Trabzon, a secret gem between mountains!

Being the largest city in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, Trabzon is surrounded by amazing forests and mountains! This gorgeous city was founded in 756 BC by Greek colonists. These colonists named it Trapezous, which basically means "table" in ancient Greek. You're probably thinking "why table?"- well, it was called like this due to its topographic shape. Trabzon is squeezed between two rivers with steep cliffs on both sides. So, it equals to a table in ancient Greek I guess! Trabzon is also famous for its nuts! The famous "famous Turkish nuts" labelled on Nutella, are in fact coming from here! Of course, this place offers much more than just nuts and history and it is also very close to Rize! Its Nature is amazing in every season! So, let's explore Trabzon together!

Picture © Credits to PhotoLondonUK

Sümela Monastery is a breathtaking rock-hewn monastery, standing gracefully still on the narrow ledge of a steep cliff, in Trabzon. Covered with forests -just like every other place in Trabzon- this breathtaking building was built in the fourth century. Inside the monastery, there are lots of frescoes. You can find frescoes depicting animal figures, saints, Jesus Christ and many more. The beautiful frescoes have been vandalised horribly throughout the years but currently, they're under protection. Today, you can still see many of them in this old monastery and in its museum! To reach this ancient building, you are advised to take a minibus. To be honest, it is quite an adventure to get there, since there are lots of sharp turns and curvy roads. Fact; the bus drivers don't seem to care whether you feel sick or terrified- yes they do drive fast! Well, don't you freak out, of course you will survive and it will all worth it!

Between those glorious mountains, another gem is waiting to be explored! Uzungöl is a lake located up in the mountains, with an altitude of 1090 m. This 1 km long lake is surrounded by gorgeous forests. Uzungöl actually means "Long River" in Turkish! The tracks around the lake are perfectly ideal for hiking. At the same time, you can rent a bungalow to stay overnight and enjoy this beautiful nature all day long! To reach the lake, you can take the local minibus from the Trabzon city center. The right one is the one heading to the direction "Uzungöl" , which is written on top. The best season to visit Uzungöl is definitely summer but if I were you, I would hurry up because a "big construction project" is being planned, which will basically demolish the whole place. Unfortunately no-one seems to be able to stop Turkey's government from doing so, which is quite sad. So, if you want to see this amazing lake and witness the pure nature around it, hurry up!

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