There might be safety in numbers. Staying part of the herd. Following the leader. But if you’re stuck in the middle. What then? Might as well be wearing blinkers.
It’s one thing we’re good at. Breaking free. Going walkabout. Shying away from the crowds. Nothing more rewarding than having a place all to ourselves. Seeing something, others may not.
Entering into the labyrinth of Safranbolu’s haven of preserved Ottoman houses, we head around the perimeter. Search out the quiet and deserted lanes. If we ignore the scattering of lampposts and satellite dishes, we could almost be stepping back in time.
The building style is based around a brick, or stone base, with a wooden structure perched on top. The design must have something going for it as a previous earthquake did little to shake most of the towns’ foundations. We’re really curious to see the inside layout. We stop to admire, what looks like a hotel. A peeper peeps. Then pops out. Recognises our curiosity. Are our faces communicating we need somewhere to stay? He invites us in. Proudly shows us around each floor and room of his mum’s place. He’s the cook. Gedirli Yasam is a B&B with a beauty-spa & yoga element. It’s immaculate and tasteful. Four en-suite bedrooms lead off from the very large main landing. A traditional internal design for these three story dwellings. It’s hot outside, but pleasantly cave-like cool inside.
Two rumbling tums remind us that we can’t stay on the outside forever. We drop down. Get lost in the ‘made for tourist’ streets. Eat. Then get lost some more.
At long last some perfectly free time to ‘blitz’ your trip. What a real delight!! You do a brilliant job Brian.
It enabled me to relive times I was travelling in those parts.
Interested to hear you have had a bash at Mancala – a very very old game, probably from Africa.
I look forward to see where you go next.
Good to hear from you Rog. We’ll have to swap stories next time. Of course, we’re always interested to see where we go next . . . 🙂