TravelMorgan Stone GretherSümela Monastery, Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, Trabzon, travel

Come See Turkey, Day 4: Sümela Monastery

TravelMorgan Stone GretherSümela Monastery, Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, Trabzon, travel
Come See Turkey, Day 4: Sümela Monastery

On the fourth day of my Come See Turkey 2014 adventure, we journeyed to Trabzon to see the Sümela Monastery. Built in 386 CE by Roman monks, the monastery is a series of buildings, like a small village, carved right into the side of a huge cliff. A good word for it would be breathtaking. Though many sections were rebuilt a number of times over the centuries, the overall site remains intact. Thankfully many ancient frescoes still cover some areas top to bottom with wild images and colors. A fascinating look back directly into the early Christian era.

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TravelMorgan Stone Gretherhagia sophiaTurkey, tourism, Istanbul, Hagia Sophia, cathedral, church, Come See Turkey 2014, travel

Come See Turkey, Day 3: Hagia Sophia

In the middle of the third day of my Come See Turkey trip, we explored the magnificent Hagia Sophia, aka the Ayasofya. What was once the Romans' first Christian cathedral and then a mosque under the Ottomans, it is now a very popular museum (and deservedly so). And though it stands as an astonishing testament to Roman architecture, it would not be standing at all if not for Ottoman architects maintaining it...

TravelMorgan Stone Gretherhagia sophiaTurkey, tourism, Istanbul, Hagia Sophia, cathedral, church, Come See Turkey 2014, travel
Come See Turkey, Day 3: Hagia Sophia
TravelMorgan Stone GretherTopkapi Palace, Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, tourism, Istanbul, travel

Come See Turkey, Day 3: Topkapİ Palace

In the middle of day three of my Come See Turkey trip, we visited the Topkapi Palace. When the Ottomans conquered the city 500 years ago, they rebuilt the ruined Roman imperial palace and administration complex into what would eventually become called Topkapi. Though renovated over the centuries, much of the original complex remains. And to my delight, they grow many, many tulips...

TravelMorgan Stone GretherTopkapi Palace, Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, tourism, Istanbul, travel
Come See Turkey, Day 3: Topkapİ Palace
TravelMorgan Stone GretherTrabzon, Black Sea, Turkey, eastern Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, tourism, travel

Trabzon, Turkey

After three days in Istanbul for my 2014 Come See Turkey adventure we traveled to Trabzon, a coastal city in northeastern Turkey, founded by the ancient Greeks along the Black Sea in the ninth century BCE. It's a lovely city, but also a gateway to many great spots in the area, like the Sümela Monastery for instance...

TravelMorgan Stone GretherTrabzon, Black Sea, Turkey, eastern Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, tourism, travel
Trabzon, Turkey
TravelMorgan Stone GretherUzungöl, Trabzon, eastern Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, tourism, mountains, tea, lake, travel

Uzungöl, Turkish Mountain Retreat

During my 2014 Come See Turkey experience, after visiting Sümela, we traveled from Trabzon to Kars, and we stopped for a bit in the town of Uzungöl, a lovely mountain retreat in the Çaykara district that would be at home in Switzerland...

TravelMorgan Stone GretherUzungöl, Trabzon, eastern Turkey, Come See Turkey 2014, tourism, mountains, tea, lake, travel
Uzungöl, Turkish Mountain Retreat