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...

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...

On the fourth day of my Come See Turkey 2014 adventure, we ventured 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...