new place i was so muh into museums , and galleries and all this historical things , now im all about the shopping malls. How people change .

first dish in Trabzon

Shopping malls ..

As i start telling you a bit about the most important touristic places to visit, i will indolge you first about the centers where you can spend time and money.

There are shopping centers in Trabzon , one is a quite small one but cute and close to my house. Is called Varlibas Mall but i always call it Kabul Mall. The story about it is first time being in this mall i couldnt see the actual name so as we entered inside from the parking there was a sign saying ''Kabul Mall'' which later i learnt that it means parking or something like that . So yeah name remained Kabul Mall.

In Varlibas you can find 3 floors with nice clothing and shoe shops , from Koton to De Facto to Collezione , Mavi and the best from turkish clothing. So is pretty good . Plus a cinema and fast food floor with Burger King , McD, and turkish food.

Second mall and the largest is called Forum Trabzon is near Karadeniz University and oh boy my credit card knows so much about it :)). No in reality i love spending all my time here , they do have amazing shops from turkish brands to Mango and Super luxury turkish designers. Plus tech shops, electronics , big Migros inside which is number 1 supermarket in Turkey. Fast foods like Popeye's , Arby's, Sbarro and many more. Also bowling there is inside .

3rd Mall is more like an outlet center , also big one with same turkish brands but 50% disscount. For example they have a nice Koton Store with tax free merchandise. I totally recommend it. Is situated a bit outside of Trabzon on the way to Hopa.

And they have a karting area also. Pretty dope!!

Okay back to touristic sides for those who i bothered with the Shopping Malls lol .

Suleyman and the Museums..

Just in case you are a fan of Suleyman series just like me , thumbs up, i learn that he was born in Trabzon and lived most of his childhood here. You can find here and there statues with him but most you will see with his father Selim , who was before a great warrior and Sultan .

So Suleyman's house where he was born is in Trabzon .

Suleyman monument near the Sea

The only one museum i found and visited was an archaelogical small museum, situated in the center, or in turkish Sehir Merkezi . They have quite interesting things inside , all from Ataturk 's belongings to old guns, coins, manuscripts , and many many more. I guess entree fee was 5TL student disscount.

Another museum which is more for sports fanatics, is the one belonging to the Trabzon Spor footbal team. So it's like a fan museum, of course i did not enter there lol. You can also find it in center.

old arabic manuscris

inside the museum quick pic

The Black Sea

Strange thing about this city is how beautiful is the Black Sea and how akward is that they don't have any beaches. I mean literally no beaches . They dig up everything and made a highway there. Not cool bro !

So if you want to enjoy a nice summer day at the beach to bad for you , gotta go other city , meh meh :(.

But you do get to have nice long walks around the sea shore and sometimes spy the fishing ships.

The old Church

Another nice spot for touristic sights is an old ortodhox church now transformed into a mosque. Called Ayasofya .

There is an amazing view from there along the entire sea and highway. It gives you that South of France kinda look.

Inside this church area they have also a nice traditional sitting place where you can enjoy a nice turkish ceai or sodas.

Off record there is a small fun park , let's call it like this  near this Church .

the view from The Church overlooking the sea and Luna Park

Near Trabzon

On the paper is still Region of Trabzon , but you may drive some km until you pass other cities and villages. And now im speaking about the Sumela Monastery and Uzungol Lake.

Sumela Monastery

About 30 minutes from Trabzon , there is this amazing old greek orthodox monastery situated on the top of the mountain . Is literally on the edge of the rock . To arrive until up is eighter by car or by hike , around 2h 30.

During from 1 september 2015 until 1 september 2016 is closed for restauration.

Uzungol Lake

I visited this amazing place for Christmas last year. It's around 1h and something from Trabzon . It's a natural landscape with a big lake surrounded by mountains. It's arabs top destionation. Around the lake are many restaurants and hotels.

You can enjoy activities like hiking , extreme sports and sking in the winter.

Fresh fish is the best choice if you wish to enjoy a nice lunch.

Crazy view of Uzungol

Boztepe

This place is perfect for families and is more like a picnic area and overlooking the city .Spectaculars view . You can get a dolmus ( mini bus) and they will take you until upstairs on the top of the hill.

overlooking trabzon

and of course the famous Trabzon sign in Hollywood style

I will end up saying even if touristic has not so much to offer , it is tho' a different city from what you usually find in Turkey . More free , more european feel like . Where the modern gets in with the old in a perfect mixture of flavours , colours and traditions.

Few tips :

Best place to eat is definitely my fave CofeeMania , you can find variaties of food from turkish to international cuisine , in a elegant and classy deco with amazing staff.

Streets are always full with shaorma places so dont hesitate to eat from there. It's always better to get shaorma from the street , more traditional, more tasty.

Best University : Karadeniz Technical University

Best place to shop for vegetables, fish and fruits: The russian bazar